-By Michael Colangelo

Michael Colangelo joined The Gourmet Retailer Magazine as associate publisher in May. Colangelo brings more than 20 years of media experience in mass retailing and housewares. He comes to The Gourmet Retailer Magazine after serving as associate publisher at Homeworld Business (ICD Publications) and HFN (Fairchild Publications). Starting his career as an editor, Colangelo transitioned into sales and sales management at HFN, then into home and housewares for HFN and Homeworld. He recently expanded his media experience with sales positions at New York Magazine and The Robb Report. He can be reached at mcolangelo@gourmetretailer.com.

Where did the time go? 2009 will be The Gourmet Retailer Magazine's 30th year publishing.

During those 30 years, The Gourmet Retailer has remained true to its mission: to deliver the information on products and merchandising practices that specialty food and kitchenware retailers need in order to succeed.

Ed Loeb's founding vision for this publication was rooted in the understanding that specialty food, kitchenware and even tableware are not separate businesses. That in order to be successful at one, you had to understand the others; and that to truly maximize your potential, you might want to sell all three. The Gourmet Retailer was the first, and is still the best, at providing information on all of these businesses in one package.

Today, as demands on time are increasing just as sources of information -- both print and digital -- are growing exponentially, The Gourmet Retailer's approach is as timely as ever. Which retailers have the time these days to read multiple narrowly focused trade publications in order to get the information they need about all of the products and practices that will make them successful?

Not many. According to a poll of May 2008 issues conducted by Signet Research, The Gourmet Retailer was the only title among specialty food and housewares trade publications read regularly by subscribers. It is also requested directly by 100 percent of its retail readership, according to the December 2007 poll -- a remarkable achievement in a crowded marketplace.

The next 30 years will bring changes that could not be imagined 30 years ago. The retail marketplace will become more competitive as chain merchants develop formats to enter specialty markets in order to grow. Technology will drive Web retailing firmly into the mainstream. Merchants will need more information, and need it faster, in order to stay ahead of the competition. The winners will be those who are first to source new products to sell and who identify the merchandising practices that will showcase them best.

Readers of The Gourmet Retailer know that we have been ahead of the curve in extending our brand to new media that can deliver expanded content in new formats.

Our redesigned Web site, www.GourmetRetailer.com, went up in April of this year. Last month saw the launch of Retail 2020, the first specialty retailing conference powered by The Gourmet Retailer.

While the print magazine will remain the flagship and the core of The Gourmet Retailer brand, www.GourmetRetailer.com will provide content demanded by our readers via a digital format, content that cannot be delivered in print. This is already the outlet for breaking news that cannot be delivered in a timely way in a monthly magazine. As we move forward, look to us to provide more.

The demand for new product information can best be delivered digitally, and with Gourmet Direct, www.GourmetRetailer.com is already providing a comprehensive product database. Gourmet Direct puts readers in touch with leading resources, providing immediate access to the most up-to-date products and services from a broad and growing list of suppliers. Information is delivered on specialized B2B microsites that can be accessed from the main site or through Sponsored Links displayed within online features.

The Gourmet Retailer's online Resource Guide is a treasure trove of innovative companies in the gourmet, specialty, kitchenware and organic food industries that can be searched by product or company name.

As we move forward, www.GourmetRetailer.com will continue to develop innovative new product database formats, along with Web seminars that can be accessed to learn not only about new products, but also about the latest in merchandising and management practices.

Retail 2020 extends The Gourmet Retailer's mission to provide specialty food and kitchenware retailers with the tools they need to compete and grow in a personal, retreat environment. Last month's conference at Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut brought leading specialty retailers, suppliers and industry experts together in a visionary two-day session to explore the challenges of competing in the year 2020, when channel-blurring is expected to reach still new levels.

We look to our 30th anniversary next year with anticipation and enthusiasm, and with the knowledge that you have to change some things in order to grow and remain relevant in a rapidly evolving marketplace. The good news is that the vision upon which The Gourmet Retailer was founded remains as clear today as it was 30 years ago.

Comments? mcolangelo@gourmetretailer.com