GRANDMA LEE'S MAY SEEK AGENCY
By Adnews Staff
Grandma Lee's Inc. of Burlington, Ont. is repositioning itself and may hire an agency to help promote the bakery-cafe chain, company spokesperson Jerry Janik told Adnews yesterday. Janik owns Churchill Heights real estate properties, which will own about 45% of Grandma Lee's after a merger closes in a few weeks. Currently, advertising for Grandma Lee's is handled in-house. To reposition the company, Grandma Lee's plans to improve the merchandising of its bakery items such as bread and buns. Janik believes the way they are displayed in outlets now is not conducive to selling. In addition, its advertising will be more community oriented in the areas that it has outlets. For example, instead of a broad-based ad in a large daily newspaper, it will promote an outlet in a community paper located in the same area as a Grandma Lee's. The chain will also get involved in local community events such as charities and sporting events. Grandma Lee's has 82 restaurants in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. Grandma Lee's plans to open eight new Canadian outlets in the next four months. It hopes to make a big splash in the coffee and bagel market by opening in small Ontario cities such as London, Kitchener and St. Catharines.