Wegmans getting wild -- with shrimp

Wegmans is looking to bolster its reputation as one of the nation’s best food retailers with a promotion that will see the retail sell massive quantities of shrimp.

The 85-unit Wegmans chain is again working with the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition (www.eatgulfseafood.com) to offer shoppers wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico on select dates in February and March. The promotion, dubbed "Get Wild with Gulf Shrimp" will feature cooking demos to educate shoppers how to pan-sear shrimp at each store. Point of sale materials will include "Get Wild with Gulf Shrimp" overhead hanging ceiling signs, balloons, hats and stickers.

"Wegmans has a history of providing the freshest ingredients to our customers, helping to make their meal choices easy and affordable. The Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition has been a great partner with us in the past, and has allowed us to bring to our shoppers flavorful Gulf Coast shrimp that has been wild-caught along our Gulf Coast," said Dave Wagner, Wegmans vice president of seafood merchandising. "We hope that shoppers will learn new cooking techniques using Gulf Coast shrimp as we move into spring season."

This is the second time that the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition has partnered with Wegmans. The Coalition collaborated with Wegmans last fall to provide quick menu ideas for late-summer gatherings and back-to-school meals.

"Partnering with the popular and esteemed Wegmans chain will help the Coalition continue to share the delicious flavors of the Gulf of Mexico with our Northeast neighbors," said Joanne Zaritsky, marketing director for the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition. "We are excited to once again provide premium Gulf Coast shrimp to Wegmans customers and continue our efforts to make delicious wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico available to everyone."

The promotion will run in Wegmans New York stores Feb. 6-8, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania stores Feb. 27 to March 1 and Virginia and Maryland stores March 13-15.