Deck the Aisles: Making the Season Shoppable

Help your customers make memories through food with these festive merchandizing tips

By Carolyn Camilleri

The holiday season is one of the busiest and most profitable times of the year for grocery retailers. During the peak holiday season, grocery retail spending increases by 15% to 20% overall compared to an average month, with foot traffic and sales surging by up to 27% to 50% during peak holiday weeks. Food and beverages consistently rank as one of the highest priorities for consumers, making grocery budgets the least likely area to face spending cuts even during tight economic years.

Teresa Spinelli, president of Italian Centre Shop, understands the magic of the holiday season and how much it means to customers at her Calgary, Edmonton, and Sherwood Park stores.

“The holiday season is one of the most exciting times of the year at Italian Centre Shop,” she says. “For many of our customers, food is at the heart of their family traditions, and we are honoured to help them celebrate, whether they are continuing customs brought from Italy or creating new traditions of their own. Since we carry the best known European products, our celebrations continue with the Orthodox calendar, too.”

Spinelli’s stores epitomize the festive spirit with abundant displays featuring traditional Italian holiday favourites, such as panettone, pandoro, torrone, chocolates, specialty cookies, and beautifully packaged imported products. They also highlight entertaining essentials — antipasti, olives, cheeses, cured meats, fresh pasta, sauces, bakery items, and ingredients for traditional Christmas meals. And their gorgeous gift baskets are especially popular with customers who want to share a taste of Italy with family, friends, employees, and business associates.

Then there are the events.

“One of our Italian suppliers sends us a 10kg panettone — most weigh up to 1kg — and we do a marketing event by cutting the giant panettone then giving away samples,” she says. “We also do a Reggiano Parmesan cutting of the wheel, where we get our customers involved in the cutting. It’s always fun and draws a lot of attention. Santa shops at the Italian Centre, too, and we often have choirs singing Christmas songs.”

Spinelli says to help customers during this busy season, they try to merchandise around complete occasions rather than individual products. For example, panettone with coffee, spreads, and sparkling non-alcoholic wine; pasta with sauce, cheese, and olive oil; and charcuterie meats alongside cheeses, olives, crackers, and preserves.

“Thoughtful merchandising saves them time and can increase the size of the basket without making the experience feel like a sales pitch,” says Spinelli.

Clear signage and knowledgeable staff also help customers discover unfamiliar products and understand how they can be served.

“We often do the Reggiano or Padano cheese with truffle honey or dried strawberries,” she says. “This type of cross-merchandising gives customers ideas while helping them quickly gather everything they need.”

That convenience is so very important at Christmas.

“Shoppers are often entertaining, attending gatherings, and looking for gifts, all while managing very full schedules,” she says. “We create displays that offer simple solutions, such as everything you need for an antipasto board, hostess-gift ideas, ready-to-serve foods, and products grouped at different gift price points.”

Spinelli’s top merchandising advice for the holiday season: make displays generous, inspiring, and easy to shop.

“Abundance creates excitement, but organization is equally important,” she says. “Keep high-demand items well stocked, place complementary products together, and anticipate what the customer may have forgotten.”

Most importantly, says Spinelli, holiday merchandising should tell a story.

“At Italian Centre Shop, that story is about family, culture, generosity, and gathering around the table,” she says. “For Italians, delicious, bountiful meals are a way of life and the dinner table is where we bond. It’s where families come together, friends are found, and memories are made. No better time than the holidays. We exist to create community though food and cultural experiences. We are not simply selling products — we are helping our customers create celebrations, give meaningful gifts, and make memories through food.”

Making the season simple and easy with Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz is approaching festive programming differently this year.

“Last year, our approach was more traditional, with a strong focus on holiday entertaining and recipe inspiration to help drive purchase,” says Jeanette D’Souza, director of omnichannel for Kraft Heinz. “This year, we’re evolving that approach to make it more meaningful for shoppers.”

For Kraft Heinz, that means linking festive programming more directly to values like generosity, connection, and community.

“Through our longstanding partnership with Food Banks Canada, we’re committed to helping Canadians gain access to food,” she says. “While it’s still important to make the holiday season approachable and shoppable, we understand that a stronger emotional connection with shoppers is possible when there is an authentic purpose that they can participate in.”

That’s an important shift for retailers as well, she adds, because it allows shoppers to feel part of something that matters, while still making the season easy and relevant to shop.

“Looking ahead to 2026/2027, we see the biggest opportunity in programs that remove barriers for shoppers to engage and are easy for retailers to execute well,” says D’Souza. “The programs that will stand out are the ones that combine strong seasonal relevance with a clear reason for shoppers to connect.”

Great festive merchandising starts with making the season simple and easy to shop around clear shopper needs — entertaining, holiday meals, gifting, or everyday moments that feel more special during the season. The fundamentals still matter most: organize displays around clear seasonal occasions; make products easy to find and easy to shop; use cross-merchandising to help shoppers build a full basket; and make sure the creative message and in-store execution feel tightly connected.

“When this all comes together, you create a solutions-based destination in the store that is not only convenient to shop but also an opportunity to elevate the shopper experience, driving greater loyalty and trust,” says D’Souza.

Restaurant-quality dishes at home with Italpasta

During the holiday season, consumers are drawn to meal solutions that feel special without stretching their budgets — and pasta is perfect for that.

“Pasta remains one of the most affordable ways to create impressive, restaurant-quality dishes at home, making it a go-to choice for festive entertaining and family gatherings,” says Angelo Boras, executive vice president of Italipasta. “Italpasta’s Artisan pasta collection elevates the experience with a variety of distinctive shapes inspired by Italian tradition and crafted with Canadian expertise.”

Made using traditional bronze-die technology and 100 per cent Canadian wheat, Artisan pasta features a textured surface that captures sauces beautifully, delivering exceptional flavour and an authentic pasta experience in every bite.

“Whether serving a simple weeknight dinner or a holiday showstopper, the Artisan range offers an easy way to bring premium quality to the table,” says Boras.

“For holiday shoppers looking for inspiration, Italpasta’s website features an extensive collection of recipes designed to help home cooks create memorable meals with minimal effort,” he adds. “From elegant entertaining dishes to comforting family favourites, these recipes make it easy for anyone to look like a star in the kitchen while spending less time preparing and more time enjoying the occasion.”

Italpasta’s baked pasta assortment is also a perennial favourite for holiday entertaining, combining convenience with crowd-pleasing appeal. With options including lasagna, cannelloni, manicotti, and jumbo shells, Canadians can serve hearty, impressive meals that are simple to prepare and perfect for sharing with family and friends.

To help maximize seasonal sales, Boras says retailers should merchandise Italpasta products in secondary display locations and alongside complementary ingredients such as sauces, cheeses, proteins, and fresh produce. Cross-promotional opportunities can inspire meal ideas, encourage larger basket sizes, and reinforce pasta as an affordable yet elevated solution for holiday dining.

Walker’s Shortbread: A key staple of any Canadian Christmas program

At a time where everything seems to be more expensive than ever, Christmas remains a top spending season in Canada, says Lisa Zdunich, Canadian sales and marketing manager at Walkers Shortbread Ltd.

“Comfort foods, gifting, and general entertaining products remain go-to’s for many Canadians,” she says. “Shoppers are saving where they can but are still splurging on seasonal treats that make them feel good. Walker’s Shortbread is, as always, a key staple of any Christmas program in Canada.”

And sales figures back this up.

“Q4 has always been a key selling period for Walker’s Shortbread — not only with incremental sales driven by our seasonal offerings, but within our core everyday lines as well,” says Zdunich. “Consumers buy more cookies and snacks over the holidays as kids are off, family is visiting, and generally people are looking for feel-good snacks as they decompress over the holidays.”

With this in mind, Zdunich encourages retailers to create a seasonal destination in store and include variety in their Christmas assortment to inspire multiple purchases — gifts, take home snacking items, and stocking stuffers for family and friends. It makes shopping easy for customers and saves them time during a busy season if they don’t have to go looking for products.

“Create a dedicated seasonal section in store that is robust and easy to spot,” says Zdunich. “Build dynamic displays with all sorts of entertaining items to make it easier for shoppers to find what they need as well as encourage multiple purchases as they find other ‘impulse items’ they didn’t know they needed!”

And don’t forget to include your seasonal offerings in your online assortment as well, she adds.

(SIDEBAR) Quick Tips

Placing high-demand seasonal items in high-traffic areas and creating themed cross-displays can really help to boost total sales. Here are some ideas:

• Cross-merchandise recipe ingredients, such as pie crusts with pumpkin puree, marshmallows, and spices.

• Place eggnog next to nutmeg, cinnamon, and festive mugs, and group wine and beer with cocktail napkins, crackers, and cheese boards.

• Use end-of-aisle displays for limited-time holiday products, like seasonal cookies and treats.

• Fill front-end displays with small impulse items like candy canes, chocolates, and stocking stuffers.

• Build feature blocks for turkeys, hams, and fresh holiday produce near the meat and vegetable departments.

• Stock floral and houseware sections with pre-made holiday bouquets, festive candles, and cookie platters.

• Offer complete holiday dinner bundles with all the sides and trimmings in one package.