Riesbeck’s bakery strategy: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

How many supermarkets can claim they can count a paczki king and queen among their employees? Most likely, the honor only belongs to Riesbeck Food Markets, St. Clairsville, Ohio. The crowning of the king and queen, voted on by store customers, is the newest component of the Paczki Ball, a promotion begun 12 years ago by John Chickery, the chain's bakery director.

The ball is only one of the many promotions surrounding paczki, which the in-stores began selling 13 years ago. That first year, Riesbeck's only offered the Polish pre-Lenten treat for the seven days before Ash Wednesday.

“It was our first attempt, and we only did $3,700 in sales. I didn't know if it was going to be worth it,” Chickery says. He rethought his strategy, and in addition to the week before Ash Wednesday, he began selling paczki the seven consecutive weekends for Easter. By the third year, the bakers were frying paczki 19 hours a day. In 2009, Riesbeck's sold almost half a million, and this year's sales are tracking 12 percent higher than last year. Sixty percent of the paczki are sold by Ash Wednesday.

Like most of the other products at Riesbeck's, paczki dough is made from a mix. After mixing, the dough rests for an hour; it is then scaled and rests again. After dividing, the dough is shaped and then frozen. The paczki are fried about an hour after they are removed from the freezer.

“Paczki has grown to the point where our customers are really anticipating it,” Chickery says. To keep that anticipation up, he runs a full-page newspaper ad the week before Fat Tuesday, as well as teasers in the in-store ads three weeks prior.

Paczki season kicks off with live radio remotes from the stores and the Paczki Ball the Saturday before Ash Wednesday in the St. Clairsville location, which includes the crowning of the king and queen as well as three hours of live music by a polka band. The bakery's merchandising tables are moved to make room for about 100 seats and a dance floor.

“People can listen and dance to the band, and we sample paczki and other Polish items,” he says. A paczki-mobile also generates interest.

Continual promotions

“We do a lot of promotions,” Chickery says. “We try to have something going all the time.” In addition to the paczki promotion, the bakeries promote cherry month in February, and for St. Patrick's Day, Key lime angel food cake. “It's unique to use, and I only do Key lime once a year. It won't be back until next year,” he adds.

Strawberry fest is celebrated during the first week of May. Each location chooses a different merchandising theme and incorporates up to 70 different strawberry products. Then, the month of October is Oktoberfest, where the bakeries showcase a variety of German specialties, including fastnacht, the German version of paczki.

Although the bakeries are completely self-serve, decorators are positioned at the front of the production area to provide customer service as needed.

Close on the heels of Oktoberfest is the pumpkin face cake promotion for Halloween. Single layer cakes in the shape of pumpkins are iced with orange buttercream and sold for $3.99. Tables are set up with decorating tubes so children can add faces to their cakes.

In November, all of Riesbeck's perishables departments join in a sample fest, where a variety of specialty products from each department are available for customers to taste. “We'll do a full array of Thanksgiving and Christmas items. Most of them aren't for sale yet, but it gives people a taste of what is to come,” Chickery says.

The bakeries keep customers interested by frequently rotating the products available. Riesbeck's offers about 250 bakery SKUs with 175 for sale at any given time and about 50 are unique to Riesbeck's. For example, most stores only offer pumpkin products from September to December. The exception is pumpkin bread, which is available year-round. “I think people want something different when they come into the store. That's why we bring items in and take items out. We want them hungry for that item,” Chickery adds.

He also tantalizes customers with items that will be available soon. The bakeries offer a pumpkin nut cookie topped with cream cheese icing that is typically only sold from September to December; however, Chickery will showcase the product in an ad in July to get customers thinking about pumpkin and other fall items.

Long-standing production methods

Riesbeck Food Markets operates 14 stores under four banners with 10 in-store bakeries. Of the stores with bakeries, six have full production areas with rack and/or deck ovens, spiral mixers, proofers, sheeters, dividers/rounders, moulders and cookie depositors. Two of the in-stores have limited production facilities and two are cold spots with product shipped in four times a week from the other production bakeries. The orders are placed a week in advance, but adjustments can be made as late as the night before.

Continue to next page