ND1202117

Title: Men: The New Shopping Frontier

Description: Supermarkets are going after the male shopper with targeted campaigns.

Page Content: TORONTO ? Supermarkets have long courted the female shopper, but lately some are turning their attention to targeting men, the Toronto Star reports. Longo?s grocery store has added an oasis in the middle of the store: Corks, a bar with local wine and beer, armchairs, a big-screen television and WiFi.

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?Our store managers are telling us we?re seeing more men than ever before,? said Rob Koss, vice-president of marketing at Longo?s, which has 24 locations.

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With more men doing the shopping, supermarkets are figuring out how to make their stores more men-friendly without turning off women. A NPD Group study found that men primarily grocery shopped in 25 percent of Canadian households last year, a 5 percent bump from 2006.

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Part of Longo?s philosophy has been to understand how to attract the male shopper, who tends to zoom in and out of the store faster than his female counterpart. Koss said the company has invested in catchy promos and videos, plus some ?try before you buy? sampling.

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Other stores have also targeted men, such as H-E-B grocer in Texas with its ?man caves? with televisions, blue floor lighting and grooming products geared toward men alone. Canadian Tire added some grocery store items in a few locations as an experiment.

Content Subject: International, Marketing/Merchandising

Formatted Article Date: December 2, 2011

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