Grocery Guys

Retail media has been exploding over the last year, and Dollar General is right there riding the wave. However, the discount retailer is taking a different approach. Rather than doing retail media in-house, Dollar General is partnering with third parties to deliver the message to consumers. In this episode of SN Off the Shelf, Supermarket News Senior Editor Bill Wilson talks with Chad Fox, who is...

The plant-based category has had its share of ups and downs. A year ago, The Guardian asked whether t he plant-based sales phenomena of the last decade was finally starting to be on the outs. But recent data from Kroger data arm 84.51° suggests that consumers are still choosing plant-based, especially in the plant-based dairy category .    Some key findings from the 84.51°...

After nearly four decades of serving the natural and organic CPG industry, natural products media group New Hope Network has announced that the 2023 Natural Products Expo East will be the trade show’s final edition.  Natural Products Expo West will continue to take place annually in Anaheim, California. And springing up in place of EXPO East is a new show called Newtopia Now — which will be d...

Ahold Delhaize USA CEO JJ Fleeman was at Groceryshop 2023 in Las Vegas last week talking about omnichannel strategies. However, you must know how customers are responding to a given channel to come up with an effective overall experience. In that regard, Ahold Delhaize has insight research teams and work with CPGs. Analysts and economist teams also provide input, and shop-a-longs are another way t...

Bold is certainly one word to describe the strategy of the West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee over just the past five years. In that amount of time, the retailer has continued to ramp up its growing expansion in pharmacy and health care; rebranded its Hy-Vee Gas convenience concept to Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh; and continued to lead the market with its foodservice and prepared foods strategies. Hy-V...

A recent monthly category report indicates that, when it comes to groceries, consumers are very much fluctuating between what, how much, what brand, and where they purchase — all as a reaction to the impacts of inflation. Along those lines, the July category update from 210 Analytics (with data provided by Circana) found that during the same visit, consumers might purchase some premium products, w...

In early August discount grocery store operator Save A Lot sold the last of its 18 stores to become a wholesaler and licensor to the Save A Lot store network. It was a natural transition for Saint Ann, Mo., based retailer, which will now focus on providing the right core offering and the right framework for its network of independent retailers. “As we’ve made a strategic shift to become a licensed...

Dutch multinational retail and wholesale holding company Ahold Delhaize, which operates the Stop & Shop, Giant, Food Lion, and Hannaford brands in the U.S., is coming off a strong second quarter that saw group net sales increase 4.3% year-over-year and comparable sales excluding gas rise 3.6%. Net consumer online sales improved 9.3% vs. Q2 2022 and the underlying operating margin was 4.1% with...

Are your shelves stocked? And if not, why not? That’s the question we’re exploring today with Greg Buzek of global research and advisory firm IHL Group, which just released new research around global retail sales .  In 2023, the total cost of inventory distortion is projected at $1.77 trillion, according to the IHL research — down $172 billion from 2022 with out-of-stocks accounting for $1.2...

Grocery food prices may have reached a tipping point. For the second straight month, the Consumer Price Index for food-to-home was relatively flat. However, shoppers are still paying 23% more on average per unit for food and beverage across the store. Trips to the grocery store are on the rise, but the amount purchased with each trip has become smaller as shoppers continue to grapple with inflatio...

Retail theft is on the rise across the country, and grocers are doing all they can to neutralize the threat. However, in New York City, politicians are working to take away an important tool which grocers say deters crime — facial recognition software. The New York City Council is currently considering a measure that would make it illegal to use facial recognition software within city limits. Groc...

The IDDBA show floor was busy at Anaheim, Calif. this year (attendance was way up according to show officials) and several vendors mentioned both “quality and quantity” among attendees — meaning lots of retail buyers.   The concept of “indulgence” was also going strong on the show floor. The message at IDDBA was that it’s okay for retailers to encourage a little indulgence among consumer...

A recent report indicates that some 80% of retailers said their ability to attract and retain workers has been challenged over the past year. In our recent SN Fresh Trends Survey , grocers also confirmed that labor continues to be a challenge.  Retail and grocery are asking associates to do more with less. The average store has 44-plus point solutions running the shopping experience; and disc...

Grocery stores are using technology to reach out to shoppers on-site, and over the next couple of years the experience is expected to be completely different compared to how it is today. In late May, Kroger announced it was expanding its retail media strategy with the addition of digital screens that facilitate video advertising across 500 stores. Cara Pratt, senior vice president at Kroger Precis...

Consumers are still crazy for candy. With household penetration at 88% in 2022, candy is still going strong (especially chocolate, which had a 56% share of sales in the category in 2022) — this according to a report from 210 Analytics. Supermarket News Executive Editor Chloe Riley spoke with Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, for a breakdown of the trends they both saw on the show flo...

When you beat Amazon at its own game, it’s big news. Supermarkets now have the stage, as a recent survey showed the group is a top performer in terms of online food shopping. The Feedback Group, which provides actionable stakeholder feedback, conducted the research with 1,000 shoppers, asking them about their digital experience. Supermarkets topped the list with an impressive overall satisfaction...

It’s a hot time for the bots, digital and otherwise. In March, Instacart announced it would be adding OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot technology to its app, jumping on the bandwagon of many companies doing the same. Salt Lake City-based Associated Food Stores is now bringing AI robots into its distribution center, and SpartanNash is expanding the use of its autonomous inventory robot ‘Tally.’ ChatGPT and...

As far as grocery goes, it’s all a go for delivery king Amazon. Amazon, which has brick-and-mortar stores under the Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go names, has made physical food stores one of the cornerstones of its corporate strategy in 2023 . CEO Andy Jassy emphasized grocery during Amazon’s Q1 financial call in late April. During the meeting, he said Whole Foods Market continues to grow...

Joe Canfield just wants to let people in so they could see for themselves. The opening of a Save A Lot in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago has been on pause for months due to concerns from residents, and there are no signs Canfield, who is the CEO of Yellow Banana, which owns the store and is rehabbing the premises, will be able to make that one final, convincing point any time soon. A Town H...

It’s no secret private label brands are experiencing a strong surge during these times of high food prices. During the first three months of this year, store brands picked up right where they left off in 2022, with double-digit sales increases and greater market share in both dollars and units, according to nationwide data provided to PLMA by Circana (formerly IRI and NPD). The figures includ...

Thrive Market, headquartered in Los Angeles, is a mission-driven grocery store, and it truly has boots on the ground. The natural and organic market is TRUE certified for zero waste and also is climate-neutral certified. For every paid membership a portion is donated to families who cannot afford healthy food, those in the military and to emergency responders. Thrive Market has reduced plastic use...

According to research by Incisiv, in collaboration with The Food Industry Association (FMI) and in partnership with Loyal Guru, 74% of grocers believe digital shopping has made customers less loyal. That is a troubling stat, especially during the high heat of inflation where price has become critical. The report, “ Shopper Loyalty in the Digital Age ,” looks at the importance of offering...

Some stats from the recent “Power of Meat” report from analytics firm 210 Analytics:  With $87.1 billion in annual sales, 98.3% household penetration and nearly 50 shopping trips per year, meat is the most powerful of the perimeter departments. Sales reached another record, up 5.7% versus a year ago and retailers continued to move more pounds than they did prior to the pandemic. Beef is the b...

More food is fulfilling its life’s mission these days. Dealing with food waste is a top priority among grocery retailers, so instead of just dumping produce into a landfill the process has become more detailed and complex. However, the end result remains the same: To nourish as many as possible. Earlier this year a group of food waste experts gathered at the 2023 Southeast Produce Council’s 2023 S...

ChatGPT. Instacart is planning to add the tech to its app later this year, and a majority of grocers recently indicated that they also plan to test an AI or ChatGPT solution in 2023. Are you one of those? In this special live edition of SN Off the Shelf, Supermarket News editors Chloe Riley and Bill Wilson talk about the real-life uses of ChatGPT in grocery, as well as Instacart’s plan for the tec...