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Creative Promotions Sell Product for Lance and Tom’s Snacks

Creative promotions have helped Lance and Tom’s sales in the USA and Caribbean.  BNR Global would like to share these ideas with you in order for you to consider in your market.

  1. “Lance in Your Pants” – You can view the variety of “Lance in Your Pants” radio commercials and videos at: www.lancesnacks.com    Make sure your speakers on your computer are “on” and working to hear the “Lance in your pants” jingles.  It is easy to create your own based upon your market with a little bit of creativity.  This works best for English-speaking markets. 
  2. “Lance in your Pants” video contest on the Internet – Create your own video contest in your market.  Click on: http://lance.sharkle.com/video/214/ to view how a video contest was run recently in the USA with www.sharkle.com  BNR Global is willing to donate a year’s supply of Lance snacks to the winners. 
  3. Tom’s Reading Contest – promote reading in the elementary schools with a prize for each student who reads a book and turns in a Tom’s empty bag at the local designated stores.  (More information available upon request).  BNR Global is willing to supply a year’s worth of Tom’s snacks to the winners. 

If you are running a contest or other create promotion other than those mentioned above, please let us know so we can advise and assist.  We want to also share with other importer/distributors. 

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Tom's Snack Line Now Available for Export

For over 80 years Tom's has been producing and distributing quality snacks throughout the USA. Its recent acquisition by Lance, Inc. has made it possible for BNR Global to offer its products for international distribution. Tom's lines include potato and tortilla chips, pork skins, fries, bugles peanuts and dips in a variety of flavors and sizes. If Lance doesn't have it, Tom's probably does. For your convenience Lance and Tom's orders can be combined.

For more on Tom's Snacks click on: www.toms-snacks.com. Price and specification sheets available upon request. Samples can be included in current Lance orders or via our sample policy at: www.bnrglobal.com/samplepolicy.

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Higher Commodity Prices Forces Lance to Increase Prices

Ending a period of over 5 years of almost no price increase, Lance has announced that it intends to raise the prices of most of its products at yearend.  The increases will enable it to recover some of its higher costs resulting from escalating agricultural prices in grains, oil and peanuts along with higher transport costs.  Popular item increases include sandwich crackers – 8%; peanut bars – 18% and cake products at 8%. 

We suggest that you take advantage of current pricing by placing orders timed to ship before year end. 

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New Products - New Profits

BNR Global wants you to start the New Year by sweetening your profits with salting your sales with Lance Thunder Chips.

A booming success in the U.S., Lance's Thunder Chip line is now available for export. Thunder Chip's bold flavors take the taste buds to the extreme. Wild sour cream and onion, boomin' Barbecue, Chargin' Cheddar Sour Cream and Stormy Salt and Vinegar potato chips are offered in 7/8 oz. (24.5 gram) bags. Blastin' BBQ corn chips are offered in 1.25 oz. (35 gram) bags.

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'Lance in my pants' to air in new areas

Snack maker revives radio campaign for 8 additional markets
TONY MECIA
Staff Writer for Charlotte Observer

Hey, New Orleans and Pittsburgh, a Charlotte company has a question for you: Got Lance in your pants?

Snack maker Lance Inc. said Tuesday that it plans to revive its popular "I got Lance in my pants" radio ad campaign next month and expand it to tout ToastChees and other Lance products n eight new markets. The ads' 12-week debut last fall was limited to Charlotte and Charleston.

After crunching the numbers, Lance believes sales increased in the two test markets because of the ads, said Todd Phillips, Lance's senior director of marketing. The ads featured a comedian interviewing people on the street and suggesting they carry Lance crackers in their pockets, while ridiculing the taste of competing items such as energy bars.

Phillips won't reveal the contents of the new ads, saying only they will be similar n format and feature a few "unexpected guests."

"We've got a few more tricks up our sleeve," he said.

But they won't feature Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who endured mild ribbing from political opponents and radio DJs for his participation in a Lance ad last fall.

"Frankly, I don't know that he'd agree to do it anyway," Phillips said.

The ad campaign seems to be an attempt by the cracker maker to reinforce awareness of Lance snacks at the point of purchase, says Brad Brooks, associate professor of marketing at Queens University of Charlotte.

"If you remember `Lance in your pants,' and that's what's in your mind when you go to buy snacks, you're more inclined to choose Lance," he said. "If it's not in your mind, then Lance has no chance."

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Lance makes a snack attack

Inside story of 'I got Lance in my pants'
TONY MECIA
Staff Writer from Charlotte Observer

When Lance Inc.'s ad agency first pitched a new radio campaign in June, Todd Phillips laughed cautiously.

Phillips, Lance's senior director of marketing, says he immediately took to the concept, designed as a fun series of ads centered on the phrase "I got Lance in my pants."

But he also worried how senior management and customers would respond, since the slogan could be interpreted as risque.

"We just sat up in our chairs and said, `Wow,' " Phillips recalled. "Our initial thought was, this could be really great or it could really blow up."

The 12-week marketing campaign ended last week, and the Charlotte-based snack company is analyzing the effect of the ads in the two test markets where they played, Charlotte and Charleston, S.C. But there's little doubt that the "Lance in pants" campaign has created a buzz -- a key gauge of success of any marketing effort -- as the conservative company seeks to attract younger snackers.

The typical Lance cracker customer is older than 50, according to company research. The company's recent ads were designed for buyers 25 to 49.

Sales of Lance snacks have been flat for years, leaving the company with the tough task of trying to raise profits by wringing out costs. In February, Lance announced it was cutting 300 jobs from its 4,600-person work force. The company employs about 1,400 people at its headquarters and plants on South Boulevard.

In the two test markets, the ads have certainly gotten Lance loads of free publicity. Radio DJs and talk-show hosts such as WFNZ's Mark Packer, WBT's Keith Larson, WRFX's John Boy & Billy, WKKT's Paul Schadt and WLNK's Bob & Sheri have all talked about the new ads.. Some radio stations even asked the company to write "Lance in pants" ads specifically for their DJs.

Lance employees say friends consistently ask them if they have Lance in their pants. When he ventures off the company's South Boulevard headquarters and manufacturing plant for lunch, Phillips says he takes off his Lance identification to avoid the question.

"We thought it was something that would instantly be on people's tongues," he said. "It's really been quite exciting."

The "Lance in pants" idea was the brainchild of a Baltimore ad agency, GKV Communications. The agency had previously worked with Lance on a campaign for Poppers, bite-sized sandwich crackers that Lance started making in the summer of 2002.

The ads never saw daylight, though, because sales of Poppers were soft. Lance discontinued them in April.

But Phillips liked GKV's work, and GKV knew Lance was looking for a campaign that stressed the portability of its products to a younger audience. Lance, with $543 million in sales last year, sells crackers under the brand names ToastChee and NipChee and also has lines of potato chips, beef jerky, cakes, peanuts and other snacks.

GKV had brainstormed other ideas, including one involving a caveman that stressed Lance products as the original on-the-go snack. Lance was founded in Charlotte in 1913 and debuted its first sandwich cracker three years later.

In assessing Lance's strengths, GKV realized the snack maker had something that competitors such as Nabisco and Keebler lack. Only Lance rhymes with "pants."

"No other brand that Lance competes with could make this claim," said Ken Yednock, GKV's chief operating officer. "It was distinctly ownable by Lance. It was such a natural."

Yednock sensed Lance was apprehensive at first. Because of the phrase "in my pants," listeners could construe the slogan in a sexual way. It doesn't help that Lance is also a man's name.

"Obviously, that was not the intent of the commercials to bring that up," Yednock said. "We did everything we could to make it clear that this was about putting it in your pants pocket and carrying it with you."

Phillips says he's received fewer than a dozen complaints about the campaign, almost all from older consumers. He says he called each one back, and when he explained the concept, they understood.

The ads also include the line: "Big enough to keep hunger at bay, small enough to keep in your pants." They feature a comic interviewing people on the street about, for instance, the convenience of putting Lance crackers in their pockets instead of chocolate candy, or about how energy bars taste like "sawdust."

One ad even featured Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who told The Observer he was happy to help a hometown company but didn't realize how widely the ad would be broadcast.

"A lot of jobs are dependent on the survival of Lance," McCrory said. "I will do anything I can to keep jobs here in Charlotte."

McCrory's Democratic challenger in Tuesday's election, Craig Madans, said he objects to the timing of the McCrory Lance ads, since he says they amount to free publicity for the mayor in the two months before the election.

Madans says he doesn't object to McCrory helping a local company, even though friends have told him they found McCrory's participation "degrading."

"The mayor might have Lance in his pants, but I keep my Lance in my pocket," Madans said.

Lance officials say they chose McCrory because they wanted a well-known local celebrity and gave no thought to the election.

McCrory says he received no compensation for the spot except for a box of ToastChees, which he says he donated to the YMCA.

Getting younger buyers

In pursuing younger buyers, Lance follows a growing number of U.S. manufacturers, including the Big Three automakers. In recent years, television ads for cars have focused more on the vehicles' fun and sportiness, not gas mileage or dependability.

Lance is attempting to sell snack crackers by emphasizing their portability, an important attribute in a society that's becoming more on-the-go.

"Anytime you can make your product a little more portable and not messy, you got a real good opportunity there," said Dan Malovany, editor of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, a trade publication. "Crackers are ideal for the car. Have you ever tried to eat Mexican food in a car? You just can't do it."

In research that tracks snack sales, data specific to portable food is not available, but large sales increases in certain snack categories support the theory that Americans are increasing their away-from-home snacking -- a concept known in the industry as "dashboard dining."

Sales of energy bars rose 15 percent last year, to $2.4 billion, according to estimates by Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. Granola bars were up 19 percent, and breakfast bars rose 39 percent.

In contrast, sales of cookies and crackers rose just 2 percent, to $11.1 billion.

An industry study estimates 50 percent of people eat between meals. Snack makers are also increasingly packaging their products in single-serve sizes. Entenmann's, for instance, recently began packaging cakes in individual packages in the Northeast, which consumes more cake per capita than the rest of the country, Malovany said.

Although Lance has traditionally distributed its products in convenience stores, competitors have more recently moved in with smaller sizes of Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies treats and other goodies.

"Now we're having to defend our turf," Phillips said.

Lance says it hasn't decided whether to revive the campaign next year or put it into more markets.

The company will first analyze data to determine whether the ads influenced sales. Early indications suggest they did, but it's too early to say, Phillips said.

In third-quarter sales figures released last month, Lance had it highest quarterly sales in nearly three years.

And after trading as low as $7.07 in April, the company's stock closed Friday at $13.01 a share. It set a 52-week high Tuesday when it closed at $13.50.

The ads probably contributed little to that performance, though, since they played in only two cities.

Still, Phillips says the ads made a mark.

"The idea of taking a nearly 100-year-old product and making it really hip is not an easy task," he said.

"There's nothing inherently glamorous about a ToastChee."

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You Can't Miss with Swiss

The New Lance Swiss Cheese on Wheat Sandwich Cracker

Lance has recently made a tasty addition to its famous line of quality sandwich crackers. BNR Global is proud to offer the Swiss cheese on wheat sandwich cracker to global markets.

A lightly smoked layer of real Swiss cheese between two crispy wheat crackers makes for a delicious snack. Swiss cheese on wheat is available in attractive 6 count packs conveniently packed 8 packs to a display tray.

Lance is also the maker of a wide variety of sandwich crackers including the Toasty, Toastchee, Nipchee, Cream Cheese & Chives, Malt, Peanut Butter & Honey, Smokehouse Cheddar, and Grilled Cheese.

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Lance Has a New Look

Lance has announced that it is in the process of improving the graphics on its sandwich
cracker and cookie line packaging.

Improvements include the following:

  • Bolder, brighter and more contemporary lettering.
  • Prominent individual product name and description. For example "real cheddar cheese" is prominently displayed on the Nipchee product.
  • "Guaranteed Fresh By" in prominent letters.
  • More attractive use of color.
  • More effective use of clear window space.

The weight and high quality of the contents remain unchanged.

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Grilled Cheese Flavor is NEW and is in Homepack

BNR and Lance introduce the new Grilled Cheese Sandwich cracker in a 6-count homepack format. This is the same flavor, which has been popular with kids in the 4-count pack for years.

Grilled Cheese on Captain's Wafer is a light cheddar cheese on Lance's famous Captain's Wafer. The entire 6-count pack is 1 3/8 oz. or 39 grams. There are 8 packs in a homepack and 14 homepacks in a case. Dating is 6 months. Bulk is also available in 120 count cases.

Samples and prices available upon request.

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Lance Snacks IS Diversity

Lance Snacks sells a large variety of snacks, which rivals the variety of many snack
manufacturers in the world.

The following categories of snacks are available through BNR for export from Lance:

  • Cheese sandwich crackers
  • Peanut butter sandwich crackers
  • Sandwich cookies
  • Sausages
  • Nuts
  • Chips and Popcorn
  • Candies
  • Baked Goods
  • Saltines and crackers (plain)

Samples available upon request.

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Lance Snacks Have Never Been Better For You

Lance® has made great progress in the nutritional area: but not at the expense of product quality and taste. All Lance® baked products are as good as, or better than ever in taste, texture and appearance. Lance® uses only the finest ingredients.. Lance® does not use animal fats (lard and beef tallow) or coconut, palm and palm kernel oils in any of its baked products. Lance® uses only vegetable oils consisting of soybean, canola, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut and corn oils.

The following information is available upon request for each Lance® product: Calories, Calories from Fat, Total Fat Grams, Saturated Fat Grams, Cholesterol, Sodium, Potassium, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Sugars, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron.

Lance®, as a company, is responsive to the needs of health conscious consumers. Lance® encourages all consumers to "read the label" to find out what ingredients are in the products.

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Lance Marketing Ideas from the USA

Lance has had great success opening new territories in the USA over the years. The Lance marketing and sales techniques used in the USA can easily be duplicated in export markets. When a new territory in being opened to Lance products in the USA the following techniques are used:

1.) A sales & marketing manager is assigned to the territory.

2.) Supermarkets are generally last in the market to accept the Lance products. Since Lance is an unknown in the market and supermarkets like known products, demand must be built through other means.

3.) Lance products are sold into small stores, C-stores, restaurants, and vending. These are all areas in which consumers buy on impulse. Lance is an excellent impulse item. Once Lance is recognized in these areas, demand is generated in other areas.

4.) Lance is sold into non-conventional areas. This includes drug stores, hardware stores, offices, hotels, schools, construction sites, etc. This enhances the brand and builds the demand. Often there is an ease of entry since no one else is doing this.

5.) Salespeople are set up to call on accounts weekly on what is called "up and down the street business". Vans are used with the Lance decals on them. Every possible selling niche is covered on every street.

6.) Lance does not use TV, radio and/or billboards in the USA. In-store promotions are the key to Lance sales. The nature of the product as an impulse item creates "demand" once the product is known by doing steps 1-5 above.

7.) Supermarkets become interested in the Lance line automatically once the other channels of distribution become filled.

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New Lance Gold'n Cheese Sells

Lance and BNR announce NEW packaging and a 100% MORE cheese for the Gold'n Chees products. Three sizes of bags are available in a bright red, yellow and blue metallic foil which almost jumps off the shelf.

The NEW Lance Gold'n Chees is available currently in the following size bags: 1.25 oz. (35 grams), 2.25 oz. (64 grams), 4 oz. (113 grams).

Gold'n Chees are baked snack cheese crackers with the Lance guarantee of Freshness. Kosher O-U and a 6 month open dating adds incentive to placing larger orders.

Need another reason to order? A 16% price reduction compared to the previous version! In summary the NEW Lance Gold'n Chees has a more expensive look, a cheesier taste, and lower price for greater profits and volumes.

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Lance Smokehouse Cheddar on Captain's Wafers

The Smokehouse Cheddar Cheese on Captain's Wafer Sandwich Cracker is now available for export and Lance® and BNR Global Ltd. want you to profit from this delicious new item.

Lance®, America’s premier snack cracker manufacturer, introduces the Smokehouse Cheddar Cheese Sandwich Cracker to the world. This cheese is Real Wisconsin Cheddar.. "This is Lance's gourmet sandwich cracker", says Peter Rieke, Director of Sales & Marketing for BNR. "It is the best sandwich cracker I have eaten." Attractively packaged 6 sandwiches in colorful, clear cello, 8 packages per display box, 14 display boxes per case, the Smokehouse Cheddar moves fast. Prices are the same as all other regular Lance sandwich cracker flavors.

Add a new flavor to your Lance® line with the Smokehouse cheddar.

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Lance=Nutrition

Lance was the first company in the snack food industry to respond to the changing emphasis on nutrition. In response to the growing public awareness of healthier lifestyles and the corresponding desire for nutritional snacks, Lance embarked thirteen years ago upon a product reformulation program to dramatically reduce the use of saturated fats and ingredients containing cholesterol. In 1987, after two years of research, Lance was convinced that without sacrificing the taste of its products, oils low in saturated fats, including soybean, rapeseed, nd cottonseed oils could be substituted for animal, coconut, and palm oils previously used. Taste tests were conducted in-house until Lance employees themselves could not tell the difference between the old and new products. The changes resulted in 74% of Lance's 69 snack food and bakery items being cholesterol free, while 97% were low in saturated fats. Consistent with this reformulation, Lance developed the Snack Right program to communicate the nutritional benefits to the public. Lance developed a nutritional brochure to outline nutritional information for our snack line, as well as being the first company to change the way fat was labeled on the package. Packaging separately listed the amount of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat in each product.

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School Time is Lance Snack Time

Soon it will be time to stock-up on pens, pencils, notebooks, and snacks. BNR Global, Ltd. and Lance want o help families ease the school time rush with its line of convenient, single serve Lance snacks.

Lance has been going to school for over 75 years. Its extensive offerings including filled sandwich crackers and cookies, peanuts, and peanut bars can be found in lunch boxes, book bags, or on kitchen tables for an after school treat. Children love these delicious delights.

If you haven't stocked up for the largest single Lance promotion of the year, please contact the BNR office immediately to finalize your order. This is the time to guarantee Lance profits for the rest of the school year.

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Lance Peanut Bar: Naturally Delicious and Satisfying

The Lance Peanut Bar is absolutely delicious. A Lance Peanut Bar will satisfy the most finicky of snackers. The first bite is guaranteed to take your mouth to a place of ecstasy.

We all know that simple food is good food. The Lance Peanut Bar has only five ingredients: peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. The Peanut Bar is wholesome fresh roasted peanut taste combined with a touch of sweetness. So simple, yet you’re hooked after your first try.

Such brilliant simplicity along with it’s fantastic packaging is sure to make the Lance Peanut Bar a success with your customers.

Export pricing is NOW available.

Please contact BNR Global, Ltd. today for further information on how to get this delicious and valuable commodity. Your market place will love it.

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History of Lance

In 1913 America was emerging as the world’s leading industrial power. It was a year that would see Woodrow Wilson inaugurated as our nation’s 28th president. The Philadelphia Athletics would defeat the New York Giants in five games to win the World Series, while Ty Cobb was winning his fourth consecutive batting title with a .390 average. In Detroit, Henry Ford was installing the world’s first assembly line. It was a time when entrepreneurial ambitions were rewarded and great fortunes were made, as individuals with foresight and initiative turned dreams and ideas into our nation’s great financial empires. It is in this setting that we have the story of a coffee salesman and 500 pounds of surplus peanuts.

The story begins in 1913 as Philip L. Lance, a Charlotte, North Carolina food broker, dealing mainly in coffee, enters the peanut business almost by accident. Mr.. Lance had been asked to obtain 500 pounds of raw Virginia peanuts for a customer, however at the time of delivery the customer refused them. Rather than back out of the deal he had made with the farmer, Mr. Lance took the peanuts home. He roasted the peanuts on his kitchen stove and sold them for 5¢ a bag on downtown Charlotte streets.

Mr. Lance installed a peanut roaster and a peanut butter mill in a second story room on South College Street in Charlotte. Thus, the Lance Packing Company was formed as a partnership between Mr. Lance and his son-in-law, S. A. Van Every.

The product line was extended when Mr. Lance’s wife and daughter came up with an idea for a peanut butter sandwich cracker. This innovation is believed to be the first cracker and filling sandwich ever offered for sale.

Mr. Lance and Mr. Van Every began selling cracker sandwiches door-to-door from baskets over their arms. Their first customer was Mr. J.M. House, a grocer on North Tryon Street. Their products quickly gained popularity, and it became necessary to hire additional help. Jim Wilson became their first salesmen and was responsible for delivering the roasted peanuts and peanut butter to Charlotte merchants once a week. This commitment to service remains, as current Lance Sales Representatives strive to call on accounts on a weekly basis.

The demand for Lance products soon outstripped the capacity of Mr. Lance’s kitchen, and the business moved to 204 South College Street, near where the First Union Jefferson Tower stands today.

The outbreak of the WWI brought an influx of soldiers from many parts of the country to nearby Camp Greene. One of these soldiers gave the partners a recipe for peanut brittle, and thus Lance entered the candy business. In the early days local merchants would save their shirt boxes for Mr. Lance to pack the candy into and ship to customers via parcel post. Lance Packing Company soon became one of the largest parcel post businesses in North Carolina. Lance’s Peanut Bar is a descendant of the original brittle and still remains a popular item.

As demand for Lance products continued to increase, operations had to be moved twice to larger locations. Production remained at 1300 South Boulevard until 1962 when it moved to its present location - 8600 South Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina.

In 1926, Mr. Lance was in a fatal automobile accident. In a few short years Mr. Lance had taken a one-man enterprise operating out of his kitchen to a growing parcel post business and a promising industry destined to make itself known to millions.

After Mr. Lance’s death, control of the business passed to his son-in-law, Mr. Van Every. Under his leadership the Company, which incorporated in 1926, continued to grow and progress as better methods of preparing peanuts and making peanut butter candy were developed.

In the 1930’s, Lance was confronted with an economy paralyzed by the Great Depression. Millions became unemployed as businesses failed across the nation. However, in this challenging environment, Mr. Van Every was able to continue the tradition of growth and expansion which Mr. Lance had started. In 1935, the Company reached its first million dollars in sales. By 1939 sales exceeded the two million-dollar mark and the Company changed its name from Lance Packing Company to Lance, Inc.

The Company began baking its own crackers for the first time in 1938. Previously, all crackers had been purchased from an outside source and assembled inside the plant. Toastchee, a cheese cracker filled with creamy peanut butter, was also introduced during this same year, and remains Lance’s #1 product.

As the 1940’s began, Lance was still primarily a candy manufacturer and peanut processor. America’s entry into the Second World War had profound consequences for the Company as the nation mobilized to a wartime economy. There were many shortages of raw materials, with sugar in especially short supply. Consequently, the decision was made to go into the production of various peanut-butter sandwiches and cookies, de-emphasizing the manufacture of candy products in favor of baked goods to stretch the sugar allotment further.

Not only were there shortages of raw materials, but many plant and sales personnel were called into military service, consequently, geographical expansion was halted. The demands f the military led to an extremely tight labor market in the Charlotte area.. The United States government called upon Lance to produce special packaging of merchandise to ship to the troops overseas. The manpower that had been allocated to the Charlotte plant by the Manpower Administration was insufficient to meet the government’s request. However, additional labor was available in Rock Hill, S.C., so a small operation was established and Lance was able to fill the government’s order.

On Easter Sunday 1943, S.A. Van Every passed away and management of the company passed to his son, Philip Lance Van Every. At the age of 29, Philip Van Every said he found himself confronted with “the tremendous responsibility of perpetuating the growth, the warmth and friendliness, and family–like spirit that the Company had enjoyed in its earlier years.” Recognizing the need to harness all of the experience and knowledge available, Van Every sought help from McCormick & Company in Baltimore, Maryland. McCormick had developed a style of management, revolutionary in its time, known as multiple management. Multiple management encourages making key managerial decisions by committee, thus allowing executives to draw upon the expertise and experience of workers throughout the organization. After traveling to Baltimore to study the plan, Van Every instituted his own style of multiple management at Lance.

The 1950’s witnessed several events that significantly affected the Company’s growth and future. By 1950, annual sales volume had grown to fourteen million dollars and the Charlotte plant was once again enlarged to accommodate increased production demands. In 1953, Lance entered the institutional foods market offering individually packaged saltines for sale. Sales in this product line enhanced the Company’s growth and continue to account for a substantial portion of Lance’s annual volume. Another significant event for the Company occurred in 1954 when the first Lance vending machines were placed on location.

The Company enjoyed continued growth through the 1960’s and expanded into new areas with new products. By 1960, annual sales volume had grown to twenty-six million dollars and the plant at 1300 South Boulevard was operating at full capacity. With little room available for further expansion, the decision was made to construct a new bakery. Groundbreaking for the new facility, a 231-acre site occurred on March 3, 1961 and operations began the following year.

In 1961, the decision was made to offer shares of Lance Common Stock for public sale. Prior to this time, approximately 80% of the Company’s stock was family owned. On December 7, 1961, 364,000 shares were offered for sale to the public at $18.00 per share.

Lance began distribution of the 10¢ “Flat Pack” in March 1964. The now familiar “Flat Pack” offers six crackers per package and gradually replaced the traditional four packs.

The 10¢ flat pack experienced increased sales in both retailers and vending machines during the period from 1966-69. A $2,500,000 expansion of the Charlotte production facility also began in 1966 and was completed in January of 1968.

On March 6, 1970 the last piece of nickel merchandise came off the production line, and marked the end of an era for Lance. Lance had converted from a lifetime history of selling basically a nickel product to one that would sell for 10¢, and was among the last companies in the snack food industry to make this change.

Throughout the 1970’s, Lance continued to expand its marketing perimeter to offer etter service to customers in western states. Forty-nine new sales territories were added in 1970, bringing the total to 1,111. Construction started on a new 15,000 square foot candy department, bringing the total area of manufacturing facilities to 485,000 square feet.

The combination vendor, that vends the complete snack line, was added to the marketing program in 1971. Other improvements during that year included; the installation of a sixth oven in Charlotte, the architectural planning of a new chip plant to replace the Conyers, GA chip plant, and beginning in-plant drawings for a new baking facility to be located in Greenville, TX.

In 1973, Phil Van Every retired from the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. In his thirty-year tenure as CEO, he saw Lance grow from a relatively small regional company to one with national ambitions and sales approaching the $100 million mark. Glenn Rhodes was elected to fill the vacancy as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

On July 1, 1973, the new 60,000 square foot $4.5 million potato chip and snack food plant began production. This new plant is adjacent to the main Charlotte plant, and connected by a tunnel.

Market conditions created such a demand for the Lance products in 1974, that the manufacturing capabilities were over-taxed to the extent that a moratorium on new territories was enacted early in the year and not removed until August. Thus only 75 new territories were created in 1974 compared to 125 in 1973. Another significant change this year was the conversion of the snack line, in both vending and retail, from 10¢ to a 15¢ retail price.

1976 – Lance’s 50th anniversary, was one of continuing progress. The new, modern bakery in Texas started up on January 24 and a second oven was added in July. In Charlotte, construction of a 21,000 square foot addition to the corporate office began..

Glenn Rhodes, President and Chairman of the Board retired in 1976 and was replaced by A. F. “Pete” Sloan.

Retail prices for Lance products went from 15¢ to 20¢ at the end of the decade. Sales and earnings improved, despite greater costs, inflation and a high degree of uncertainty in the economy. Another expansion of the Charlotte plant was well underway, and two new high-speed wrappers were installed as a test toward further automation.

In November 1979, Lance enhanced its product line through the acquisition of Midwest Biscuit Company of Burlington, Iowa. Midwest, established in 1934, manufactures cookies and crackers packaged for supermarket sales under the Vista label as well as under many private labels.

In July of 1980, Phil Van Every, former President and CEO, passed away. He was a leader ith managerial innovations, determination in adverse times, and a sincere concern for each individual’s rights.

The decade of the 80’s began with consolidated sales approaching the quarter billion dollar mark and stockholders equity exceeding 100 million dollars. Net sales for 1980 were $249,254,000.

The 85,000 square foot addition to the Charlotte plant was completed at the end of 1980. The two high-speed wrappers that were installed and six additional wrappers were ordered for installation.

A 70,400 square foot Vending Machine Repair Shop was completed in January 1981. The facility is equipped to improve the repair and maintenance of vending machines. It was built on an assembly line design and maintains more than 65,000 vending machines in service.

Construction, conversion, and renovation were the manufacturing theme for 1981. A new peanut roaster room containing three energy-efficient roasters was completed and put into full operation. A 52,000 square foot expansion of the Greenville, Texas shipping room was started in August 1981. The over the road fleet was updated with fuel-efficient tractors and 45 foot trailers in place of the traditional 40-foot trailers.

The most significant event for the sales operation in 1981 was the development and introduction of convenience pack Captain’s Wafers. Lance received letters from customers who had enjoyed Captain’s Wafers in restaurants and requested them in a convenient take-home size at the supermarket. This product afforded an entry into supermarkets in 1982 and opened additional sales opportunities for the eighties.

Lance recognized the need to expand into new markets, and thus introduced the Home Pak line of merchandise in 1982. Lance’s Home Pak consists of eight individually wrapped packages of 6 crackers each. Sales in the Home Pak line have grown dramatically since their introduction and now account for a substantial portion of the Company’s sales volume.

Competition in the snack food industry continued to intensify with more products competing for the consumer’s dollar. In 1987 Lance took several steps to meet the challenge of the competition, including developing new products, installing more efficient machinery and equipment, and reformulating existing products.

Lance was the first company in the snack food industry to respond to the changing emphasis on nutrition. In response to the growing public awareness of healthier lifestyles and the corresponding desire for nutritional snacks, we embarked upon a product reformulation program to dramatically reduce the use of saturated fats and ingredients containing cholesterol. After two years of research, Lance was convinced that without sacrificing the taste of our products, oils low in saturated fats, including soybean, rapeseed, and cottonseed oils could be substituted for animal, coconut, and palm oils previously used. Taste tests were conducted in-house until Lance employees themselves could not tell the difference between the old and new products. The changes resulted in 74% of Lance's 69 snack food and bakery items being cholesterol free, while 97% were low in saturated fats.

Consistent with this reformulation, Lance developed the Snack Right program to communicate the nutritional benefits to the public. Lance developed a nutritional brochure to outline nutritional information for our snack line, as well as being the first company to change the way fat was labeled on the package. Packaging separately listed the amount of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat in each product.

Lance celebrated its 75th year as a manufacturer of snack food items in 1988.

Effective March 8, 1989 a general wholesale price increase moved the suggested retail price of many Lance products from 20¢ to 25¢.

Lance also began testing a new hand-held computer for the sales representatives. This system enables the sales representatives to spend more time selling and less time completing paperwork. It also provides management with more timely and detailed sales information.

The nation’s soft economy in 1990 was a direct test of whether or not Lance’s products were “recession-proof”. The fact that we have a wide array of customers rather than just a few large purchasers proved a valuable safeguard for us during economically challenging times.

In response to consumer demands for more variety, especially in vending, Lance added selection of M&M/Mars chocolate candies to its existing product line in half the company owned vending machines nationwide. The other half were stocked with Lance brand chocolate candy made by a candy manufacturer based in Georgia.

In the face of increased competition, increased consolidation (both retail and wholesale), and increased costs, Lance’s revenues showed only marginal annual growth between 1990 and 1994. In 1995, sales slipped further, barely approach 1% growth. In that same year, higher packaging and ingredients costs placed extreme pressure on profits. Lance was unable to respond with a traditional price increase as power had shifted to retailers and consumers.

In 1990, Lance lost two valuable members from the Board of Directors: Stephen H. Van Every passed away in January and Salem A. Van Every passed away in May. These gentlemen had served on Lance’s Board of Directors since April 1981.

After 14 years as President and Chairman of the Board, A. F. “Pete” Sloan, retired in April 1990, and J. W. Bill Disher was elected to replace him.

In an effort to fully align our business with the needs of retailers and consumers, Lance contracted AC Nielsen to provide Nielsen market data. Through improved awareness of the category Lance could better respond to shifts in consumer tastes and changes in the environment. Lance also contracted Leslie Advertising in Greenville, SC.. Our first advertising campaign broke on television and radio in Jacksonville, Florida and Columbus, Ohio in early 1992.

Midwest Biscuit Company reported an increase in both sales and net income in 1991. To further increase market penetration of the Vista line of products and private label merchandise in the southeastern United States, the Vista Bakery plant in Columbia, South Carolina was purchased and production began in the Fall of 1992.

Lance sought additional means of combating increased competition and a weak economy. New equipment and procedural changes yielded improved efficiencies in manufacturing. The manufacturing department realized the lowest cost to sales ratio in 15 years and all departments reduced scrap to record lows.

To achieve greater economy of scales, the Arlington, TX chip plant was closed and production was transferred to the Charlotte Chip plant.

The advertising program initiated in 1992 helped increase sales within the two markets during the test period. Thus, in 1993 advertising program was expanded to include the District of Columbia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Memphis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Jacksonville.

Until 1993, the wide variety of Lance snacks was mainly distributed in the 36 states east of the Mississippi and in the Southwest. Lance indicated our commitment to increasing distribution of Lance snacks by establishing a district sales office in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A strategic planning process was begun in 1994 to strengthen our position in the marketplace by creating a more responsive and dynamic organization.

A new advertising/promotional campaign was scheduled to break in six new markets.

A special emphasis was placed on the development of a line of fat-free and low-fat products to appeal to consumers shifting health and nutrition focus. In addition, Lance was the first major bakery to provide consumers with a large selection of cholesterol free and low cholesterol products.

Lance joined with Moroso Racing to sponsor Bobby Hillian and the #20 car for the 1995 Busch Grand National Series.

Bill Disher retired from the position of CEO on April 29, 1995, after 36 years of dedicated service. Paul Stroup took the reins after being elected by the Board of Directors.

In late 1995 Lance announced plans to join forces with stock car legend Richard Petty, by becoming the lead sponsor for Rodney Combs and the #43 car in the 1996 Busch Grand National series. Our new association with a recognized leader in auto racing provided many exciting opportunities to promote Lance products. Throughout the country, racing fans repeatedly demonstrate an intense loyalty to racing teams and the products they promote.

In 1995, Lance was faced with marginal sales growth, and reduced earnings. With no debt, great balance sheet, a recognized brand, and an extensive direct-store delivery system, it became painfully clear that Lance needed to reduce operating expenses. An outside consulting firm was hired to assist in “confronting the fiscal and operating realities”. After a long meeting with the board of directors and its top management team, Lance implemented a restructuring plan.

The same night of meeting, executives flew to Greenville, TX, to announce that the Company would be closing the plant. An announcement was made that Lance would also shut down its plant in Columbia, SC. Production from Greenville (primarily crackers) was moved to the company’s main facility in Charlotte while Columbia’s operations were transferred to the company’s subsidiary, Vista Bakery, which had a production plant in Burlington, Iowa.

Toastchee and Van-O-Lunch were taken on board the space shuttle Columbia in February 1996, where they traveled six and a half million miles, and completed 252 orbits of Earth.

Management developed comprehensive strategic plans to provide the foundation and direction for “crushing the costs” of doing business while growing sales profitably. The company trimmed its route system from 2,400 to just fewer than 2,000. For the first time Lance had to lay people off, in total 900 employees. As difficult as the move was, the net savings proved critical to the company, reducing costs by about $10 million.

The organizational chart was “turned upside down, top management recognized that the customer is on top, with the sales, product development, and manufacturing people directly reporting to consumers and customers.” This thinking also led top management to see that they would need to look beyond the company’s traditional promote from within policy, and pursue individuals with specific skills and experience.

Lance updated its logo in 1996 to communicate a more contemporary image. The red, white, and blue colors remain unchanged, but the letters that spell L-A-N-C-E are now uniform rather than staggered. Consumer research indicated the shape of the Lance logo – last updated in 1955 – is immediately recognizable among users. Therefore the “flag” shape remains, only now it features straight edges, giving it a crisp, more contemporary look. Package design was also updated to have greater eye appeal, and feature enhanced graphics to depict the various sandwich cracker flavors.

In early 1997, Lance introduced a Kids Pack that contains 4 crackers per package to appeal to the smaller appetites of children. The first three sandwich cracker flavors in the Kids Pack line were Peanut butter on Toastchee, Peanut Butter & Honey on Captain’s Wafer, and Peanut Butter on Toasty .

More than 60,000 vending locations give Lance products excellent availability in our market area.

Even though sales slipped form $477.5 million in 1995 to $474.9 million in 1996, earnings posted a definite rebound, from a $6.9 million loss in 1995 to a $24.6 million profit in 1996.

In 1998, Lance contracted with Triangle Products, now BNR Global, Ltd. to handle all of its exports.

In 1999, Lance made 2 acquisitions. Tamming Foods of Ontario, Canada and Cape Cod Chips of Massachusetts.

In early 2000, the Pringles small cannister became a new product for Lance direct sales vendors.

Freshness has always been Lance’s unique selling point. In a speech given by Philip Lance Van Every to The Newcomen Society of North America, on May 30, 1974, he explained why “the one descriptive word used most frequently to describe our product is ‘freshness’.” In 1996, the word ‘Freshness’ was added to the new Lance loge. The new logo and packaging graphics were introduced to symbolize the Company’s fresh, contemporary approach.

He ascribed the principle reason for freshness to be Lance’s system of delivering product to the salesman’s warehouse. Lance has the ability to manufacture the product and sell it almost anywhere we serve within the same week, often within a few hours from the time it comes off the production line. We do this by utilizing our own tractor-trailer fleet, both company owned and operated. We make weekly trips to every salesman. The drivers of these units carry keys to the storerooms and deliver the orders around the clock. As they deliver, the same trucks pick up and haul back to the plant many tons of raw materials and packaging supplies each week. In addition they pick up stale returns and vending machines to be repaired. Returns are brought back to the producing plant and destroyed, as the Company does not want to have any inferior products reaching the consumer.

The company employs approximately 5,000 individuals. 2,500 of these are route sales people who own their own trucks and lease their own warehouse space. There are 22 district sales headquarters located through out the country. Branches which serve the customer are staffed by an average of 8 people. Sales people usually operate from a step van calling their customers weekly to deliver product, set-up or restock displays and provide marketing support.

Lance is presently located at 8600 South Boulevard on 275 acres of land. The main facility is an air conditioned and sprinklered plant, office building and cafeteria containing approximately 670,000 square feet. Adjacent to the main facility is the chip building containing 140,000 square feet. There is also a vending machine repair and maintenance facility containing approximately 70,400 square feet and an 11,000 square foot building, which houses vehicle maintenance operations. A second facility, located in Greenville, Texas has 319,000 square feet.

The modern bakery uses automatic control panels for central weighting in the mixing room where an average size batch of dough may weigh 1400 pounds. There are seven block long continuous ovens where baking is precisely controlled by varying the speed of the belt and the temperature. Thousands of feet of conveyor belt move across rollers through the packaging rooms where automated devices spread fresh peanut butter, cheese, or creme filling on still warm crackers and cookies. Other machines gather, wrap, seal, and label Lance sandwich crackers.

Lance is constantly involved in updating both its manufacturing and administrative processes to insure that will always be able to serve fresh fine products to the consumer.

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Lance Sandwich Crackers Have More Cheese, More Peanut Butter

Two of the most popular Lance sandwich crackers now have more peanut butter and cheese. The Lance Nipchee (Cheese on Cheese) sandwich cracker has a cheesier taste and 2 extra grams of cheese. Total net weight per pack is now 39 grams.

The Lance Toastchee (Peanut butter spread on Cheese cracker) has more peanut butter. The former 39-gram per pack product now weighs in at 42.5 grams. This is the USA's #1 Lance seller.

The packaging is now more attractive. You can view by viewing our website.

Export pricing is the same.

Samples available upon request.

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We Consolidate

BNR Global can offer consolidation services in Charleston, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida and Miami, Florida. Here are some interesting facts:

1.) Charleston, S.C. is only 3.5 hours by truck from Charlotte. It is one of the USA's largest ports. It has connections to most all ports in the Caribbean and Latin America on a regular basis.

3.) If a container is filled with BNR's products, it is completely filled to maximize space and reduce cost. Extra care is given to insure that heavy product is NOT loaded atop light product.

4.) Floor loading and pallet loading is available at all ports.

5.) Often timing is critical. BNR will make sure that all lines arrive at the ports warehouse within a short time frame in order to minimize food-dating issues..

BNR carries 10 food product lines from North Carolina. They include Alamance, Best Sweet, Duchess, Family Sweets, Best Health, Lance, Warner and Royal. All of these lines can be viewed on the BNR website. All can be consolidated with one order.

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Profit from Lance (Spanish translation)

BNR Global Ltd. ofrece la Línea de Snacks Lance al Mundo Lance, Incorporated a encargado la representación de su línea de snacks en el mercado extranjero a BNR Global, Ltd. Sirviendo al mercado norteamericano desde 1913, Lance ofrece una gran variedad de snacks de alta calidad.

Encabezando la línea de Lance se encuentran las siempre populares galletas rellenas (tipo sandwich) con crema de queso, crema dulce (vainilla, chocolate y fresa) y mantequilla de maní. Lance tambien ofrece diferentes tipos de dulces como el peanut bar (maní con caramelo), los fruit chews (tipo Mentos), entre otros.

Todos los productos de Lance están empacados en convenientes tamaños individuales los cuales son perfectos para cualquier punto de venta. Ciertos productos son disponibles en paquetes familiares o institucionales.

Contacte hoy mismo a BNR Global, Ltd. para recibir más información de como puede beneficiarse con los productos Lance.

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Full is Fresh

Did you ever pass up an item in a store because it was standing alone or poorly displayed? Did you ever buy an item on impulse from an attractive, fully stocked display? That lone or poorly displayed product cries “Why is no one buying me?” A fully stocked display screams “Buy me, Buy me!”

It is true. Full IS Fresh in the eyes of the consumer. The retailer can covey a caring and attractive message by having FULL shelves. FULL conveys the message that the items were just restocked and are fresh. FULL displays and shelves result in increased sales and an improved image for both the product and the retailer.

Lance has successfully used this proven merchandising tactic to market its products. It has developed a “Full is Fresh” logo. This logo can be placed on all route salesman literature and retailer information. If you want to use this tool contact us and we will email you the logo.

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Lance Posters Are In!

Lance "A Meal on-the-go" posters are available now for all Lance importers/distributors. These newly printed posters have 3 motifs:

Bright yellow with Boating scene Magenta with Tasty Snack Red, magenta and yellow with soccer players All posters have the following qualities:

Sealed and laminated with plastic on both sides. Highest quality ink, fade-resistant. Highest quality paper. Posters are 34 cm. wide and 47 cm. in height (13.5 inches x 18.5 inches). All posters have a 1.2 cm. white border.

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