Pizza Power
By Lori Sichtermann

There's pizza, and there's Philly Cheesesteak. But Trader Joe's is the one chain you can count on to combine them.

To further ignite already strong dollar sales of pizzas, retailers continue to stoke the oven when it comes to creating flavorful and decadent private label pizzas.

Winter is officially here, so it’s time for consumers to stock up on “hibernation food.” When the snow is falling and the wind is blowing, they find there’s no better grocery item to be shut up indoors with than a warm, and delicious pizza, complete with all their favorite toppings.
Retailers across the country recognize consumers’ desire to bake up their favorite variety of comfort food, and thus have put tremendous efforts into creating stellar private label pizza offerings — both frozen and ready-to-bake.

The Cheap Date

Pizza is renowned for being hardy and versatile (it can be eaten for dinner, lunch AND breakfast!). But, one of the most appetizing aspects of pizza is its price.

For example, Chicago-based Jewel-Osco, part of the Supervalu, Eden Prairie, MN, family of stores, offers customers quite a saucy deal: four Jewel brand, thin-crust pizzas for $10. The 15-19.7-ounce varieties are available in all the usual suspects, including cheese, pepperoni and sausage.
Although these types of deals are nice — a basic price for a basic pizza — the excitement over such regularities in product offering doesn’t give the whole picture as to what’s happening in the pizza category today. In retail outlets across the country, the trend is definitely toward “specialty” pizzas.

The Fancy Stuff

In the days of old (five or six years ago), it was common knowledge that Whole Foods Markets, Austin, TX, and Trader Joe’s, Monrovia, CA, cornered the market, so to speak, on unique food items that often could be considered “fancy.” But today, the “fancy” niche is all but mainstream.

Although Trader Joes’s and Whole Foods still are known for providing hungry customers with higher-end products, when it comes to the “everyday Joe” reputation of pizza, retailers across the country are now taking part in offering customers the “fancy stuff.”

For example, Publix Super Markets, Lakeland, FL, is in on offering folks the “upper crust” when it comes to frozen pizzas. The retailer entices customers to its frozen line of store brand pizzas by saying: “Instead of placing an order, pick up a Publix Premium Frozen Pizza the next time you take care of your grocery list. All you have to do is pop it in the oven and dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes.”

The line of Publix premium pizzas features three varieties of thin crust pies, including Spicy Italian, Margherita and White. The retailer also offers three varieties of self-rising pizza such as Supreme, Four Cheese and Pepperoni.

Not to be outdone, Whole Foods also offers a delectable pie—its 365 Everyday Value Spinach and Feta and 4-cheese pizza varieties. Smaller in size, these 16.5-ounce pizzas retail for a respectable $4.99 each.

While unique flavor profiles are popular in the pizza category, there also is a trend today toward more healthful pizzas. Essentially, folks want healthful meals, but they don’t want to cut their beloved pizza from their diets.

Thankfully, Safeway, Pleasanton, CA, offers pizza products that are a bit more decadent than your run-of-the-mill cheese and pepperoni varieties, yet they also attract those customers looking for a more healthful pizza option. For example, as part of its popular O Organics line, the retailer offers an organic four cheese stone-baked pizza (8.1-ounce) and an organic spinach and cheese stone baked pizza (9.5-ounce).

Also on the organic side of things is the Meijer Organics line of pizzas from Meijer, Grand Rapids, MI. The regional retailer offers an organic Spinach and Feta pizza, as well as organic uncured pepperoni and an organic Mediterranean style pie. Customers are further convinced of their healthful purchasing decision when they take a look at the product packaging for the Meijer Organic pizzas. According to the company, the Meijer organic pizzas contain no artificial ingredients, with minimal processing.

Additionally, the company claims it is dedicated to renewable farming practices.

The Trader Giotto’s Pizza Parlanno from Trader Joe’s offers pizza lovers Italian sausage, uncured pepperoni, roasted peppers and roasted onions. But, an additional health benefit: the pizza also is made with “Nitrite-free sausage and uncured pepperoni,” the company says.

Side-stepping healthfulness and going straight to hunger-satisfaction is the Trader Joe’s Philly Cheesesteak Pizza. New to the retailer, this sentimental concoction retails for $4.99 and is made with choice seasoned roast beef, roasted onions, red and yellow peppers and cheese. According to the company, this sandwich-pizza montage was “inspired by the sandwich made famous in the City of Brotherly Love.”

Pre-made Goodness

Retailers have put forth substantial effort to bring the frozen pizza category out of the dark-ages of cardboard crusts and greasy cheese — and their efforts have not gone un-noticed by consumers. However, there still are folks out there who prefer the taste of fresh-baked pizza; a.k.a., refrigerated pizzas.

With these consumers in mind, retailers across the country are catering to the popularity (and convenience) of store brand refrigerated pizzas.

For Meijer, refrigerated pizzas are a central focus in the store’s “Dinner Tonight” display. As part of its three-step dinner solution, Meijer encourages hurried customers to “1. Choose an entrée, 2. Choose two sides, 3. Enjoy a complete dinner.”

In this display, refrigerated pizzas are a main focus. Customers can chose between a 16-inch “Thin and Crispy” pepperoni, which retails for $7.99 or a more reserved, 15-ounce oblong pizza. These uniquely shaped pies are available with trendy bold flavors such as BBQ chicken and Jalapeno, and retail for $4.99.

Product placement also is key in this island of store-brand convenience from Meijer. Suggested pizza pairings are positioned around the pizzas — pairings include Meijer brand refrigerated penne Marinara, lasagna, chicken artichoke Asagio and four-cheese mastachoili.

Whole Foods also puts product placement to work by offering store-brand pastas near its fresh-baked, ready-to-order pizza station. Frozen store brand pastas also are suggestively placed in shelves adjacent to the retailer’s store brand frozen pizzas.

The Minis

Pizza definitely has evolved over the past several years — changing in flavor profiles and healthfulness. However, any college student will assent that one of the greatest evolutions within the pizza genus has been the frozen, microwavable mini pizza bite.

Whole Foods’ Whole Kitchen 3-cheese mini pizzas claim they can be prepared in an astonishing two minutes, while they retail for an academic-friendly $3.99.

Aldi, Batavia, IL. also appeals to the mini-lovers out there with its Mama Cozzi pizza snacks. The snacks come in Pepperoni and Sausage Pepperoni.

Kroger, Cincinnati, OH, has come out with a new Private Selection Gourmet Classics pizzas that includes Italian style Supreme, Italian style Six Cheese and even a half-and-half cheese and pepperoni.
Whether frozen, refrigerated, organic or mini, pizza continues to play a pivotal role in the diets of American consumers.

Recommended suppliers

• Palermo's Pizza, Milwaukee, WI, 800-800-7912
• Contessa Premium Foods, San Pedro, CA, 888-832-8000
• Little Lady Foods, Elk Grove Village, IL, 800-439-1440

Products described or shown in this article are not necessarily available from these suppliers. For more suppliers see current Private Label Directory & Buyer’s Guide.