Winn-Dixie Revs Up Truck Tour

Winn-Dixie has rolled out a "Cone Crew" Ice Cream Mobile Truck Tour in southwest Florida, courtesy of experiential marketing solution provider Interactions. Through June 15, a Winn-Dixie-branded truck, stocked with the Jacksonville, Fla.-based grocer’s branded soda and ice cream, will visit neighborhoods and parks throughout the region.

The colorful truck, staffed by the "Cone Crew," will offer ice cream cones or soda floats along with information about Winn-Dixie's fuelperks! rewards program. San Diego-based Interactions developed the concept to introduce families to Winn-Dixie ice cream and sodas, and drive traffic to new and relaunched stores operated by Winn-Dixie and its sister banner Harveys, both owned by Jacksonville-based Bi-Lo Holdings LLC. Interactions is also providing overall event management for the tour.

Additional features of the tour include an "iScream" photo booth where the truck team will take photos of patrons making their best scream faces, and a bistro table where the crew will educate people about fuelperks!, which enables customers to earn savings at participating Shell stations whenever they shop with a Winn-Dixie Customer Reward Card.

Interactions is employing hashtags to track experiences of the tour via social media and create an interactive experience.

Lynch Joins RPAI Board

In other Winn-Dixie news, Peter L. Lynch, former chairman, president and CEO of Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., has joined the board of directors of Oak Brook, Ill.-based Retail Properties of America Inc. (RPAI), an owner and operator of shopping centers. Lynch’s election took place at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting, in Seattle.

"RPAI has a strong grocery-anchored portfolio, which represents approximately 37 percent of our total multitenant retail portfolio, and Mr. Lynch’s extensive background in the grocery industry, as well as his years of experience in strategic business planning and financial management, will make him a valuable asset to our board," noted RPAI President and CEO Steven Grimes.

At Winn-Dixie, Lynch was CEO from 2004 through 2006, and chairman of the board of directors, president and CEO, from 2006 through March 2012. Before that, he held high-level positions at Albertson's Inc.