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No open-and-shut case: a consultant offers his view of the pros and cons surrounding case-ready.

Article Excerpt
Why have meat departments been slow to adopt case-ready meat? In a nutshell, the reason has to do with cost-justifying the initial conversion, which has been the most difficult obstacle to surmount for many retailers.

Converting from store-made to case-ready meats solves a variety of issues, paramount of which are reductions in labor and out-of-stocks. Forecasts for case-ready conversions further project sharp reductions in operating expenses, shrink reduction, and sales increases. But results can vary dramatically from one retailer to another, and no standard has been independently documented to model what a retailer can expect.

Case-ready conversions with chicken and value-added products have been highly successful. However, the leap to a full case-ready program can be another story. Each retailer is ultimately on its own regarding the projected benefits, costs, and savings, which are bound to vary from operator to operator, based on the tactics deployed.

From my observations, here are nine crucial issues retailers need to be aware of when considering a conversion to case-ready:

1. Sales opportunity

The increase in presentation and in-stock conditions should lead to increased sales, but the amount of the increase will be in direct proportion...