Bring Home the Bacon: $150,000 in Cash and Prizes to Be Awarded in 22nd Annual Idaho Potato Commission Retail Display Contest

Free Swiss Army Backpack Just for Entering an Original In-store Display for Idaho® Potatoes and HORMEL® Real Bacon Toppings

EAGLE, Idaho, November 15, 2012 – Go hog wild in the produce section this February for a chance to win cash and prizes in the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) 22nd annual Potato Lover’s Month Retail Display Contest.

Retailers can cater to sizzling hot consumer demand for all things bacon by designing an attention-grabbing produce department display with fresh Idaho® potatoes, an Idaho® dehydrated potato product, and HORMEL® Real Bacon Toppings. Entrants will compete for more than $150,000 in cash and prizes, and everyone who enters will automatically receive a free Swiss Army backpack with padded computer and music player pockets.

“Consumers love Idaho® potatoes, and bacon is the hottest food trend around right now, so what better way to capture shopper interest than by combining these two great tastes?” said Seth Pemsler, vice president, Retail/International, IPC. “A creative, attention-grabbing display is a highly effective tactic for pulling shoppers into the produce department and driving higher sales during what’s traditionally a slower season.”

 

In fact, sometimes those sales happen even before the display is complete, as Ohio produce manager William Roller can attest. For the 2012 IPC contest, Roller came up with the idea of a patriotic theme showcasing a potato dressed as the Statue of Liberty, holding aloft a potato on a fork as a “torch.” “Customers were pulling potatoes and boxes of dried potatoes off the display while I was building it!” said Roller, who created the display for Community Market in Greenfield, Ohio, which placed third among supermarkets with 1 to 5 cash registers.

Community Market in Greenfield, Ohio, came in third among stores with 1-5 cash registers.

All entrants in the 2013 Potato Lover's Month Retail Display Contest will receive a free Swiss Army Backpack.

To enter the 2013 contest, retailers can let their imaginations run wild as they design a produce department display that features Idaho® potatoes and HORMEL® Real Bacon Toppings, in addition to special-themed point-of-sale material from the IPC and Hormel. Two round double-sided Potato Lover’s Month logo signs, a large and a small double-sided sign with a mouthwatering photo, and two inflatable Mylar Spuddy Buddies are included in the 2013 IPC display kit.

Retailers will be competing with other stores their own size, in one of three categories: 1-5 cash registers, 6-9 cash registers, or 10+ cash registers. Entrants within each store category compete for these prizes:

 

• 1st place -- $1,500

 

• 2nd place -- $1,000

 

• 3rd place -- $750

 

• 4th place -- $500

 

• 5th place -- $250

 

In addition, the Category Manager Match Program will award equivalent cash prizes to category managers at stores that qualify for a 1st through 5th place prize. One hundred displays chosen from the remaining entries will win Honorable Mention Prizes of $100.

Contest Details
Here’s how to enter the IPC Potato Lover’s Month 2013 Retail Display Contest:

 

1. Using fresh Idaho® potatoes, an Idaho® dehydrated potato product, and HORMEL® Real Bacon Toppings, create an eye-catching display following the contest rules (available at www.IdahoPotato.com/Retail).

 

1. Put up the display in your store’s produce section for at least one week between Jan. 28 and March 1, 2013.

 

1. Submit a picture (digital preferred) of the display and an entry form (available at www.IdahoPotato.com/Retail) to the IPC so that it’s received by March 15, 2013. Winners will be notified by May 1, 2013, and posted on www.IdahoPotato.com/Retail.

 

All entries will be judged on use of Potato Lover’s Month signage, creativity of the display, how the display incorporates the partner products, and perceived salability of the display. Judging will be done by the Potato Lover’s Month Display Contest Review Committee.

About the Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency that is responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered trademark that assures consumers they are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho's ideal growing conditions, including rich, volcanic soil, climate and irrigation, differentiate Idaho® potatoes from potatoes grown in other states. For more information, visit www.idahopotato.com.
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