Retailer Roundtable: How do you merchandise gluten-free products?

Bill Calvani, grocery manager of Rebecca’s Natural Food in Charlottesville, Va.

We started a gluten-free section after getting a request from a customer. We have an 18-foot section of dry goods and two freezer doors of gluten-free products. About six years ago, I started changing the gluten-free products we carry and updating as newer items became available. We’re now considered a vanguard for gluten-free products in our community. It has definitely been successful. We’ve received a lot of word-of-mouth publicity in the gluten-free community.

Lynn Ertle, owner of Curt’s Old Country Store in Crestone, Colo.
A lot of our customers come in looking for gluten free. Whether it’s in our bread or cereal section, we find it best to integrate the gluten-free products into the store and have shelf tags saying they are gluten free.
 

Kathy Navis, president of Greens ’N Grains in Egg Harbor, Wis.
We have a gluten-free section and a gluten-free freezer section. It seems that our gluten-free customers are only looking for gluten-free products; they’re not all into natural foods. They don’t want to go shelf by shelf or shop the rest of the store. The gluten-free sections just make it easier for them. We also have some products that are integrated that are for regular consumers, as well as gluten free, and they have markers on them that say so.

Mike Asher, general manager of Rollin’ Oats in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“We have gluten-free sections integrated throughout our store. This has worked well, especially for the smaller size of our store. We’re also doing a lot of gluten-free events for kids and celiac groups. It’s been a pretty big focus for us this year. As a company and a store, we try to offer quite a bit of information about gluten free.”