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CMS Newsletter - November 2010

Hello again ...
November is Wine Month at CMS!
I want to thank everyone for reading our inaugural newsletter last month. We especially appreciated the feedback we received and hope that you continue to send us your comments and questions. This is a work in progress and we'd love to know what topics you'd like us to address.

And now onto this month's topic—wine displays.

As much as I love to drink wine, I also enjoy discussing, designing and manufacturing wine display fixtures. We've been doing it long enough that we know a few things about what works well (and what doesn't). In conjunction with this month's 2010 International Wine & Food Festival (see below), here are a few design tips on merchandising wine.

Cheers,
Michael Smith
CONTENTS
Intro
Design Tips: Wine Displays
New Product
New on our Website
Wine Design 101

When designing wine store environments, you need to factor in a dual goal of enticing AND informing. Like a bookstore, you want to encourage customers to linger and spend time in your space. Wine buyers (both casual and knowedgeable) want to study labels, browse your collection and even share expertise. To accomodate this, your space needs to be (a) an attractive and comfortable area to hang out in and (b) organized effeciently to best convey information about your product offering. Another key design factor is circulation. There needs to be enough free space around the displays to encourage people to mingle.

As for the actual fixtures, here are just a few of many designs to consider:

  • Segment by type (red on 1 side / white on the other)
  • Segment by varietal: Cabernet,Merlot, Chardonnay, etc.
  • Segment by pricepoint (tier 1 on top / tier 2 on bottom)
  • Fit a narrow space but still show large/diverse selection
  • Easy to restock/refit as inventory selection changes
  • Full case pack out / stores wine properly by laying down

  • Small collection & high volume - segment by section/bin
  • Available as a double sided unit to increase offering
  • Use for a large-quantity sale offering
  • Featured wine area (e.g. "Best Values of the Week")
  • 36 different wines (432 bottles max)

  • Ideal for case specials displays
  • Small footprint but easy access - all sides accessible
  • Can use off to the side or feature front & center
  • Great standalone unit for smaller stores
  • Larger stores can use to identify & highlight sale items



New Product
CMS is releasing a new product this month -- our "Basket of Values".
This product is so new it isn't even on our website yet -- so this is a sneak peek.
Look for more information soon. In the meantime, here are some features:

  • Great spot merchandiser for any item on promotion
  • Small footprint with high volume
  • Easily fits in any department
  • Chrome basket flares at top to accommodate more items
  • Can be used side-by-side for an island display



What's new on our website
We have been busy this past month adding more product detail support. We have added enhanced detail support for several Produce products: Endcaps, Produce Carts, Crates & Dollies, and our Island Table.

Plus we've updated our news and events section, including posting our newsletters out to the site.
   


Finally, getting back to "wine month". CMS will again have a booth at this year's 2010 Wine & Food Festival held here in Grand Rapids, on November 18-20. We can be found at Booth #19. For those of you in the West Michigan area, please stop by and say hello. We've got a great cabinet display created specifically for the show that you'll want to see -- but hey, it's also just fun to have a chance to chat. Hope to see you there!