Over the last three months, we’ve taken a pictorial tour of southern Italy as seen through the lens of some fabulous Flickr photographers. We have stopped in Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Basilicata and Campania and today, we’re heading to Italy’s second smallest region, Molise, for another glimpse of Southern Italy Snapshots.

Kroger Taps into National Trend of Combining Gasoline Stations, Supermarkets.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News July 1, 2003 By Geoffrey Rogow, The Roanoke Times, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 1–Besides coupons for groceries, now Kroger shoppers can save on gas. According to a Grocery Head…uarters trade magazine article in September 2002, at least 30 percent of all gasoline sales will occur at supermarket locations by 2006. go to web site free coupons for groceries

Most Kroger locations in the Roanoke Valley are trying to be at the forefront of that trend.

In conjunction with Centego Marketing group, Kroger is offering free-gas coupons at nine of its stores. Some products carry coupons for as much as $3 off gasoline at three Kroger fuel stations in the valley.

The Kash 4 Gas program, which began in Roanoke about a year ago, is subsidized by some manufacturers and allows customers free gasoline for buying certain products, said Archie Fralin, advertising manager for Kroger.

For example, Tyson offers $1 off gas for buying a roasted 23.2-ounce whole chicken. Also, Private Selection offers the same rebate for buying 6-ounce crab cakes. These are just two of the more than 700 items for which gasoline coupons are available.

The coupons can be redeemed at Kroger locations in Vinton, Lakeside Plaza in Salem, and Towne S…uare Mall, which have gasoline pumps on site. Also, the Smith Mountain Lake Kroger, to open in late August, is planned to have a fuel station.

Customers at six other Kroger locations are offered gasoline vouchers to be redeemed at any Kroger-operated pump in the valley.

Three Kroger locations do not participate in the program.

Signs explaining the program are posted at each pump, the front door and throughout the store. Shelf tags underneath the products inform customers about gasoline savings, and wire baskets in the store lobby contain Kash 4 Gas shopping lists. These lists outline each product that is on the program, and what section of the store to find it in. site free coupons for groceries

Tony Caputo, fuel center manager for Kroger, said informing the public about Kash 4 Gas has been one of his most difficult tasks. Caputo has 137 stores in his division, 25 of which have fuel centers. Another 29 participate in the coupon program.

Managing the program for Kroger is Centego Marketing Group, a Dallas-based startup founded by Peter Jacoves. He began the company when a friend, who was building gasoline stations at grocery stores, complained about not making money.

According to Jacoves, neither the gasoline station nor the grocery store were seeing increases in revenue because of proximity to each other. He decided to contact product manufacturers to see if they’d be interested in rewarding customers with free gasoline.

“When I started it five years ago, everyone thought it was ridiculous because it hadn’t been done before,” said Jacoves. “Now, manufacturers are selling 30 percent more product across the board.” Manufacturers like the program because it allows them to sell more products, according to Jacoves.

Also, manufacturers liked the fact that consumers got used to paying full price for products, unlike traditional coupons where the savings take place on the item itself. Several manufacturers refused to comment about the program.

Wayne Purcell, economics professor at Virginia Tech, said manufacturers generally do not want to discuss their strategies with anyone.

Purcell said this program may be one more way Kroger can battle Wal-Mart in the retail food industry. Wal-Mart is forcing new strategies in the industry because it keeps lower prices than everyone else.

Fralin said the program is not targeted at Wal-Mart, but it does help give Kroger a competitive advantage in selling fuel and groceries.

Usually for manufacturers, a major drawback in coupons is slippage, or the percentage of coupons actually redeemed. In a typical Sunday paper, 1.9 percent of the coupons printed are actually redeemed. However, in the fuel rewards program, 20 percent of the people who get the coupons redeem them, according to Renee Rubin, marketing communications manager for Centego.

Expiration for the receipts is typically 30 days, but Jacoves would like to move that down to 48 hours in the coming years.

In other locations around the country, grocers have partnered with major gasoline station chains such as Exxon. Caputo does not foresee needing to do that. He said much of the program’s strength is with customers who can stay within the Kroger family throughout the buying process.

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