Wegmans Frozen Entrees a Hit, Says Lempert

Wegman’s, Rochester, NY, has always been ahead of the pack with
its private label (see, among other things, its Wkids line in
this issue’s cover story). This forethought has garnered the
chain with numerous critical praises.

The latest is from Phil Lempert, of the notable Lempert Report.
In the “New Product Hits and Misses … and Who Knows” feature in
his August 20, 2001 issue, he lists products that seem bound for
success or doomed for failure. On the Hit list is Wegman’s Food
You Feel Good About single serve frozen entrees.

The entrees come in a variety of styles, from classics like
Salisbury Steak Dinner and Chicken Parmesan to exotic fare like
Seven Vegetable Curry, Paella and Chicken Biryani.

Entrees with meat contain no more than 10 grams of fat, and
vegetarian entrees contain no more than three grams of fat. None
of the entrees has more than 750 mg of sodium, and all are
prepared without artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

“Danny Wegman is one smart retailer and taking the lead in
developing a line that is tasty, affordable, healthy and frozen
is on target,” Lempert wrote.

Wegmans was the only private label brand mentioned for any of
the three categories.
Other Hits were the O-bento line of meals from NRE World Bento,
and Dell’Amore pasta sauces. Misses were Naturally Potatoes
Ready to Eat Mashed Potatoes, Yo-Zels Yogurt Filled Pretzels,
Tahitian Noni Juice, and the Caddy Bar (“If you eat one of these
bars will you play like Tiger Woods?” Lempert asked). The one
Who Knows listing was Murray’s All Natural Chicken Barbecue
Sauce.

Wegmans Menu Magazine featured an ad for its Food You Feel Good
About Single Serve Chicken Parmesan frozen dinner in its Fall
2001 issue. The Single Serve line earned approval from Phil
Lempert.