Golden Penguins Awards Revealed for March Frozen Food Month
The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has bestowed 16 Golden Penguin Awards, as well as 31 Silver Penguins and four Amber Penguins (signifying three consecutive Gold award wins in the same category) for its 32nd annual competition to recognize the best merchandising efforts in support of March Frozen Food Month.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Amber Penguin Award Winners
Local Frozen Food Association Over 50 Members: The Frozen & Refrigerated Food Council of Northern California, Hollister, Calif.
Retail Supermarket Best Overall Store Promotion: Chris' Food Center, Sandstone, Minn.
Assisting Company: Dean's Foods, Esko, Minn.
Retail Corporate Chain or Division 10-50 Stores: Harmons Grocery, West Valley, Utah
Gold Penguin Award Winners
Local Frozen Food Association Over 50 Members: Frozen & Refrigerated Foods of Central Florida, Temple Terrace, Fla.
Military Commissary Best End Cap Display: Nellis AFB Commissary, Nellis AFB, Nev.
Assisting Company: WEBCO G.P., Aldie, Va.
Military Commissary Best Department Display: Nellis AFB Commissary, Nellis AFB, Nev.
Assisting Company: WEBCO G.P., Aldie, Va.
Military Commissary Overall Store Promotion: Nellis AFB Commissary, Nellis AFB, Nev.
Assisting Company: WEBCO G.P., Aldie, Va.
Military Sales Agent: Acosta Sales & Marketing, Norfolk, Va.
Manufacturer Branded: Ateeco Inc./Mrs. T's Pierogies, Shenandoah, Pa.
Corporate Wholesaler: C&S Grocery Wholesalers, Robesonia, Pa.
Retail Supermarket Best End Cap Display:Albertsons #1002, Mesa, Ariz.
Assisting Company: Co-Sales Co., Phoenix
Retail Supermarket Best Department Display: Tops Friendly Markets, Elmira, N.Y.
Retail Corporate Chain or Division Less than 10 Stores: Chris' Food Center, Sandstone, Minn.
Retail Corporate Chain or Division 10-50 Stores: Food Maxx Stores, Modesto, Calif.
Retail Corporate Chain or Division Over 50 Stores: Giant Eagle Inc., Pittsburgh
Silver Penguin Award Winners
Local Frozen Food Association Over 50 Members: Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Council of North Carolina, Rock Hill, S.C.
Military Commissary Best End Cap Display: Fort Stewart Commissary, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Assisting Company: Nestle USA, Hinesville, Ga.
Military Commissary Best Department Display: Whiteman AFB Commissary, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
Assisting Company: Acosta Sales & Marketing, Smithville, Mo.
Ramstein AB Commissary, Ramstein AB, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Assisting Company: Acosta Sales & Marketing, Norfolk, Va.
Imperial Beach Commissary, San Diego
Assisting Company: Dunham & Smith Agencies, Prince George, Va.
Robins AFB Commissary, Robins AFB, Ga.
Military Commissary Overall Store Promotion: Robins AFB Commissary, Robins AFB, Ga.
Co-Op Wholesaler: Wakefern Food Corp., Keasby, N.J.
Corporate Wholesaler: Bozzuto's, Inc., Cheshire, Conn.
Retail Supermarket Best End Cap Display:ShopRite Wharton, Wharton, N.J.
Assisting Company: Douglas Sales, Morristown, N.J.
Safeway #2821, Glendale, Ariz.
Assisting Company: Co-Sales Co., Phoenix
Albertsons LLC #969, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Assisting Company: Co-Sales Co., Phoenix
Retail Supermarket Best Department Display: Strack & Van Til-Schererville, Schererville, Ind.
Chris' Food Center, Sandstone, Minn.
Assisting Company: Dean's Foods, Esko, Minn.
Woodman's Waukesha, Waukesha, Wis.
Assisting Company: Kemps LLC, Cedarburg, Wis.
Retail Supermarket Overall Store Store Promotion: Crossroads County Market, Wausau, Wis.
Assisting Company: Kemps LLC, Cedarburg, Wis.
Retail Corporate Chain or Division 10-50 Stores: Buehler's Fresh Foods, Wooster, Ohio
Retail Corporate Chain or Division Over 50 Stores: Acme Markets, Malvern, Pa.
Price Chopper Supermarkets, Schenectady, N.Y.
Albertsons, LLC-SW Division, Phoenix
Retail Sales Agent: Douglas Sales Associates, Piscataway, N.J.
Winning entries in the month-long program made effective, creative use of promotional elements like in-store programs, advertising, consumer education, merchandising materials and special displays. While the Gold awards will be presented during NFRA's convention in Dallas in October, Silver awards are usually presented at local frozen food association meetings.
In support of Frozen Food Month, NFRA, joined by 14 participating brands, distributed a two-page FSI to 20 million consumers across the country on March 1, along with digital coupons through a partnership with Coupons.com, and a $10,000 consumer sweepstakes ran on the trade association’s Easy Home Meals social media channels throughout the month of March. Further, the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, an NFRA partner, aired a special TV segment broadcast on March to more than 4 million households. Additional promotions included collaborating with food writer Katie Workman and influential bloggers to provide relevant visual content and recipes in online posts.
Golden Penguins will also be given out for June Dairy Month marketing plans and the June/July Ice Cream & Novelties display contest.
Harrisburg, Pa.-based NFRA, a nonprofit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry, sponsors March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, the June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion and the October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program.