Neiman Group goes to War in Charlotte for Client Dietz & Watson

On Aug. 13, the nation's #2 service deli meat preparer, Dietz and Watson, with the help of Neiman Group, fought The Deli Wars in Charlotte. Philadelphia's Dietz & Watson is speaking up about Sarasota, Fla.-based Boar's Head's anti-consumer tactic of demanding supermarket service deli exclusivity in premium meats as a precondition to selling to retailers. Dietz & Watson company president & CEO Louis Eni travelled to Charlotte to hold a public sampling and blind taste-testing event and brought the story directly to the people where he told them the facts and asked them to start demanding choice!

Multiple network news channels and thousands of consumers attended the event and sampled premium deli meats and cheeses. They also took "The Deli Challenge" and chose for themselves which products were better. No surprise — Dietz & Watson was the overwhelming winner! Read more about the issue below and see photos from the event.

Dietz & Watson Says Customers Lose When Exclusive Deals Are Cut

Pledges To Never Ask For Exclusivity In Grocery Stores & Challenges Boar's Head To Do The Same

PHILADELPHIA (August 14, 2009) — Imagine pushing your shopping cart down the aisles of your local grocery store only to find one choice of breakfast cereal, one choice of candy bars, or one choice of yogurt. Doesn't sound like much of a choice at all. But that one-choice-only model is what Sarasota, Fla.-based deli meat supplier Boar's Head demands in grocery stores across the country. Challenger Dietz & Watson — already the #2 deli brand in the U.S. — says the practice of deli case exclusivity needs to stop, or shoppers will continue to lose.

"Dietz & Watson has never shied away from competition — we've been producing the finest deli meats and cheeses for 70 years," said Louis Eni, President and CEO. "We would never — ever — consider demanding that grocery stores carry only our premium products at the exclusion of others. We want to win on quality and taste, not by cutting off competitors. That disrespects consumers. Yet that's exactly what Boar's Head has been doing to grocery store chains across the country — essentially telling grocers, 'If you want to sell our product, you can't offer your customers any other premium choices.' Exclusivity is selfish and it needs to stop."

Eni cited a recent example in North Carolina, where the Harris Teeter grocery chain was forced to tell its customers they could no longer choose to purchase popular Dietz & Watson products. Why? Because they wanted to offer Boar's Head as another choice. But consistent with Boar's Head's anti-choice approach, Boar's Head wouldn't allow a premium competitor to sell alongside them in the deli case. A Harris Teeter spokeswoman told a local newspaper that customers enjoyed Dietz & Watson products — which she called "outstanding" — and that making the change was a "difficult decision."

"It was a decision, frankly, that they never should have had to make," said Eni. "Harris Teeter is a terrific grocer and we have been proud to sell our products in their stores. They didn't want to see us go, and neither did their customers.

"As Dietz & Watson continues to grow and to thrive, we're going to be entering new markets and reaching new customers. But as we grow, I pledge today that our company will never ask for exclusivity in grocery stores. Customers deserve choices and I'm confident, if offered a choice, they'll choose Dietz & Watson more often than not. The bottom line is they will have had a choice — and that's what this is all about.

"I challenge Boar's Head to take the same pledge — to compete like everyone else. After all, if they believe their products are superior, what's to be afraid of? Choice is good. It's what all customers deserve."

The Boar's Head power play at Harris Teeter touched off spirited conversations on chat boards on popular food web sites such as Chow.com. Comments from frustrated consumers on Chowhound boards included: "This is awful"; "the only choice was no choice at all"; and "lack of choice sucks."

ABOUT DIETZ & WATSON — Dietz & Watson was founded in 1939 by Gottlieb Dietz, a talented young German sausage maker. His primary goal was to produce the most flavorful, highest quality deli meats in the marketplace, to please even the most discriminating palate. His old-world recipes and commitment to "quality above all" demanded nothing less than the freshest lean beef, ham, pork turkey breast and chicken breast and only the freshest, all-natural spices and seasonings. Dietz & Watson never uses artificial flavors, colors, fillers or extenders, and never any MSG. Today, from their headquarters in Philadelphia, the third generation of the family continues Gottlieb Dietz's dedication and commitment in preparing Premium Deli Meats and Artisan Cheeses. They are the grandchildren of company founder Gottlieb Dietz — Louis Eni (President and CEO), Chris Eni (COO) and Cindy Eni Yingling (CFO). Learn more about the company at www.DietzandWatson.com.