Gourmet Catalog Retail Summer School Enhances Product Knowledge, Networking

More than 200 top retailers and manufacturers in the gourmet kitchenware industry gathered in Atlanta for the fourth annual Gourmet Catalog Retail Summer School, which provides in-depth training and education on today’s top kitchenware products during the International Gift & Home Furnishings Show.

Gourmet Catalog’s Retail Summer School offered an additional half-day of vendor presentations for store members to learn, network and experience educational training. Store members listened to group presentations from vendors including EdgeCraft/Chef’sChoice, Smith’s Consumer Products, Full Circle, Magefesa, OXO, soireéhome, tag, William Bounds, Zojirushi and Wüsthof. Following the presentations, vendors demonstrated and discussed merchandise referenced during the presentation while collecting orders and building relationships with Gourmet Catalog (GC) retailers.

At the traditional full day of Summer School on July 11, store members packed into small-group classes led by 12 of GC’s top vendors: Blendtec, The Cookware Co., Epicurean, JURA Capresso, Le Creuset, Lékué, Microplane, Scanpan, SousVide Supreme, Victorinox, Vitamix and Zwilling.  

Becky Sawicki, senior sales and marketing manager at JURA Capresso, which recently won the ICON Award from AmericasMart for Innovative Product Design, praised the annual event. “Gourmet Catalog Summer School is such a great venue,” said Sawicki. “We love the small groups and the opportunity for retailers to ask questions and make comments. I think this just strengthens the relationships between the retailer and vendors.”

Janis Johnson, founder and president of Gourmet Catalog, emphasized the importance of the event. “Members received hands-on training, exclusive product education and engaged in discussions with company principals on the newest and best-selling items,” she said. “These small, intimate group settings created a shopping and learning experience most independent retailers traditionally do not receive. At Gourmet Catalog, we are proud to bring this experience to our group of more than 300 members nationwide.”

The event provided sales-floor feedback to vendors and created a networking hub where retailers could connect and recommend top products to each other. “The networking between the Gourmet Catalog members is so crucial for all of our business.”  Sawicki added.  

Tamera Pence from Bella The Corner Gourmet in Lewisburg, W.Va., added, “I find out about items I don’t carry and hear how well they are doing for other stores. That is information I wouldn’t find anywhere else.”  

Both vendors and retailers look forward to the next GC event, the 11th Annual Start the Year Member Conference and Vendor Showcase Jan. 8 and 9, 2014, at the AmericasMart in Atlanta, where more than 400 vendors and retailers are expected to attend.  

Celebrating 32 years in 2013, Gourmet Catalog works to ensure the success of independent retailers with a variety of programs and services, including discounts provided by nearly 200 vendor members.