S. Abraham & Sons (SAS) Inc., a subsidiary of Imperial Trading Co., announced that it has concluded its inaugural launch of National Candy Month.
Created by the National Confectioners Association (NCA) and launched June 2016, National Candy Month has evolved into a national awareness movement that celebrates chocolate and candy as summertime treats that encourage emotional well-being.
“Our objective for this campaign was to promote National Candy Month in June by collaborating with our vendor partners to offer incentives for our retailers, engaging contests for SAS sales team, and a framework for retailer activation of this promotion to consumers,” explains Christa Verrier, category manager-confection, SAS. “Ultimately our goal was to drive sales for SAS, our suppliers, and retailers.”
Major confection manufacturers, including The Hershey Co., Mars Wrigley, Mondelēz, Ferrero, Ferrara Candy Co. and Albanese supported the wholesaler’s efforts by offering special promotions throughout SAS’s Monthly Marketing Publication. Each selected a “Blockbuster” item with a “WOW” promotional deal for retailers, that would also be the focus for an internal sales contest.
Other manufacturers, including Kokos’ Confection, Awake Chocolate, Just Born, Lindt and Morinaga (Hi-Chew) participated in offering promotions in this publication. Over 52 novelty, chocolate, chewy and non-chocolate candy items were highlighted.
SAS sales representatives competed among each other within their sales regions to earn prize money by promoting these Blockbuster items during National Candy Month. The winning sales region with the highest target goals achieved was awarded prize money to be split among their team.
As a final piece to this campaign, SAS produced point-of-sale kits, to include door and window clings and shelf danglers, that were offered at no cost to retailers to complement their in-store merchandising.
SAS’ sales goal with this campaign was 10% lift across the category; results have shown a 17% increase in both dollars and units within the entire confection category, June 2021 vs. prior year. With regards to the eight “Blockbuster” focus items, results show a 31% increase in dollars and 32% increase in units sold during the promotional period vs. prior year.
“Overall, I’m very pleased with the success of this campaign. SAS is uniquely positioned as a wholesale distributor in the convenience channel to bring together manufacturers and retailers to promote National Candy Month,” said Verrier. “We look forward to continuing to bring these innovative opportunities to our retailers in the future.”
A subsidiary of Imperial Trading Co., Grand Rapids-based SAS is a grocery distributor servicing convenience, grocery, drug, campus retail and small-format stores in eight Midwest states.
Imperial Trading Company and S. Abraham & Sons Inc. provide marketing, distribution, and technology solutions to convenience retailers. Their service area extends from the U.S. and Canada border to the Gulf of Mexico where they service over 5,000 retail locations. The company’s strengths are its alliance with retail customers and the continued commitment to providing exceptional quality, value, and service.
Imperial Trading Company and S. Abraham & Sons Inc. have six distribution centers serving 19 states and are headquartered in Elmwood, La.
For further information, please contact VP Trade Relations and Event Planning Kaye Powell at [email protected].
