June 2011:  

   

TRINITY partners, George Cox, John Farinola and Randy Riley, also owners in Grenite Sustainable Solutions—the maker of Grenite®, a new sustainable hard surface material, are pleased to announce a new manufacturing supply agreement with Saint Gobain, a world leader in construction markets and materials. The official press release follows: Grenite SG Press Release

May 2011:

NEW PROMOTIONAL PALLET PRESENTATION P3™ WORTH THE WEIGHT

Metuchen, NJ--(April 29, 2011)--The business of promoting national and private label brands in retail stores with over-stacked and splintered wood pallets has been a decades old merchandising practice even though retailers have spent millions of dollars updating their respective stores to make the shopping experience more visually appealing for their customers. Thanks to a new invention called the P3™, stacked pallets have never looked better nor easier to buy and stock.

A new pallet lifting technology could very well change how promotional goods are displayed and shopped in retail stores, and a triumvirate that includes brands, retailers and consumers would all be the key benefactors. The P3™, short for Promotional Pallet Presentation, uses precision calibrated, high tension springs to elevate stacked pallets of merchandise off the sales floor for easy stocking, viewing and buying. The patent pending P3™ uses gravity to collapse four springs into fully compressed levels when a fully loaded pallet is positioned onto the P3’s platform. Then, as product begins to sell down, the springs begin to gradually uncoil and extend up, raising product to convenient, easy to access levels.

Great for Bulk Case Goods

Whether it’s 50 pound bags of dry dog food, cases of bottled water and soda, or heavy packages of top soil and other garden related bulk goods, the P3 positions product at hip to shoulder levels, making access to product quick and easy and limiting the probability of injury to shopper and store associate. In mass retail stores, where the core consumer is female, eliminating the need to bend down and lift heavy product into a shopping cart can be a big customer convenience. In customer intercepts one middle aged single working mom living in a central New Jersey suburb, said that the P3™ can be a ladies best friend. “I’m a single parent that frequents my local grocery store a couple of times a week. I’m always buying bulk cases of water and can never find people in the store to help me lift these cases into my shopping cart,” she adds. “Most shopping carts are not designed to accommodate bulk packages, so any assistance I can find to make my shopping experience less painful is very much appreciated.”

The P3™ was designed and developed by TRINITY, LLC, an in-store marketing company based in Metuchen, NJ that specializes in creating innovative merchandising solutions for retailers and CPG companies. According to Nick Farinola, Senior Vice President for Business Development at TRINITY, the P3 is a “win, win, win” proposition “Any merchandising solution today must successfully engage three primary beneficiaries, namely the retailer, CPG company and the shopper. If any of these stakeholders suffer, whether its through lost sales, operational inefficiency or shopper inconvenience, then the solution can be pretty much be classified to be a failure,” says Mr. Farinola.

Pallets Get a Face Lift...Literally

Typical Over-Stacked Product

Thousands of retail stores use pallet drops to promote off price goods. Many of these stores have spent millions of dollars remodeling their interiors to improve merchandise appeal and overall shopping experience, yet pallets remain untouched, dropped in high traffic areas within a store, splintered and over stacked, lacking visual appeal. “Supermarkets, mass retailers, office supply, club stores and home centers all use pallets to promote off price goods” says Mr. Farinola. “All use basic visual techniques that include a pole topper and simple shroud to communicate price and brand. The P3™ gives the promotional aisle an identity. It creates a destination in the store that drives traffic and ultimately purchase,” he adds.

P3™ raises product up to always accessible viewing and buying levels. The large graphic shroud is a fantastic messaging billboard for brand identification. (Patent Pending)

The P3 is not a one size fits all. While it is designed to merchandise heavy bulk goods like dog food, bottled water/soda, and various other heavy products, the springs at TRINITY's Metuchen, NJ factory can be calibrated to function with lighter product. The P3’s platform is made from recycled plastic, so not only is it ecologically friendly, it is nearly indestructible. New mini P3™ 's and other uses of this vertical-pusher approach are in development.

Originally sponsored by Nestle Purina Pet Care, the P3™ is currently in test in select supermarket and mass market retail locations, and the results thus far have been very encouraging. Greg Norsworthy, Purina's Director, Retail Presentation, thinks the P3™ is a natural for heavy bags of pet food as well as kitty litter. “Focus group and consumer intercept feedback has shown us that the promotional pallet lifter is a welcomed retail solution,” claims Mr. Norsworthy. “The large colorful shroud gives us a great billboard to communicate brand identity and value message,” he added. The P3™ has helped Purina secure floor space in prominent drive aisle locations. Product sell-through during testing has exceeded expectations. According to Mr. Norsworthy, sales of Purina dog food have increased more than 50% during peak promotional events, and 25% during off peak periods. Consumer reaction has been even better. “Shoppers love the fact that they don't have to struggle to lift heavy product into their carts,” notes Mr. Norsworthy. “The convenience factor is a big plus, and it shows the customer that the retailer cares about their well being,” he concluded.

Custom calibrated springs compress down when fully loaded pallet is stacked on platform. Springs gradually uncoil and rise as product sells down

May 2008:

   

TRINITY Sustainability Update: TRINITY establishes a ‘Sustainability Roadmap’

TRINITY has consistently demonstrated its commitment towards helping combat the mounting environmental concerns plaguing our industry. Green products warrant energy and material conservation through every stage of its life cycle. TRINITY is committed to tackling the impact on the environment head-on and striving to become the pioneer for sustainability for the POP industry.     

Several factors make a product and its manufacturing process truly sustainable. It begins with using eco-friendly or biodegradable materials as well as the conservation of energy and material through innovative product designs. You must then use efficient manufacturing techniques to further reduce material and energy waste. Finally, the products must then be packaged and shipped as well as disposed with minimum environmental impact.

TRINITY will follow a set of basic guidelines listed below to pursue the roadmap we have established to reduce our carbon footprint.

•       Use of biodegradable or recyclable materials: Currently there are only a few biodegradable plastic materials, none universally accepted and sold. TRINITY will educate its customers on its potential options of environmentally friendly materials to make their products. An attempt will be made to try and incorporate these materials cost-effectively into the product design. Several plastic materials currently in use can be recycled. When a material cannot me recycled, we will engineer to increase the product’s life and ability for upgrades.

•       Use less material when possible using creative designs: TRINITY will use innovative designs to re-engineer existing products or engineer new products to reduce the material used. We will improve designs and use lower gauge materials when possible to realize the immense cost and energy savings due to the decrease in the amount of material and energy consumed and wasted.

•       Use the same material where possible for different components: The product must be designed for more efficient manufacturing and disassembly. An effort will be made to reduce the number of different materials used in the product and improve product design to facilitate dismantling and recycling of the product.

•       Reduce packaging: The material used for packaging could also be reduced by using lower thickness of paper (or even recycled paper) and plastic bags with lesser and thinner inserts. Multiple parts may also be packaged together when possible to ship more economically and also reduces shipping weight and thus fuel consumption. Corrugated pallets may be used when possible. TRINITY already has one material who we return corrugated packaging to for reuse! We are extending this program to other vendor partners.  

 

January 2008:  

   

TRINITY is pleased to confirm the establishment of a marketing and equity relationship with Creative Composites Corporation, the corporation that founded and owns Grenite™, a relatively new "sustainable" hard surface material that can be used for numerous surface, countertop, and furniture applications. TRINITY is pleased to offer this product to its clients as well as be involved with the running of this business as part of its efforts to foster innovation in the area of sustainability.

Grenite (www.grenite.com), is:

Ecologically friendly: recycled Ceramic & recyclable in all forms
• High hardness...high strength and scratch resistance.
• Highly graffiti & stain resistant
• Colorable - custom colors
• Flame retardant...85% of material inert
• High temperature resistant...heated objects up to 500 degrees
• Impermeable to water and air
• Cold pour molded production...any shape that can be molded can be made
• Longest life expectancy of any available solid surface material
• Superior cost matrix...

 

June 2007:

 

 

TRINITY and ARNO, a leading European POP branding, display/fixture, and interactive company, are pleased to announce the establishment of a strategic alliance in building their businesses on a global basis.

ARNO, www.arno-online.com, is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany with offices in Bristol/England, Moscow, Athens, and Madrid servicing clients throughout Europe and the world. With a broad range of retail marketing services---display, shop-in-shop, retail interiors, exhibitions, interactive systems, and shop installation services---they do innovative, high performance work for outstanding clients in the Beauty, Fashion, Automotive, Stationary, and Consumer Electronics categories among others.

As the world gets flatter, TRINITY and ARNO look forward to offering global clients a resource that can:

= Translate a brand’s visual story consistently around the world...so the shopper, whether in Europe, the US, Asia, or any other market gets the same brand or retail presentation. Much has been written about the benefit of this.
= Offer global clients services as efficiently as possible...via the strategic alliance be able to deliver global sourcing opportunities as well as local project management, customer service, and logistics as needed on a optimal cost basis.
= Offer new insights and ideas to clients based on a global perspective of shopping and retail trends. In TRINITY’s case, we look forward to drawing on ARNO’s "design aesthetic" in creating certain new programs in the US. For ARNO, we look to offer our "retail insight" core competency as it is applicable.
= Bring to retailers worldwide proprietary ideas that emanate from the TRINITY and ARNO working together. Such ideas would address lighting; shelf productivity; pilfer resistance; and sustainability opportunities among others.

We agree with and aspire to a statement that Jack Welch said,

"Globalization has changed us into a company that searches the world, not just to sell or to source, but to find intellectual capital - the world's best talents and greatest ideas."

May 2007:

Please see the following article THINKING SMART: 4 REASONS TO RETROFIT FIXTURING by Randy Riley. The article appeared in EXPRESSIVE ARTS' recent May Newsletter. TRINITY is pleased to have a business alliance with EXPRESSIVE ARTS, a strategic retail marketing company located in Dallas, TX. Please check them out at www.ExpressiveArtsinc.com . They’d love to include your story in their next issue. Please send requests to newsletter@expressiveartsinc.com.

SPOTLIGHT ON:   THINKING SMART: 4 REASONS TO RETROFIT FIXTURING How to Create New, Unique Retail Environments in a Low-Cost, Flexible Way By Randy Riley Retrofitting existing structures is a growing trend. We see in architecture the growth in the retrofitting established buildings. The goals of doing this include renovating cost effectively to improve aesthetics, address structural issues, or improve energy efficiency. Likewise, one of the trends in retail in-store marketing and remodeling is retrofitting of existing fixtures with new, permanent ones. There are economic, operational, marketing, and shoppability reasons for retrofitting. Economic Rather than throw-out the "hardware", i.e. the gondolas, that exist in a store, as products and presentation needs change, why not retrofit or "dress up" the existing fixturing? As an example, why spend the money on a new end cap that takes the place of a current one? Dress up current shelves and standards with any number of materials - metal, wood or plastic. Keep the current hardware there! Costs of retrofitting can run 1/10 to 1/2 the cost of putting in new fixtures. This approach is also a very good way for CPG companies to gain acceptance of in-store programs by the retailers. For Dove at Duane Reade, such was the case. Operational Why not keep the current fixturing in place when remodeling? Store associates and operational executives then know what it is and how it operates. For new product and marketing initiatives, add merchandising elements to the existing store hardware/gondolas. In 3-5 years when something different is desired, you know exactly what the hardware is underneath to use as-is, move somewhere else in the store, or retrofit with something new. The footwear brand, Thom McAn, has benefited from such an approach at Kmart. Marketing Stores and brands are continually updating their marketing message. Of course, much of this can be translated by retail visual professionals through temporary signage and by brands through promotions. But, a wonderful way to market to developing and/or growing categories is by retrofitting the store environment with permanent but flexible architecture and messaging that gives the shopper a whole new perspective on these new products being offered. Target does an excellent job retrofitting its environments to help deliver its marketing message. Shoppability Retrofitting can be done in many ways to improve the consumer experience and allow shoppers to see the product better. By adding/retrofitting a Lit Cornice to existing gondolas as Wal-Mart does in the Beauty department, shoppers find navigation easier and are able to see product and product information more easily, all of which translates to a more fulfilling shopping experience and, of course, greater sales for the retailer and the brands. There are endless possibilities when it comes to retrofitting. Consider it next time you need a solution for permanent merchandising changes to the retail environment. About TRINITY, LLC: - TRINITY is an innovative, low-cost in-store marketing provider of permanent multi-material/plastic displays, fixtures, fixture components, and fixture retrofit elements for retailers and brands. It's partners and associates have broad based experiences in brand marketing, retailing, the in-store industry, and operations as well as general management that give TRINITY a real differentiation in the market For more information, please visit www.TrinityInStore.com or call (732) 549-2866. About the Author: Randy Riley, President, focuses on business strategy and planning, client initiatives, business development, and strategic partnerships. Prior to co-founding TRINITY, he was President of HMG Worldwide, a leading in-store marketing company where he helped to lead a number of noteworthy client in-store programs for some of the best known retailers and brands. He has been a member of numerous industry organizations and has spoken at various industry and client conferences. Before HMG, he was a marketing executive for E&Gallo and Colgate-Palmolive. Randy graduated from Princeton University and has an MBA from Columbia University. Contact Randy.

March 2007:

October 2006:

TRINITY is pleased to announce the investment in a new 3D printer. This gives TRINITY a real
leg-up in quickly providing clients real working models that allow them to test for aesthetics and workability and get into the market fast and effectively with winning merchandising programs.

Historically in the fixture business (and others), models for certain plastic parts and pieces were in essence “appearance models” produced in weaker materials...you could look at them, but not really determine their industrial design working benefits. For more sophisticated parts and pieces, perhaps the expense of an SLA (stereolithography apparatus) model would be incurred. SLA models are rapidly developed as well, but machinery to make them can be quite expensive and the process is different and more time-consuming than 3D printing.

More recent rapid prototyping technology is 3D Printing, which TRINITY will now be doing...to best test form, fit, and function of many of our designs. CAD and design ideas are literally brought to life--a 3D printer (about the size of a refrigerator) is connected to our network; proprietary software is loaded; the file for a design is transferred; a cartridge of ABS material is loaded; and within hours, a working model is produced. (That’s why it’s called 3D printing...it’s as easy as printing.) TRINITY’s new 3D printer generates durable, working models in ABS (acrylnitrile butadiene styrene) plastic. ABS 3D prints withstand rigorous functional testing...so important for the industrial designs we create for retail use. Some additional key benefits delivered:

= Reduce production cost—‘the first 10% of the product development process can affect 80% of the total product’s cost’...so let’s get the design correct up-front

= Any Color—think in color...we can make it. Standard colors are white, red, blue, green, black, gray, and yellow. Custom colors can be ordered.

=Saves Time...models done in hours. Because TRINITY does so much engineering up-front, when a design is approved by a client, it’s ready to be modeled.

= Prove the Concept—prove the workability, catch the design flaws, and make appropriate adjustments early.

We look forward to working on a project where we can bring this technology to bare on your in-store challenges and opportunities.

 

July 2006:

TRINITY is pleased to welcome Mr. Steve Kort to the TRINITY team as Vice President, Business Development. Steve has a wealth of experience marketing and selling in-store solutions to major retailers throughout the USA. Prior to TRINITY he was at Trion for many years and more recently at Fast Industries and Randal Fixtures. We and our clients look forward to Steve’s many future contributions.

Also joining TRINITY in July is Ms. Bella Gutman, who will be serving as Vice President, Engineering. Bella is one of the most experienced and exceptional engineers in the retail solutions industry. She has extensive knowledge gained at leading industry companies such as HMG Worldwide, Trans World Marketing, and Artguild. She’s an expert in engineering retail merchandising initiatives in all materials. Originally educated in Russia, she joins Ms. Vickie Raygorodsky, VP Design/Engineering, to form a very talented, dynamic engineering leadership team at TRINITY.

At the core of TRINITY’s operational model is the emphasis on getting detailed engineering done early in a project’s life-cycle…this leads to better model-making, sharper pricing for clients, ultimately better execution, and far superior QA for on-going programs (drawings are clearly documented and detailed, properly revised, and well-organized on our enterprise system for easy accessibility).
 

May 2006

“TRINITY UNIVERSITY” (aka “TRINITY U”) In Full Swing

One of the things that TRINITY is discovering is the desire by clients to be better educated about the project management processes, design and engineering, and production methodologies that we utilize, from smart “plant fixturing” to assemble Lit Cornices for various clients to the different forms of plastic production available to use for retail fixtures, displays, and environments.

So, we have responded with our “TRINITY U” program, intended to help educate our clients on how to better address their store needs, both from a “shoppability” as well as from a “supply chain management” perspective:

= A short white paper on Plastic Fixture & Display Specification Criteria has been written by TRINITY Partner, John Farinola, and reviewed with numerous clients. With more retailers looking to deliver plastic fixtures to their store environments because of the inherent benefits of plastic, especially clear for “showing product”, plastic is being used more than ever at retail—specialty and mass. Just look at our own solution for Tee Shirts for Wal-Mart to see the benefit of putting product or graphics behind clear plastic so that the shopper can clearly and simply see the product! And look at stores like Hot Topic that showcase product so well behind plastic covers. In the white paper, John discusses the various issues related to understanding how something is going to be made if plastic is the solution.

=Seminars and plant tours with various clients to:

• Learn about our unique “client management” processes
• Discuss design and engineering considerations, especially for various forms of plastic and mixed       material solutions…the later being those that use some combination of metal, wood, wire, and plastic components.
• Take plant tours to visually see and learn about the various forms of assembly and then more specifically plastic production—fabrication, vacuum forming, extruding, and injection molding (both the tool making and molding operations).

A more expansive white paper, drawing from the above and other areas, is in the works. It will address in more detail the various issues—design intent, engineering, materials, production, and environment--related to plastic use for fixtures and displays. Stay tuned.

We want you, our clients, to be better educated on what we and others in our industry do, so that you can make better educated decisions on executing the best merchandising elements for your stores or brands.
 

January 2006:

Fixtures & Displays Part of Supply Chain Management

TRINITY is working with clients to improve Supply Chain Management aspects of fixture initiatives. Beyond just the physical fixture/display costs, issues like the following can be addressed through thorough fixture planning, design, and engineering:

= Actual production methodology matched against in-store needs
= Tooling—type, timing, affect on part cost, etc.
= Account specific solutions
= Freight planning, execution, and reporting (including custom reports with logistics companies)
= On-time delivery and account coordination
= Electronic/internet customer service
= Inventory management vs. forecasts (including JIT processes)
= In-store installation—time to do, difficulty, etc….goal is to minimize cost
= On-going fixture maintenance
= In-store labor related to stocking and zoning
= Space utilization related to product and complementary fixturing

States TRINITY Partner, George Cox, “more clients are interested in optimizing supply chain management for in-store fixture and display programs. Savings can be significant—10% to 100%--with the right analysis, planning, and execution. As an example, on a recent program for a significant retailer, we were able to mold a part, reduce the cost of the previously fabricated part by 100%, and still deliver against the needed timeframe.”

For another client, we “were able to suggest ways to save on the energy used by the light bulbs in the Lit Cornices that we’re providing to the client. Savings could reach seven figures on an annual basis. “Sustainability” is not only the right issue to be looking at today, but there are ways to address it that can save clients money. TRINITY is a company that looks to deliver against this growing need for retail solutions to meet sustainability opportunities”. George, with extensive prior leadership experience in the logistics-oriented supermarket industry, is leading TRINITY’s efforts here.

 

April 2005:

Mr. David Sokolowski, a very knowledgeable sales professional in the retail solutions industry, has joined forces with TRINITY to partner on certain Eastern seaboard accounts. Dave is located in Pittsburgh, PA. Dave is President of his own fixture services company, Solutions to Retail Sales.

Phone: 724-226-1829
Cell: 724-681-0945
Email: davidsok@comcast.net
 

January 2005 :

See attached article, The Power of Good Merchandising, Store Layout & Animal Display,

April 2004 :

See attached article, Take Your Displays to a New Level, written by Randy Riley, President and Co-Founder of TRINITY. The article appeared in the April 2004 issues of Building Products Digest and The Merchant, leading publications that serve the building material market. The building material trade channel, made up of hundreds of small and medium size retail lumber and hardware stores, is one in which there is significant opportunity to drive one's brand through innovative in-store marketing point-of-purchase materials.

August 2003 :

Mr. Kerry Mounce, an experienced sales professional located in Dallas, Texas, will be representing TRINITY in the Southwest. Kerry has 25 years of experience in selling medical supplies and in-store marketing solutions. Kerry is President of Line of Sight, his own marketing services company.

Phone: 972-924-2730
Cell:     214-675-9317
Email: kerry@los-inc.com

January 2003 :

TRINITY JOINS NAWLA, the North American Wholesale Lumber Association, as a service affiliate member. TRINITY's goal is to learn from the organization and it's members to better serve them with their in-store marketing initiatives.

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