Grocers are going all out this year to capitalize on sales during the Lenten season, offering discounts on a wide variety of fish and shellfish.
Some retailers got a head start on sales for Lent, which officially started 17 February, by holding special Valentine’s Day weekend sales. “We had a three-day sale kicking off Lent, and it is was a crazy weekend since it was Valentine’s Day,” says Marty Gaul, seafood buyer and merchandiser for
… Read MoreQuick-service restaurant (QSR) chains such as Wendy’s and Long John Silver’s are promoting gourmet-style fish sandwiches and breaded fish this Lenten season.
To kick off Lent, Wendy’s introduced its Premium Fish Fillet sandwich, which is made with Pacific cod and breaded with Panko crumbs, a step up from the typical fast-food fish sandwich.
Wendy’s is promoting its use of high-quality fish in the limited-time offering, which retails for
… Read MoreKevin Davis, co-owner of Steelhead Diner in Seattle, will return to his culinary roots when he opens Blueacre Seafood, formerly an expansive Oceanaire Seafood Room location in downtown Seattle. In mid-March, Davis will open Blueacre in the 9,000-square-foot space where he opened Oceanaire as chef de cuisine in 2001. Davis left in 2006 to start Steelhead Diner in the Pike Place Market area, and Oceanaire separately shuttered its Seattle
… Read MoreU.S. supermarkets are trying to snare more seafood sales from restaurants on Valentine's Day by taking a page from restaurateurs' book.
Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle is offering to make gourmet dinners that customers can pick up in their stores for Valentine's Day celebrations on Sunday. "Choose from three different, delectable entrees — each comes with vegetables, salad, bread and dessert," said the supermarket chain on its Web site.
Giant
Bell Aquaculture of Redkey, Ind., this week launched an online ordering system for consumers, as it prepares to develop new farmed yellow perch products this year and expand production early next year.
By March, Bell will be harvesting 24,000 pounds of yellow perch monthly for its unbreaded perch fillets, frozen breaded perch fillets and frozen breaded perch Cajun Nuggets.
In addition, the company’s products are now available online at
… Read More Most supermarket seafood departments capitalize on Super Bowl weekend with sales and special events, but most retailers are not as well-positioned to take advantage of the big football game as Rouses, based in Thibodaux, La.
The 35-store chain, which has several locations in and around New Orleans, is capitalizing on the New Orleans Saints' first trip to the Super Bowl. They play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
As Louisiana natives and
Farming sustainable, premium mussels is proving profitable for start-up Acadia Aqua Farms of Bar Harbor, Maine.
Acadia owners Theo and Fiona DeKoning began marketing their Hollander & DeKoning mussels last May, about a year after parent company, Great Eastern Mussel Farms of Tenants Harbor, Maine, went out of business.
"With the unfortunate demise of Great Eastern, we have had to learn the sales and distribution part of the business," said
Most seafood restaurants went through their toughest times ever last year. The Fish Market, based in Palo Alto, Calif., was no different, closing two underperforming restaurants, bringing its total to six California restaurants, with retail outlets in each. The company also operates its own wholesale distribution facility.
However, instead of languishing during a recession, The Fish Market stepped up its marketing efforts and saw holiday sales
… Read More Retailers are promoting the health benefits of seafood, as many consumers kick off the New Year with diets and healthy eating goals.
For Heart Month in February, Big Y, a 57-store chain based in Springfield, Mass., will feature barramundi for USD 6.99 per pound. Additionally, the retailer is educating shoppers about the heart-healthy benefits of barramundi and other fish during February as part of its Living Well Eating Smart program.
"You will
Launches of new processed fish, meat and egg products in the United Stated dropped 22 percent in 2009, compared to 2008, according to new data from Chicago market research firm Mintel.
New product introductions in the category fell from 1,281 in 2008 to 1,004 in 2009. Still, other food categories realized a much larger decline in new product launches, and overall food and drink product launches fell 30 percent in 2008.
“We see that a number of
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