Apr 13, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC — April 13, 2006 — The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced today that it will partner with LearnSomething, Inc. — a leading source of e-learning and multimedia products — to provide retailers and wholesalers with Web-based training opportunities for store-level and management associates.

The first three programs — SuperSafeMark, Shoplifting Awareness and Suggestive Selling — are now available for purchase. SuperSafeMark is FMI’s landmark food safety training program. Shoplifting Awareness focuses on the characteristics of shoplifters and organized retail theft rings. Suggestive Selling provides instruction on how to greet customers, ask questions, listen effectively and sell products. A fourth program, Sexual Harassment, will be available in July.

This joint venture will also reformat existing FMI educational and training videos for online use.   
“This partnership will provide new opportunities for food retail associates to improve their basic skills and enhance their professional development in a convenient and cost-effective manner,” said FMI Senior Vice President Michael Sansolo.

“LearnSomething is pleased to work with FMI to offer its members high quality training solutions that will meet the unique needs of the supermarket industry,” said LearnSomething CEO Steve Roden. “These programs expand beyond the conventional and allow companies to offer consistent training across their organizations.”

All training products will be available for purchase through the online FMI Store (www.fmi.org/store). The average cost for one user will range from $30 to $60, and the cost will decrease as companies increase their number of users.