MOBILE, Ala. -- Bulk candy sections are being added to all new and remodeled Delchamps stores, according to a store manager.
The prototype for the department is in a newly remodeled 53,000-square-foot combo store here, located at 2370 Hillcrest Rd.
Company officials from Delchamps here, which is in the process of being acquired by Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, Jackson, Miss., did not return phone calls from SN.
But Gary Pauley, manager of the Hillcrest Road store, said the department is exceeding initial expectations.
''Sales are so good that the department needs to be restocked every other day," Pauley told SN. "We need to keep product on hand to maintain it. It's been hard to keep up."
The section, which was signed "The Wall of Candy," is 30 feet wide. Candy-filled chutes, some of which reach 16 feet to the ceiling, are attached to bulk bins that hold about 100 different types of candy, Pauley noted.
One-third of the assortment is chocolate confections, which sell for $3.99 a pound. Nonchocolate items retail for $2.99 a pound. Sugar-free items are not included in the mix.
What makes the department unique is its location, Pauley said. It's placed third in the shopping pattern, after produce and floral, and it is maintained by floral.
"It's so massive and colorful that it is easily seen at the entrance of the store," Pauley told SN. "Kids who come into the store go straight to the display."
The "Wall of Candy," which augments an in-aisle candy section, is currently in about five stores, and will be expanded to other new or remodeled stores, said Pauley.
"We are a prototype," he told SN. "All remodeled stores are now getting this section."
The department contains bags and scales for shoppers to weigh their selections. Customers then pay at the checkout.
Along with candy, the remodeled store includes a number of other specialty departments, including a large deli/bakery area, a live video center and an enlarged customer-service department, which offers services that include Western Union, overnight film processing, fax and money orders and gift certificates.
