Last updated on June 13th, 2024
Krause’s Market in Garrison, North Dakota, earned top honors for a record fourth time in five years in UNFI’s National Beef Stampede Merchandising Contest. More than 600 grocery stores from across the country participate in the annual merchandising contest promoted every fall to showcase beef as the center-of-the-plate protein of choice.
Retailers nationwide served by UNFI’s wholesale distribution business participated in the contest, which resulted in two regional finalists and one national grand prize winner.
“Krause’s Market’s winning Beef Stampede campaign this year was successful because of the full support from the staff,” said Roy McKenzie, Krause’s meat department manager at the Garrison location. “We focused our efforts on reaching out to customers who have supported us and the Beef Stampede contest over the years.”
During the contest, mailers were sent out and phone calls were made to remind Krause’s patrons about the beef bundle deals and other events during the promotion. Those direct mailers in combination with radio, print, television and social media communications made the event a success.
Other key components of the Beef Stampede included 24 feet of fresh beef on display in the meat case, a drive-by ribeye dinner, cross merchandising throughout the store, in-store promotions sponsored by the North Dakota Beef Commission, an Instant Pot giveaway and a build-your-own-burger promotion.
New this year, Krause’s Market along with the Garrison community welcomed the first-ever outdoor sporting event held in the state of North Dakota for the nonprofit Wounded Warriors in Action (WWIA). The event gave five combat-wounded Purple Heart recipients the opportunity to spend four days of world-class wild pheasant hunting with local sportsmen and guides.
Shannon Staehr, store manager at Krause’s in Garrison, cooked alongside the Garrison Fire Department for a banquet with more than 200 guests in attendance to raise money for the WWIA.
“The community, state and local representatives as well as the media came out to support this first-time-ever event. This is the start of something great. Roy McKenzie and his team at the Krause’s Market in Garrison really went after the Beef Stampede event this year,” said Dalles Krause, who with Kari Olen co-owns Krause’s Markets in Garrison, Hazen and Washburn, North Dakota.
“Once again, Krause’s imagination, hard work and commitment to the Beef Stampede differentiated them from the hundreds of participating retailers across the country that engaged their customers and communities with the Beef Stampede,” said Tony Ott, director of merchandising, meat and seafood, for UNFI’s Central Region. “They raised the community involvement bar again this year by hosting their first annual Wounded Warriors in Action Pheasant Hunt to coincide with the Beef Stampede. We congratulate them on their fourth Beef Stampede National Grand Championship.”
The Krause family has been in the grocery business since 1944 and part of the Supervalu organization since the beginning. UNFI is the parent company of Supervalu. The combined company is the largest publicly-traded grocery distributor in America with expected annual sales of more than $21 billion.
