LESSON 2: IN-STORE DELI SELECTIONS

Determining the ideal product mix for your In-Store Deli Department is key. All items in the Deli fall into these broad categories:

• Deli Prepared
• Deli Meat
• Deli Cheese
• Deli Beverages
• Deli Other

A standard (pre-Covid19) Deli mix* includes:

• Deli Prepared foods: 59.1%
• Deli Meat: 20.7%
• Deli Cheese: 17.8%
• Deli Beverages: 4.0%
• Deli Other: .03%

The Top Subcategories of this mix include:

• Deli Bulk Meat – Turkey, Beef, Ham, Specialty Meats, Charcuterie, Salami, etc.
• Prepared Chicken – Rotisserie chicken, Grilled Chicken Breast, Fried Chicken, etc.
• Service Cheese – Bulk Slicing cheese, a lot of cross over from the cheese department
• Salads – Pasta, Potato
• Entrees – Meatloaf, Eggplant, Lasagna, etc.
• Sandwiches – Made to Order, Pre-made, Paninis, wraps, etc.
• Pizza/Sushi – House-made pizza, take and bake, retail sushi
• Pre-Sliced Meats/Cheese – Cryo vac sliced meats, retail packed, pre-sliced packaged in-house meat and cheese
• Sides – Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, Beans, Rice
• Soup – Bulk Soup, Retail Soup
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Also, within those subcategories, these self-serve areas are included as well:

• Hot, Cold Bar/Soup Station – Some production is necessary at the store level
• Grab & Go area – Some packaging/labeling is required at the store level
• Retail Grab & Go – Ready-to-sell products, no labor, no packaging costs, usually the product is dated
  
  

Keep in mind the importance of Trends, Attributes and Lifestyle options such as:

• Gluten-free – products free from wheat and gluten
• Vegan – containing no animal-derived ingredients
• Paleo – products made with limited refined ingredients
• Keto – extremely low-net carbohydrate products
• Non-GMO – contains non-GMO products
• Non-GMO Certified – products are certified to be Non-GMO
• Organic – products contain organic ingredients
• Organic Certified – Products are certified to be organic

* What’s in Store 2018 IDDBA