series - Gourmet Retailers

PLUS
2 0 11
CO O K
W
:
s e r i eARE
s
PART
1
2011
COOKWARE
series
Trend Talk
PART 1
By Anna Wolfe
C
ookware today is better made and better designed, and a better
value than in years past, says Hugh Rushing, executive director
of the Cookware Manufacturers Association (CMA), a nonprofit
organization based in Birmingham, Ala. Since its creation in 1922, the
CMA has worked to establish manufacturing standards and now
offers a seal of approval for cookware that meets its guidelines.
“The value proposition for the dollar spent is incredible,” Rushing says.
In recent years, manufacturers have faced “price compression” from foreign
companies, which has “forced everyone to produce a better product,” he continues.
There also has been a lot of consolidation. Today, manufacturers such as Groupe
SEB and Meyer Corp. have multiple brands, Rushing notes. Group SEB brands
include All-Clad, AirBake, T-Fal, Imusa, Marinex, Mirro and Wearever, while Meyer
Corp.’s brands include Rachael Ray, Paula Dean, Farberware, Analon and Circulon.
The cookware industry grows by 2 to 3 percent annually, Rushing says, adding “New
household formation drives demand; the economy is another part. The more they
cook, the more they need cookware.”
Consumers have, indeed, been cooking and baking more at home.
“During the recession, there was a sharp increase in bakeware sales,” Rushing reports.
Nonstick cookware “continues to be the coating of choice for an
overwhelming number of consumers,” he continues, noting that
”seventy percent of cookware sold has a nonstick coating.”
Coating manufacturers have come out with alternative
nonstick coatings that use no perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
in the production process. PFOA is a synthetic chemical found
throughout the environment, and, according to the Environmental
Protection Agency, “causes developmental and other adverse effects
in laboratory animals.”
But, as Rushing stresses, “There’s no credible evidence that PFOA
arrive in your home from a piece a cookware.”
He also cautions retailers about cookware brands making green
or environmentally friendly claims. About 90 percent of the
cookware on the market is made from recycled metals, and
about 98 percent of the energy output going into cookware
occurs when the metal is melted, Rushing adds.
Recently, there has been a lot of interest and growth in the
porcelain enamel on cast iron, a segment of the cookware that was
dominated by Le Creuset, he says.
Colorwise, red is always hot, and mid-tone greens are coming into
vogue, while blue shades are waning, Rushing notes. In booming
economic times, strong colors are more in demand, while during leaner
years, the cookware color palate vacillates more towards softer hues.
Manufacturers may show a variety of colors at a trade show, but “six
months later, we see what survived the taste test,” Rushing says.
That’s what separates trends from passing fads.
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may 2011
the gour m e t r e tailer
11
2011
COOKWARE
series
PART 1
Pan-demon
Define & Conquer Your Cookware Strategy
By Jennifer Strailey
W
hen the going gets tough,
Americans reach for
their frying pans. In the
last few years, concern
about the economy has
driven consumers out of
restaurants and back to their kitchens. But while this
was potentially good news for specialty kitchenware
retailers, many consumers were reticent to invest in
new cookware … until now.
According to The NPD Group Inc., a market
research company based in Port Washington, N.Y., the
housewares industry witnessed a small uptick in sales
in 2010, after an 11 percent decline in 2009. Cookware,
bakeware and cutlery dollar sales each saw growth of
between four and five percent last year, NPD reports.
As consumers loosen their purse strings, they’re
spending cautiously on tools that will enhance their
at-home culinary experience. They’re also looking for
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quality and value in cookware that is made to stand the
test of time as well as Sunday supper and whatever else
is thrown in the pot.
With cookware sales starting to simmer once more, it’s
a good time to re-evaluate your mix, marketing approach
and merchandising strategy in this important category.
Take Stock
“Cookware is a dominant assortment,” says Robert
Coviello, founder and president of HTI Buying Group,
a Rochester, N.H.-based organization of independent
specialty housewares retailers and vendors. “You want
to develop top-of-mind notoriety. When customers
think about your store, you want them to think about
the best assortment of cookware in town.”
How many cookware lines you carry, and the breadth
and depth of your assortment will, of course, depend
upon the size of your store. Coviello says the range runs
the gamut from three to 14 lines.
“Smaller stores really need to ask themselves what
lines they want to be in,” he challenges. As such,
forced to reconsider its lines and assortment.
“I think of independents as the cavalry,” Hewitt
says. “We can run faster and adapt better than the big
box stores.”
His now 6,500-square-foot store, which rings about
$4 million in sales annually, carries cookware that is not
available at the big box retailers in town.
“We don’t have a lot of overlap now,” says Hewitt,
who had his most profitable year in business in 2010
and is on course to repeat that success again this year.
Sets vs. Open Stock
nium
Coviello recommends three to six lines for a 1,200to 1,500-square-foot store and 12 to 14 lines for a
5,500-square-foot store.
Larger stores have more room to play in good, better,
best, while smaller stores should focus on better and
best, Coviello advises. And before you order, talk to your
competition and your vendors, and then crosscheck
vendor feedback with your competition, he adds. Once
you decide to carry a line of cookware, Coviello suggests
pricing it at the minimum advertised price, as this will
encourage most shoppers to view the perceived value of
the overall pricing in your store as fair.
A willingness to evolve your cookware strategy as
the market changes also is critical to success, says Carey
Hewitt, who has owned The Cupboard in Fort Collins,
Colo., for nearly 40 years. He opened his kitchenware
store in 1972, at a time when Fort Collins was a small
town of less than 100,000 people.
“When the population hit 100,000, the big box stores
came in, and Macy’s opened a housewares department,”
he recalls. When sales flattened, The Cupboard was
When the economy took a dive, one of the first shifts
kitchenware retailers observed in their customers’
shopping habits was a move from sets to open stock.
“Our customers have been interested in pieces rather
than sets in the last few years,” says Teresa AdamsTomka, who co-owner 12-year-old Kitchen Collage
in Des Moines, Iowa, with Molly Eliason. “I think the
economy has driven people to replace individual pieces
rather than invest in a new set.”
For industry newcomers Jane St. Pierre and Wayne
Smith, co-owners of Kitchen & Cork in Scarborough,
Maine, getting their 3,000-square-foot kitchenware store
up and running in May of 2008 felt like trial by fire.
“It was the worst time, economy-wise,” St. Pierre
recalls. “In the first year, we found we weren’t selling
many sets. We were selling pieces. People were buying
the few pieces they needed to get by — a small sauté
pan, a non-stick skillet.”
But while several years ago
the husband-and-wife team
conservatively ordered one or two
sets at a time, they’re now stocking
four or five and selling them swiftly.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase
in the sale of sets since the economy
has improved,” St. Pierre notes.
“People are cooking at home more.
When the economy is bad, people
nest and they put money into the
tools that make cooking more fun.”
At the 2,700-square-foot Kitchen
Collage, many customers still are
more comfortable buying by the
piece, but their philosophy about
that one piece is to make it count.
“We’ve seen more brides and grooms who made the
mistake of registering for an inexpensive set from a
major retailer, and now they’re three or four years into
their marriage, and they come in here and spend on
one good piece what they had spent on an entire set,”
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may 2011
During the
recession,
retailers were
selling more
open stock.
Now, Jane St.
Pierre, who coowns Kitchen &
Cork, is selling
more sets.
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13
2011
COOKWARE
series
PART 1
Adams-Tomka says.
Concerns about the economy also have driven more
customers to look for deals, she observes.
“We pick up specially priced pieces from the highest
end of cookware that retail for $99.99 or $199.99,”
Adams-Tomka adds. These pieces always sell well she
says, she continues, as “customers are paying more
attention to value and price point.”
Cast Away
Kitchen & Cork (pictured) offers cast iron cooking classes to
acclimate home cooks. Its lasts-a-lifetime durability is popular with
consumers wanting to invest in quality.
As quality and value continue to drive consumers’
purchasing decisions, cast iron cookware has enjoyed
a resurgence in popularity. Shoppers are drawn to its
last-a-lifetime durability and the ease of the newer
pre-seasoned lines.
“People are going back to cast iron — again,
because of the economy,” St. Pierre asserts. “It lasts a
lifetime, and people like that,” asserts St. Pierre, who
notes that Lodge is a “big brand” for Kitchen & Cork.
The retailer supports the line with regular classes that
teach customers how to cook with cast iron and keep
it seasoned. St. Pierre even keeps her favorite fry pan, a
10-inch piece by Lodge that was her grandmother’s, at
the store to show customers that even a 100-year-old
cast iron pan gets better with age.
At Kitchen Collage, Adams-Tomka encourages
novice cooks to cut their teeth on cast iron before
taking a bite out of other cookware.
“What I maintain is that when you start a kitchen,
Smaller Retailers Find Success With Cooking.com
Co-Owners Jane St. Pierre
and Wayne Smith opened
their Kitchen & Cork specialty
kitchenware store in 2008,
during one of the most difficult
recessionary years for the U.S.
economy in decades. Investing in
inventory for their 3,000-squarefoot store was daunting enough
without thinking about doing the
same for a Web-based business.
As a result, the couple chose
to sign on with Cooking.com, a
site that allows smaller retailers
to offer customers a far more
extensive selection of cookware
on their sites by linking to its
portal. Kitchen & Cork sells
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90,000 items through its site by
linking to Cooking.com, albeit
at a much smaller profit margin
than when customers purchase
something in their own store.
“It’s perfect for us right now
because we’re only three years
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old,” says St. Pierre of the
relationship with Cooking.com.
“We can get our customers what
they want in a short amount of
time, and we don’t have to do
anything.”
But as Kitchen & Cork grows,
so, too, may the owners’ desire to
forge ahead with their own online
presence.
“We’ve doubled our inventory
since we opened,” notes St.
Pierre, adding, “We’re thinking
that we’d like to have our own
website next year, but my
husband [Wayne] is always
reminding me, ‘One thing
at a time!’”
you should know how to use a knife and cast iron,” says
Adams-Tomka, who favors cast iron as a launching pad to
a world of cooking because it’s affordable and educational.
“We sell a lot of the Lodge seasoned cast iron pans. Once
you understand heat and how a cast iron pan works, you
can graduate to other pieces. Cast iron propels you into
cookware like stainless and copper.”
Displaying it Straight
When it comes to merchandising cookware,
“straightforward is best,” advises Coviello of HTI
Buying Group, who recommends keeping crossmerchandising simple — for example, place appropriate
cleaners in your cookware mix.
“Straightforward is better than cutesy,” he continues.
“Cutesy is for windows. Probably the single biggest
mistake retailers make is to try to be cutesy because
when you do that, you lose productivity.”
Hewitt of The Cupboard agrees, saying, ““I was
a math major, so I like things cut and dry. We’ll
have vignettes with food, but I want the focus to
be on function first and display second.” Thus, his
cookware merchandising philosophy is driven by
the belief that streamlined sells.
“People are in a hurry,” he notes. “It’s important
to be organized and straightforward with your
cookware displays because it helps customers to
make their decision.”
Working the Sales
For retailers with a demo kitchen, keeping the cookware
cooking is one of the best ways to drive sales. Kitchen
Collage holds both demonstrations (every weekend)
and cooking classes in its kitchen.
“It’s interesting in that with our cooking classes, it’s
more about entertainment, and sometimes we sell,”
Adams-Tomka explains. “But with demos, we always sell.”
The savvy, locally minded retailer also has made the
store a drop-off point for a local Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA). On pick-up days, the store hosts a
demo that shows how to prepare the freshly delivered
vegetables in the store’s high-end cookware.
At Kitchen & Cork, St. Pierre constantly cooks in
her demo kitchen.
“Nothing smells or looks better than chili simmering
on the stovetop,” says St. Pierre, who passes out samples to
shoppers while explaining why you want to use cookware
with a heavy bottom for simmering. To keep the good
smells and cooking demos coming, St. Pierre makes most
of her dinners in the store, and then packs them up and
takes them home to eat. She also makes lunch, whether
it’s a simple grilled cheese with tomato soup or something
more elaborate, for the staff most weekends.
“People watch the Food Network, but they aren’t
necessarily knowledgeable about cookware,” St. Pierre
asserts. “They don’t realize the basics, like you can’t brown
in a non-stick pan.” Cooking ‘round the clock in the demo
kitchen keeps the education and sales moving forward.
“We use all the cookware in the store,” St. Pierre says.
And to prove how well using it sells it, she adds, “If I
demo a crepe pan, I can sell a dozen in one day.”
Cultivating Experts
Most thriving specialty housewares retailers will tell you
that the secret to their success lies not in their product
assortment, but in the customer service they provide.
“There’s really nothing you can’t get somewhere else,
so it’s about customer service,” Adams-Tomka notes. To
empower and educate her staff, Kitchen Collage invites
manufacturers such as Mauviel to come into the store
for trainings.
“We do trainings like that because the staff feels
more of a connection when they are trained by
someone from the company,” she continues. “Then they
understand the culture of the company, and that builds
trust, which then translates to the customer.”
At The Cupboard, Hewitt has cultivated an entire
staff of 30 experts, half of which are buyers. Each buyer
handles a different category, so there is one person
assigned to cutlery, one to cookware and so on.
“Giving people responsibility over a particular area
creates ownership and pride, and a culture of excellence,”
says Hewitt, who also regularly sends his staff to trade
shows so that they feel a part of a vital industry.
“There are so many business owners who think that
they are the only one with the pure vision of how the
business should be run,” Hewitt says. “Our store is so
much the better for cultivating experts. Give your people
a pedestal, and let them shine.”
After all, with education of employees comes
education of consumers and increased interest in what’s
cooking in-store.
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may 2011
Straightforward
is the best
strategy for
merchandising
cookware,
advises Bob
Coviello of the
HTI Buying
Group. The
Cupboard in
Fort Collins,
Colo., (pictured)
agrees.
the gour m e t r e tai ler
15
2011
COOKWARE
series
PART 1
Cooking Up a
Knowledgeable Staff
By Anna Wolfe
W
ith myriad materials, surfaces,
shapes, colors and sizes, not
to mention an increasing
number of brands with
celebrity endorsements,the
cookware industry has never
been more exciting. But it can be a daunting task for a
gourmet retailer to keep himself or herself as well as staff
up-to-date on this innovative and ever-changing industry.
Good news: There’s plenty of help.
Hugh Rushing, executive director of the Cookware
Manufacturers Association, a nonprofit association based
in Birmingham, Ala., says the CMA’s
mission is to serve retailers, in addition
to two other groups: the producers and
distributors of branded cookware in the United
States and Canada, and consumers.
To sell cookware, the No. 1 thing a gourmet retailer
can do “is having knowledgeable sales people who can
gain confidence of consumers and help them make a
rational buying decision,” Rushing says. (Editor’s note:
See Liz Songer’s comments on The Chopping Block’s
buying group, page 45.)
To start, retailers should make sure their staff
Key Terms
There’s a lot to learn when it comes
to cookware. Here are a few mustknow terms (adapted from CMA
training guides).
Aluminum
Aluminum is an excellent
conductor of heat. Heat spreads
quickly and evenly across the
bottom, up the sides and across
the cover to completely surround
the food being cooked. Aluminum
frying pans are particularly popular
with consumers in that they
help sauté and fry foods quickly.
Aluminum is a lightweight and
does not rust.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel cookware and
bakeware is exceptionally durable.
Its attractive finish won’t corrode
or tarnish permanently, and its
hard, tough, nonporous surface
is resistant to wear. Extremely
smooth and scratch resistant,
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stainless steel utensils take an
excellent polish.
Like other steels, stainless steel
is an alloy — a combination of iron
and other metals. But it contains
at least 11 percent chromium.
It is chromium that makes steel
“stainless” all the way through.
Stainless steel also may contain
other elements such as nickel,
molybdenum, columbium or
titanium that can contribute special
hardness, high temperatureresistance, and resistance to
scratching and corrosion to the
finished stainless steel alloy.
Sometimes you’ll hear a
shorthand way of describing
stainless steel, such as “18/10” or
“18/8”. The first figure indicates the
percentage of chromium contained
within the stainless. The second
number is the percentage of nickel.
Nickel is an alloying element used
in steel to increase its ductility or
ability to be formed.
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Cast Iron
Cast iron has excellent heat retention
and heat distribution. It also is
extremely durable. Properly cared
for, cast iron will last for generations.
Considered by professional chefs to
be precision cooking tools, quality
cast iron utensils enable precise
control of cooking temperatures. Its
heat retention qualities allow for
even cooking temperatures without
hot spots.
Natural cast iron utensils should
be seasoned before using. Natural
cast iron utensils should never
be stored with the cover on, as
this might cause “sweating” and
consequent rust damage. Store
these utensils in a dry place.
Copper
Copper’s uniform heat conductivity
makes it a good material for topof-range cooking because the heat
is rapidly distributed evenly. This
property also enables copper serving
knows basic cooking terms such as sear and sauté,
Rushing recommends.
On the CMA’s website, www.cookware.org, under
Retailer, eight cookware training guides cover all the ins and
outs of cookware. These can be downloaded, free of charge,
to a computer or mobile device. They include Cooking
Methods, Materials and Manufacturing Practices, Nonstick
Coatings, Handles and Their Attachment, Correct Labeling
utensils to keep foods warm. Copper
cooking surfaces usually are lined
with tin or stainless steel, or coated
with a nonstick finish, because foods
left directly in contact with uncoated
copper may become discolored. Raw
copper pans should never be used
to cook acidic foods since copper
salts, which are poisonous, can
be produced. Copper can easily be
polished with various commercial
copper cleaners. A mixture of flour,
salt, lemon juice and ammonia or a
mixture of vinegar and flour are two
other methods of keeping copper
utensils shiny. After cleaning, wash
in sudsy water, and rinse before
polishing with a soft, clean cloth. Tin
linings may wear off with frequent
use; the utensil can be retinned.
Bottom Clad
Bottom clad utensils are formed
with solid stainless or three-ply,
and copper is plated to the bottom
or aluminum is applied to the
for Imported Cookware, Covers and Lids, A Word About
PFOAs, and Green Labeling and Environmental Claims.
Among the CMA’s available references is its extensive
“Guide to Cookware and Bakeware,” which serves at an
education tool for the retail buyer and sales floor staff,
and what Rushing calls the “‘prosumer’ — the person
who is into cooking and cooking equipment.” The
guide explains the materials used to make cookware,
standard sizes and capacity of cookware and bakeware,
helpful information on cleaning and caring for
cookware, and more. There is a $5 charge for the guide.
The CMA also has an Ask the Expert section of the
website where retailers and consumers can email their
questions. Over the years, the association has fielded many
questions from confused home cooks. It lists the most
frequently asked questions and their answers at www.
cookware.org under Consumers/Buyers Guide. Retailers
also can use this information to educate their sales staff.
Buyers can use cookware.org to help them find
and connect with the manufacturer of a specific
brand of cookware, too.
Rushing says the association is “working diligently”
to introduce more tools for the industry.
bottom by casting, bonding or
metal spraying. Five-ply/bottomclad utensils are made by the
three-ply process, with two clad
layers on the bottom. Five-ply
utensils are made with stainless
steel on both the inside and outside
surfaces, with three layers of
aluminum or other metals forming
the core. In the actual manufacture
of stainless steel utensils, the
metal’s versatility permits it to
be formed into a wide variety of
attractive and functional shapes.
Two-ply
Two-ply utensils commonly have
a stainless steel interior with
another metal on the exterior. In a
few instances, this arrangement is
reversed with the stainless steel on
the outside and a non-stick surface
applied to the interior.
Three-ply
Three-ply utensils have stainless
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steel on both the inside and outside
surfaces with a layer of copper,
carbon steel or aluminum forming
the core.
Five-ply (All-Clad)
This patented design is made of
five layers of different materials
— stainless steel, aluminum and
magnetic stainless steel. These
alternating layers of higher and
lower conductive metals promote
the lateral flow of cooking
energy, enabling the pans to
reach high temperatures and
cool down in a matter of seconds
while eliminating hot spots. The
patented stainless steel core
provides strength and durability,
while the added aluminium layers
offer superior heat diffusion. AllClad says its new range delivers up
to 20 percent more even heating
and is up to 15 percent more
energy-efficient than traditional
bonded cookware.
may 2011
the gour m e t r e tai ler
17
A DV E RTO R I A L
Supplier
Spotlight
American-Made Regal Ware
Built for Performance
Company History
West Bend and
Kewaskum, Wis.
Phone: 262-626-8531
Fax: 262-626-8532
retailsales@regalware.com
www.regalware.com
Regal Ware is a privately held, American-owned company that takes pride in
making the finest cookware for families. Skilled craftsmen and women make
cookware by Regal Ware at the company’s U.S. manufacturing facilities, located
in Wisconsin. In 2011, the company marks its 100th anniversary of doing so.
Regal Ware’s core values of integrity, dedication, performance and pride
define the company, its innovative engineering and a legacy of quality
manufacturing. Regal Ware’s 100-year heritage of quality cookware
manufacturing is what sets its products apart from the competition.
As a third-generation family company, Regal Ware understands that
today’s hectic lifestyles have made preparing home-cooked meals more
challenging for families. It also understands the importance of eating
together — a ritual with many proven social, behavioral and health benefits.
That’s why it is the company’s passion to bring people back to the table
— the place where life is celebrated, wisdom is shared and relationships
are fostered. It’s the reason Regal Ware continues to bring products to the
marketplace to make cooking easier and more enjoyable for families.
American Kitchen by Regal Ware
Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware
Simply put, Regal Ware combined the best cooking surface — stainless
steel — with a better conductor of heat — aluminum — to create its
American Kitchen by Regal Ware Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware
collection. Professional-grade stainless steel is sandwiched around a
pure aluminum core to form the tri-ply material. The product features an
18/10 stainless steel cooking surface and an induction-capable stainless steel
exterior. This construction conducts heat consistently across the
bottom and up the sides of the pan. From sautéing and browning to
preparing hearty soups and stews, American Kitchen by Regal Ware
Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware performs.
Made in the USA, the line features precision-fit stainless
steel covers and commercial-grade cast stainless steel handles,
permanently riveted to the pan to ensure durability and control.
This provides the home cook with stovetop-to-oven
versatility. The easy to clean and maintain satin finish
combines functionality with style. The magnetic stainless
steel exterior makes this cookware ideal for any cooktop,
including induction. The cookware is dishwasher-safe as well as
oven-safe to 500 degrees F/260 degrees C.
American Kitchen by Regal Ware Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware is
available as a 10-piece set or individually as open stock. The product line
is complemented by a line of stainless steel bakeware.
Solid performance, attractive styling, easy clean-up and Americanmade, with a 25-year warranty from a company that’s been in business for
100 years — American Kitchen by Regal Ware Tri-Ply is the ideal cookware
for today’s busy families. n
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