The mission of LOTRA and
its
99miles™
program is to increase sales of locally grown or
manufactured food. Supporting retailers' efforts to
promote local food is a key component of
99miles™.
It includes posters, signage, stickers and labels to
display on shelves that enable consumers to easily
identify and recognize local products.
Benefits
for Retailers
As
stated in a May 2007 Packaged Facts study1,
"independent retailers have local advantages" and
should take advantage of them. We identified three
main reasons why retailers should join
99miles™:
1. Differentiate from national chains with
local products
Facing pricing pressure from national
chains, supercenters and clubs, independent
food retailers need to focus on their
hometown advantage. Localness is a key
competitive advantage for independent
retailers as they are able to respond to
demand much more quickly than national
chains, tailor offerings to their community
and manage flexible supply chains. If
independent food retailers can't compete
with national chains on price, they need to
come up with a new "Unique Selling
Proposition" and local products can be part
of the solution.
2. Increase your revenues by giving
consumers what they want and they want to
buy local!
A recent study conducted by the Montreal
organization Equiterre reported in
Sustainable Food News stated that "85
percent of respondents said buying local
foods is important to them, and 77 percent
said they make an effort to do so. Also, 72
percent said they are willing to pay more
for locally produced foods, partly to
encourage local producers (84%), partly
because of the quality of the products (57%)
and partly because they felt purchasing
local was better for the environment (42%).”
3.
Experience faster product turnaround
99miles™
increases sales of local products by making them
more easily identified and recognized by
consumers. For retailers, this means that local
products will finally sell and won't sit on your
bottom shelves forever.
Eligibility
and Conditions for Use of Services by Retailers
Eligibility
The
99miles™
program is open to all food retailers in the
United States and in Canada. Although
99miles™
does not prohibit large retailers from joining
the program, it is primarily designed for
independent food retailers: grocery stores,
local stores, food markets.
Use of
99miles™
Trademark by Retailers
Retailers can use
99miles™
materials under the condition that the food has
been grown or manufactured within a
99-mile radius of the point of sale. Retailers
can not reproduce
99miles™
trademark unless they are authorized by LOTRA.
LOTRA tries to provide retailers with
the most efficient marketing accessories and
in-store displays to promote local food.
99miles™
accessories can only be used to promote local
products.
Please visit ourON-LINE CATALOG
for more information/details on merchandising
materials.
Benefits
for Retailers
