Grab Shoppers’ Attention with these Best Practices in Fresh Foods

Promoting and Advancing Petroleum Marketing, Retail Grocery, and Convenience Stores in West Virginia

Driving Local Business and Community Growth Across West Virginia

Our Purpose and Commitment

OMEGA is a West Virginia-based organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the business interests of the state’s petroleum marketing, retail grocery, and convenience store industries.

As a network of over 225 locally owned businesses, OMEGA actively promotes cooperation, advocates for favorable legislation, and provides education and resources to its members. With over 50,000 employees, OMEGA members significantly contribute to the state’s economy, generating more than 10% of all state taxes and supporting local communities through scholarships, charitable donations, and civic involvement.

OMEGA is committed to fostering industry growth while serving West Virginians with essential services like fuel, food, and convenience.

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Join a Community that Champions, Connects, and Elevates!

Your Essential Connection in West Virginia

OMEGA offers three types of membership: Convenience Store Members, Petroleum Marketer Members, and Grocer Members, all of which play a vital role in providing fuel, food, and essentials across West Virginia. As a liaison with state and national agencies, OMEGA works closely with organizations like NACS, PMAA, FMI, and the N.G.A. to advocate on behalf of its members.

We keep members informed through newsletters, legislative updates, an online resource hub, and educational seminars. Additional member benefits include access to the Encova Workers’ Compensation Discount Program and participation in our annual Trade Expo and fundraising efforts for children’s charities. OMEGA is here to support, advocate, and enhance the success of our industry members.

Connecting to shoppers, especially Millennials is a tall order but the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Fresh Executive Council is leading collaboration efforts across all fresh foods departments to bigger baskets and www.fmi.org/FreshFoods is your home for best practices, research and ideas on fresh foods in food retail.

By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, Food Marketing Institute <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/photos-for-staff-use/produce/20151208-fmi-430-web.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="20151208-FMI-430-WEB" title="20151208-FMI-430-WEB" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> Connecting to shoppers, especially Millennials is a tall order but the <a href="http://www.fmi.org/">Food Marketing Institute’s</a> (FMI) <a href="http://www.fmi.org/members_only/committee/CommitteeForm/view?id=8668A0000086A">Fresh Executive Council</a> is leading collaboration efforts across all fresh foods departments to bigger baskets and <a href="http://www.fmi.org/FreshFoods">www.fmi.org/FreshFoods</a> is your home for best practices, research and ideas on fresh foods in food retail.   One trick of the trade, as outlined by our  <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-meat-2016">Power of Meat 2016</a> research, is the fact that in-store associate assistance pays off bigtime with bigger baskets and higher loyalty. Preparation knowledge, including preparation time and level of ease is also much more important in grabbing the short attention span synonymous with Millennials. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all promotions. Instead, strategize your targeted promotions and merchandising to drive sales gains with FMI resources such as the report on <a href="http://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/sophistication-of-supermarket-fresh-prepared-foods">The Sophistication of Supermarket Fresh Prepared Foods</a>. Conducted by FMI and <a href="https://www.technomic.com/">Technomic,</a> the evaluation lays out best practices and metrics when it comes to supermarket prepared fresh foods. Fresh prepared is considered a high-growth segment and there are ways to optimize your supermarkets’ appeal to customers with chef-inspired menus and amenities like Wi-Fi and café seating. To discover more Fresh tips you can visit the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC2S358raho&feature=youtu.be">webinar video</a> online. Capturing customer’s questions for new hooks and transparency is a trend that resonates with shoppers. They want to know what they are placing in their baskets. The Power of Meat 2016 results show that targeted merchandising while educating non-buyers is the best path to support continued growth. Learn more about top trends in Fresh with our <a href="http://www.fmi.org/events-education/webinars/webinar-details/2016/01/28/default-calendar/top-trends-in-fresh-webinar-series-food-transparency">food transparency webinar</a>. FMI’s <a href="http://www.fmi.org/events-education/webinars">webinars</a> are another highly valued resource available for our FMI members. Looking forward, we have a discussion coming up on the foreign supplier certification program with the Food and Drug Administration. You can add it to your own personal calendar by clicking ‘add to calendar’ after clicking <a href="http://www.fmi.org/forms/meeting/MeetingFormPublic/view?id=39704100000175">here</a>. The future is looking fresh with the upcoming release of the 2016 <a href="http://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/the-power-of-produce-2015">Power of Produce</a> research and our agenda at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/">FMI Connect</a> this year. As a special addition to our program <a href="file:///O:/Media%20Relations/FMI%20Blog/www.fmiconnect.net/SupermarketChefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> at FMI Connect is a rare opportunity to cross-train with fresh foods department executives in order to better understand the demands of one another’s jobs. See the full program and learn more at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/SupermarketChefs">www.fmiconnect.net/SupermarketChefs</a>.

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Supporting West Virginia Communities

OMEGA members play a vital role in West Virginia, supporting communities through substantial tax contributions and a wide-reaching presence across the state. With over 55% of the population living in border counties, our members are dedicated to serving both local and regional needs. Beyond business, we’re proud to give back, having contributed over $3.1 million to children’s charities since 2003, reflecting our commitment to making a positive difference.