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Our Trend Report Series continues this month with a look at the Small Electrics category. Throughout the year, we've taken Store Operations, Cookware, Packaged Goods and the Deli into the world of cyber surveys to provide you with an overall analysis with which to compare your store. So now it's time to look to your store shelves and review your small electrics inventory from coffeemakers to toasters. »

This season's installment of cookbook suggestions was made with an eye towards both merchandising and the changing profile of America's consumers ¿ that of aging Baby Boomers. As to the former, several of the books reviewed below are perfect for cross-merchandising around the store, helping to sell everything from fresh produce to the ingredients needed to make truffles. As I've said many times before, books sell food and food sells books. Even if you are not ready or able to commit space to a cookbook section, a thoughtful selection of cookbooks can enhance any department's impact. They also make excellent additions to gift baskets and displays, as well as prompt impulse sales at the point-of-purchase.  »

This month, we've assembled telling trend information from retailers on the subject of prepared foods. Respondents from four categories included specialty food stores, independent grocery/supermarkets, supermarket chains and independent delis. Their insights provide a glimpse into several factors from average prices per serving to labor costs to menu development that play key roles in the successful selling of this important category. We've condensed the results in easily digestible charts and graphs.  »

Some of the most successful retailers I have ever interviewed are those with no formal business plan, but who possessed a passion for product, a fascination with people, and the flexibility to move with the market and their customers. Bill Snyder, the William in William Glen, is one of those electrifying entrepreneurs who didn't just go into business ¿ he built what some have called an empire. »

The Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco this past January proved once again to be a premiere event for retailers eager to get a glimpse of the latest specialty and gourmet foods. As they crowded the aisles to taste samplings of everything from confections, coffees and teas, olive oils, to specialty cheeses, we assembled a panel of qualified specialty retailers to sort through the thousands of products aisle by aisle to obtain a firsthand assessment of the latest products. »

One of the most versatile ingredients to ever grace the kitchen, garlic may be incorporated into everything from pesto to pasta to mashed potatoes, and the nutty flavor even makes a surprisingly nice addition to desserts, such as brownies or ice cream.  »

Offering cookbooks for sale always makes sense, even if it's a small collection that reflects the owner's particular tastes. Too often, however, retailers miss the merchandising opportunities that cookbooks can bring into the store. Here are a baker's dozen to consider this spring. »