Oser Communications Group

GENERAL NEWS www.kitchenwarenews.com ■ SEPTEMBER 2014 ■ KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW On Saturday, August 2, Mary S. Moore, owner and CEO of The Cook's Warehouse, was the weekly guest chef at the Morningside Farmers Market, the only all- organic farmers market in Atlanta, Georgia. Morningside is an urban residential area of Atlanta, about three miles f rom center city.Mary brought along a special "sous chef," Harald Wüsthof, scion of the knifemaking family and the managing partner of Ed.Wüsthof Dreizackwerk KG, the renowned knife manufacturer of Solingen, Germany. The Cook's Warehouse is the one of the larger Wüsthof retailers in the country, and Harald visits the stores twice a year for knife events. At the cooking demonstration, Mar y cooked okra cakes and okra curry for the audience of about 50 persons. As she was cooking- demonstrating the two recipes with f resh okra and sweet onions from the market, Harald gave the audience Harald Wüsthof: Sous Chef for a Day knife tips and took several questions all about knives, f rom the manufacturing of the chef 's tool worldwide to his family 's firm. A f ront-row fixture at the cooking demos for many years, Lou Wiggins was in her usual corner spot, and Mar y was forewarned it was Lou's 95th birthday. As a special recognition, the audience sang "Happy Birthday " to Lou, and Mary presented her with a special 200th anniversary Wüsthof knife set, graciously inscribed by Harald. The Cook's Warehouse is greater Atlanta's premier gourmet cookware store and cooking school with four stores in the Midtown, Decatur and Brookhaven areas in the city and the East Cobb County area of the suburbs. It offers more than 15,000 products for the kitchen and operates the largest avocational cooking school in the Southeast, conducting more than 800 classes yearly, often taught by local chefs, and has a large web-based delivery-by-post site. General News 3 Generation Y (Cont. from Page 1) kitchenware are happening later than ever before and in turn causing Millennials to stick with what they 've got as long as necessary. "There's this argument that Millennials aren't into kitchenware or not buying them in a way that other generations have, and that's actually right and wrong," said Dorsey. "It 's right in the sense that we haven't bought maybe as much kitchenware as other generations have at the same age, but that doesn't mean that we won't end up buying as much or more. We're just buying it all later, and that's a key thing for the retailers to understand." Millennials are also the generation most likely to refer a f riend when they have a good shopping experience. That in combination with the generation's pent-up buying power creates "the perfect storm," as Dorsey calls it, for retailers who adjust to Millennial's purchasing habits to earn their loyalty now and have a customer for a lifetime. "Millennials will absolutely buy f rom you, but in order for them to buy from you, it may require doing one or two things a little differently than you've done before," said Dorsey. "However, those one or two things are likely f ree or extremely inexpensive – it's just choosing to do them. It's recognizing that, 'I can win if I'm willing to change.'" Dorsey suggests playing upon the generation's desire to feel special like a VIP. This does not mean literally rolling out the red carpet, but rather small details such as taking the time to welcome them into the store with a handshake and introduction to staff available to assist them. Many may not have knowledge of the products and will appreciate being made to feel like they are supposed to be there and their questions are valid. Retailers can also offer more in the way of product explanations for Millennials. Keeping in mind that YouTube is the number one how-to resource for the generation, something as simple as the option to watch a video on a tablet or scan a barcode for further information while in the retail establishment can be what closes a sale for Millennials. -Depending on what it is, Millennials have no idea why they need it or how to use it," said Dorsey. "On one hand, it's very funny because we don't know what to do with all this stuff. On the other hand, it's a big issue, because if we don't know what to do with it, there's no reason we're going to buy it." Retailers who establish themselves as a resource for Millennials will earn much more of their business. Since the same products can most likely be found elsewhere at relatively competitive prices, taking the time to show Millennials that their needs are understood and making a personal connection will beat out lower prices. Building on that, Millennials also have an entrepreneurial spirit, which means they are inclined to support small or locally- owned businesses. Let them know the story behind the establishment and play up the fact that it is a family business, a local business, part of the community. "It is very important to keep in mind that we are an entirely visual generation, so we need to see visually how to use the things in your store, the story of your store and the story behind it … and what you're trying to do to make the world a better place through that," said Dorsey. "It's not in the charity sense, but just that you allow people to create great memories. In the kitchenware space in particular – kitchenware is a vehicle for people to have lifetime memories, and that's often missing when we look at the messaging of the retailers." Another way for retailers to improve the visual message of their businesses is to incorporate imagery that includes Millennials. Generation Y most trusts pictures of people, and they look for it when they enter a store. They want to see that 20-something-year-old included, because it reassures them that people like themselves shop there as well. In addition to this, Millennials are the most diverse generation in U.S. history and also expect that diversification to be visually depicted; otherwise it goes against their norm and looks like something is wrong. One last tip to remember is that the things that appeal to Millennials will not scare away the Baby Boomer customers at all. "In fact, Boomers want the same thing. They want an easy buying experience; they want to be treated like they're special; they love visual imagery," said Dorsey. " The difference is that retailers haven't had to do this before. The thing now is that if you don't do this, you lose Millennials and Boomers; if you do take action now you have the potential to win both." Imagine a nonstick f ry pan that comes with a lifetime warranty and is safe for use with metal utensils. Frieling brings this idea to life with the introduction of Black Cube™ Stainless Nonstick, a high- performance f r y pan with an exclusive textured surface that combines stainless steel with a premium nonstick coating. Black Cube features a raised stainless steel pattern over a recessed layer of P TFE-f ree nonstick coating. This innovative construction provides the traditional longevity and browning capabilities of a stainless steel pan, plus the easy cleanup and low-fat cooking options of a nonstick surface. Unlike nonstick pans of the past, this pan is 100 percent scratch resistant, designed for use Black Cube Stainless Nonstick Fry Pan and Wok Stand Up to Metal Utensils with metal utensils. Offering the experience of browning without sticking, Black Cube features a three- ply stainless- aluminum-stainless construction for even heat transfer and durability. It performs on all cooktops, including induction, and is oven-safe up to 450˚ F. It is also dishwasher safe for everyday convenience. The Black Cube Fr y Pan and Wok are patent pending. Available for shipment September 2014, they come in four sizes, to retail at: 8-inch Fry Pan: $59.95 9½-inch Fr y Pan: $69.95 11-inch Fry Pan: $79.95 12½-inch Wok: $124.95 For more information, contact Frieling at 800.827.2582, or visit www.f rieling.com.

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