For grocery stores, there is a huge potential for sales growth in the fresh departments. According to Nielsen research in 2017, top-performing grocery retailers derive a larger portion of their sales from the fresh departments. In fact, nearly half of all food sales among top-performing fresh retailers comes from fresh products, compared with just 27% among bottom-performing fresh retailers. Within the fresh departments, the expansion of prepared food offerings is a particularly beneficial tactic that is paying off for many of these top-performing stores.Durable signage for prepared food is a mustIf you plan to take this approach and focus on prepared food, then the need for effective signage will eventually follow. It's a no-brainer that signage is extremely important in grocery stores. First and foremost, the customer needs to be able to see clear pricing and the product's name. In order to hold up to moisture and temperature fluctuations, signage in the fresh departments must evolve beyond standard paper or labels; product and pricing signage in the produce, deli and prepared food section needs to be durable to survive.Don't waste time laminatingWhen faced with combatting wet conditions, many stores turn to plastic protectors or lamination for their signage. But lamination is costly, time-consuming and not that durable. With cracking, peeling and general wear and tear on a laminated sign, liquids will penetrate over time. This results in a sign that looks unattractive and unprofessional.An aesthetically pleasing sign will draw potential customers in. A waterproof synthetic paper will achieve this look right out of the printer and without any additional steps to make it durable. REVLAR Premium synthetic paper is a waterproof, tear-proof material that has the look, feel and printability of traditional paper, but it is actually a #1 recyclable plastic. It will outlast any laminated piece by maintaining its appearance and integrity even with exposure to liquids, heavy handling or cleaning.Meat juices have met their matchBeyond the wet conditions that accompany fresh products, there are also contamination issues and bacterial concerns. It’s important for grocery stores to be able to clean signage. With its waterproof qualities, REVLAR can be washed and sanitized with a cleanser.REVLAR Premium is food-safeREVLAR Premium is FDA compliant as a food contact substance (FCS), so it is proven to be safe if it directly touches food. This makes REVLAR Premium a perfect solution for deli counters/stations where signs are nestled in and amongst the prepared food, seafood and meat. This makes REVLAR’s waterproof characteristics and cleanability all the more helpful!How else can you use it?So we’ve primarily focused on product and pricing signage in this post, but we haven’t yet mentioned the other ways that REVLAR can be used in a grocery store. The material is versatile, which allows it to support a variety of uses. We’re talking loyalty cards, labels, tags, procedural/training manuals and recipe cards!Why make recipe cards?Many stores are finding success by grouping together products in a display that will make an entire meal. Take it a step further by creating durable recipe cards on REVLAR Premium for customers to take home with all of their ingredients! It’s an easy value-add that will delight and impress your customers and keep them coming back.Interested in trying REVLAR Premium for yourself? Request a free sample kit here.