H-E-B To Do Own Food Demos
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Beginning in February, H.E. Butt Grocery Co. plans to handle it's own in-store food demonstrations, shifting the work from an outsourced marketing services firm to its own employees that it will train for the task.
According to published reports, the grocer plans to hire and train workers to do the specialized selling. Previously, Pro-Demonstration Services handled the demo work. H-E-B’s decision to bring the function in-house means that 20 of the company's PDS full-timers and 709 part-time employees will be laid off, according to H-E-B. However, H-E-B said it will accept applications from the laid-off PDS employees.
H-E-B will continue its relationship with PDS in a smaller capacity, reports said, by using full-time PDS workers to help schedule and coordinate demonstrations for national vendors.
PDS is owned by Daymond Worldwide, a company based in Stamford, Conn., that specializes in the sales and marketing of private-label consumer products. Its customers include supermarkets and drug chains.
According to published reports, the grocer plans to hire and train workers to do the specialized selling. Previously, Pro-Demonstration Services handled the demo work. H-E-B’s decision to bring the function in-house means that 20 of the company's PDS full-timers and 709 part-time employees will be laid off, according to H-E-B. However, H-E-B said it will accept applications from the laid-off PDS employees.
H-E-B will continue its relationship with PDS in a smaller capacity, reports said, by using full-time PDS workers to help schedule and coordinate demonstrations for national vendors.
PDS is owned by Daymond Worldwide, a company based in Stamford, Conn., that specializes in the sales and marketing of private-label consumer products. Its customers include supermarkets and drug chains.