Top Stories » Expert Columns » All Categories

February is American Heart Month, Bake for Family Fun Month, Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month, National Cherry Month, National Hot Breakfast Month, National Weddings Month, and North Carolina Sweet Potato Month. »

Here we go, the final regional wrap-up for 2006 from your retail peers across the country. We asked them in October what's been selling well in the past 90 days and they responded. Use their insights as launch pads for new items you might bring into your own store or as a comparison to mark trends across the country. »

Retailers, beware of the grumpy shopper and be especially careful when sizing up your customers or you risk losing a sale. A new study finds that cheerful shoppers prefer peppy salespeople, but cranky customers spend more money with someone who mirrors their own mood. »

The Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert profiles specialty food winners and losers. »

The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about ½ cup, will provide a child's protein needs for one day. »

Each month, The Gourmet Retailer Magazine will be publishing reviews of new products hitting the market. The new items we'll be examining are products just entering the marketplace or goods that will be introduced in the coming months. An editor will sift through an assortment of products, tasting, testing, and contemplating their future at retail. They will then communicate their impressions to you, along with product descriptions, photos, and manufacturer contact information. We're constantly being asked by readers what we've found lately that is cool or worthy of your inventory and we decided it was about time we shared those assessments with a larger audience. Enjoy! »

"Words, words, words," said Hamlet, and indeed they are extremely important to our business. How else can we impart the body, character, texture and flavor of the foods we sell than by familiarizing ourselves with a lexicon of food terms that describe what we experience in any given product?  »