“Time/Warner Retail’s project, in particular, captured the motivations of all GMA companies to find profitable solutions for manufacturer-retailer partnerships,” Harris Fogel, president of 04 Corporation, North America, and chairman of the AMC said.

The Time/Warner Retail Sales & Marketing division worked together with Masterfoods USA and Wm. Wrigley Co. on the “Front-End Focus” project, which analyzed consumer shopping behavior and attitudes; developed benchmarks and successful practices; and optimized in-store merchandising. To execute this plan, the manufacturer group formed an alliance with retail chains across grocery, convenience and drug store channels.

Andrew Wintemberg, executive vice president of sales for the Time Warner Retail Sales division, accepted the award and said the number of retailers participating in the “Grocery Study” alone represented more than 5,500 stores and 20 percent of the U.S. grocery volume. Wintemberg commented, “Our unified approach illustrated how the manufacturers in this alliance could put aside their respective competitive natures and help retailers find merchandising solutions that maximized front-end productivity. Importantly, we maximized these efficiencies across three channels.”

Peter Brandt, chairman of GMA’s AMC Award Committee and vice president, Consumer Products/Life Sciences, PTG Industry Solutions Marketing, SAP, noted how the CPG Award not only recognizes success stories, but also brings to light emerging industry trends. “Time/Warner Retail’s project marks true parallels between company innovation and growing industry developments, especially through category retail development and collaboration with retailers and suppliers,” he said.

For more information on Time/Warner Retail’s winning case study, visit the GMA Web site.

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