minneapolis  (February 17, 2009) – General Mills today announced that Lubeley’s Bakery and Deli in St. Louis, Mo., was selected as the second grand prize winner in the company’s 2008 Merchandising Makeover: Pillsbury Bakery Edition contest, presented in collaboration with the Retail Bakers of America (RBA).As a winner, brother and sister co-owners Robert Lubeley and Helen Lubeley Murray received $5,000 to remodel the family’s 70-year-old bakery.  The bakery recently completed the finishing touches and unveiled the newly renovated bakery at a special Super Grand Reopening event on January 31. 

 

A team from General Mills and the RBA worked with Lubeley’s to evaluate the bakery and develop a blueprint that would make the biggest impact with their given budget. They moved forward with a plan that gave the bakery a fresh look and allowed the bakery to better merchandise its products.

 

According to Sue Lubeley Suardi, the bakery’s head cake designer who entered the bakery in the sweepstakes, General Mills and the RBA representatives were valuable in helping the bakery develop working plans for the makeover. “They even helped us out with refurbishing the tile floor and painting the walls,” said Suardi.

Lubeley’s used the prize money to purchase new organization racks, display fixtures, and case lighting to better showcase its baked goods. They gave the bakery a modern look with a fresh and vibrant paint scheme of steel blue and yellow. In addition, the bakery also installed a new wood grain deli counter.

 

Lubeley’s Bakery and Deli is the oldest family owned bakery in the St. Louis area. The bakery is widely known for its German pastries, tortes, stolen, Danish and special occasion cakes. Every morning the bakery’s original owner, 96 year old Helen Lubeley, still greets guests that visit the bakery.

Two grand prize winners received a store-front makeover for their bakery valued up to $5,000 each in the 2008 Merchandising Makeover. Johnson’s Bakery in Duluth, Minn., received the first grand prize and unveiled its new look at an event in September.

 

Lynn Schurman, president of the Retail Bakers of America, believes that bakeries today can make a big difference in their retail space with a modest budget.

 

“It’s increasingly important for retail bakeries to stay competitive in today’s marketplace,” said Schurman. “Retail bakeries may be surprised to learn they can easily update their retail space with a minimal investment to create an impactful change that customers will notice. ”

 

Here are five merchandising tips from The Pillsbury Bakery Institute that retail bakeries can implement on a modest budget.

 

 

 

General Mills and the RBA are now accepting applications for the 2009 Merchandising Makeover: Pillsbury Bakery Edition contest. One lucky grand prize winner will receive a store front merchandising makeover valued at $5,000. The Merchandising Makeover contest is open to members of the RBA. Members are asked to write an original essay explaining why their bakery could benefit from a makeover and submit up to five photos of their bakery. 

 

A panel of judges will evaluate entries based on the entrant’s vision for their bakery’s future, demonstrated passion for the baking industry, and effective articulation of how the bakery could benefit from a merchandising makeover.  To become a member of the RBA and to obtain the official entry form and contest rules, bakery managers can visit www.rbanet.com.  Entries must be postmarked by May 1, 2009. The grand prize winner will be selected on or around May 15, 2009.

 

The General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice division sells a wide array of high-quality products into the retail bakery channel, such as bakery flour, dry baking mixes and frozen products including cinnamon rolls, muffins, puff pastry, scones and other sweet goods.It also markets dry baking mixes and bakery flour in the foodservice, restaurant and wholesale bakery channels. In addition, the division sells General Mills branded cereal, yogurt, snacks and more in a wide variety of foodservice outlets, such as cafeterias, convenience stores and vending machines. The division generates more than $2 billion in annual sales.