Amazon is on track to match Walmart’s U.S. sales by 2020 or 2021, according to J.P. Morgan analysis, reported CNBC (May 15). The company is said to be growing at a faster pace in the U.S. due to factors such as Prime, its third-party seller expansion and outsized growth in large, underpenetrated categories.
read moreMillennial parents shop, spend and engage with retailers differently than parents in other generations.
read moreManufacturers are implementing strategies to offset rising U.S. freight costs, from price hikes to helping freight move more efficiently. Other factors adding to the issue are a trucker shortage and rising gas prices – as of May 21, the average U.S. diesel fuel price was $3.277 per gallon, up $0.038 per gallon from a week ago, and up $0.738 per...
read moreVisions of sugar-plums and popcorn danced in the heads of attendees at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago. There were visions of upcoming trends, too, like unusual flavor combinations and healthy indulgences that appeal to consumers' good and bad sides.
read moreThe fast-casual segment experienced a consecutive year of single-digit sales growth in 2017, according to Technomic’s Top 250 Fast-Casual Chain Restaurant Report. Unit growth decreased for the third consecutive year, dropping to 6.1% in 2017 from 9.8% in 2015. Despite being the smallest fast-casual menu category by sales, the pizza...
read moreNearly three quarters of grocery retailers say the market is more competitive than ever and only 10% see new opportunities for growth opening up, according to a survey from Relex Solutions, Growing and Sustaining Competitive Advantage in Grocery Retail.
read moreSince Chipotle saw a nearly 700% increase in delivery orders after its partnership with Doordash, several quick service restaurants are following the company’s lead and venturing into delivery or expanding existing their delivery service.
read moreThe Kroger Co. and UK-based Ocado signed an exclusive partnership agreement, bringing the Ocado Smart Platform to the U.S. for the first time. As part of the agreement, Kroger will increase its existing investment in Ocado by 5%. Ocado will partner exclusively with Kroger in the U.S., enhancing Kroger's digital and robotics capabilities and helping expand its coverage...
read moreSpecialty food stores are seeing a decreased importance in grocery products and more interest from consumers in prepared foods, ambiance and services. As more traditional retailers sell natural and organic products, specialty grocers are looking for new ways to set themselves apart, reported Supermarket News (April 11).
read moreMillennials are more influenced and willing to pay more for good package design than other demographics, as 68% of the cohort purchased a product based solely on its visual design, according to Nielsen.
read moreNestle reached a deal to market Starbucks coffee products in grocery stores and other retail outlets for $7.15 billion on May 7.
read moreThe entire food industry is faced with the need to increase its technological innovation, from manufacturing to retailing to foodservice. Many of the hot topics of conversation in the Food Institute Blog revolve around tech, whether it's e-commerce grocery, AI integration or food processing automation. But one of the sectors most impacted by new tech is foodservice, and more...
read moreCampbell’s ranked first in the Reputation Institute’s annual US RepTrak 100 ratings. Kellogg’s ranked fifth, Hershey’s sixth, and J.M. Smucker’s eighth. Amazon ranked tenth, falling from the No. 2 spot in 2017. The survey quantifies the emotional bond stakeholders have with more than 880 companies and how these connections drive supportive behavior like the willingness to purchase a company’s...
read moreOver the past 12 months, 86% of U.S. consumers have left a store due to long lines, and either purchased from a different retailer instead or didn’t buy anything at all – resulting in about $37.7 billion lost in potential sales for retailers, according to a survey by Adyen. In addition, $1.1 billion in potential sales were lost when retailers didn’t support their customers’ preferred payment methods.
read moreA study by Market Force Information revealed that America’s favorite quick-service restaurants were In-N-Out, Wawa, Chipotle, Pizza Ranch and Chick-fil-A, in the burger, sandwich, Mexican, pizza and chicken categories, respectively.
read moreA recent study from Brick Meets Click found online food sales will increase to over 8% of overall grocery sales by the end of 2022, up from under 5% at the end of 2017. The firm predicts online grocery sales will grow at a CAGR of 13%, as compared to 1.3% for in-store sales.
read moreThe Food Institute promoted Jennette Rowan to marketing director and James Hickey to managing editor. In addition, Sarah Veit was added as a business writer.
read moreGrocers that performed well in 2017 focused on healthy foods, affordable offerings, private labels and improving digital platforms, according to LaSalle's 2018 U.S. Grocery Tracker report.
read moreU.S. convenience stores saw the 15th straight year of record in-store sales and the fourth straight year of $10 billion-plus in pretax profits, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores’ State of the Industry. Foodservice sales overall were $53.3 billion, accounting for 22.5% of in-store sales.
read moreValue menu traffic for quick-service restaurants (QSR) increased 10% in the first quarter of 2018, while consumer spend jumped 13%, according to a study by The NPD Group, Value Wars 2.0: The Value Menu Strikes Back.
read moreConvenience store operators are anticipating strong summer travel sales, led by the continuing growth of food, beverage and healthier snacks, according to the NACS Retailer Sentiment Survey, reported NACS Daily (April 24).
read moreIn late March, eight customers that visited fast food restaurants in New Jersey were rushed to hospitals with classic symptoms of E. coli. These eight people represented the first of nearly 200 that would eventually be sickened by the disease, and it would be weeks before a culprit was...
read moreDespite the warnings of Elon Musk, artificial intelligence is on its way. It's not a topic we've shied away from in the Food Institute Blog, either, but a few developments over the past few weeks have inspired me to once again dive into the technology of the future in hopes of determining how it will affect the food industry.
read moreMobile is the preferred shopping method for today’s shoppers, according to the Global Commerce Review from Criteo. As consumers shop, they switch between desktop and mobile and from retailer websites to apps. Mobile transactions are no longer confined to mobile websites only, so the firm notes retailers should optimize shopping apps to maximize sales.
read moreThe way consumers look at snacks and meals is evolving. Consumers are moving to six to eight food consumption occasions per day instead of the traditional three distinct meals, according to a study done for Frito-Lay, reported Forbes (May 8).
read moreNow, more than ever, the issue of food waste is top of mind for the food industry. Despite retailers, foodservice operators and manufacturers trying to tackle it head on, many challenges lurk around the corner. Despite this, innovative and impactful approaches abound to tackle this complex concern.
read moreBusiness is never easy, and those undertaking the rigors of bankruptcy proceedings know this struggle all too well. Here at the Food Institute, we currently have our eyes trained on four food industry bankruptcies.
read moreAbout 10% of U.S. consumers regularly buy groceries online, but nearly all online grocery shoppers still shop in brick-and-mortar grocery stores, according to The NPD Group.
read moreRestaurant sales are expected to exceed $825 billion in 2018, according to the National Restaurant Association. In 2017, table-service restaurants had $263 billion in sales, and quick-service restaurants had $234 billion in sales.
read moreWhen Domino's Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle first described his ambitions to make Domino's "a tech company that sells pizza," I'm sure that raised some eyebrows. Today, Domino's is still getting that same reaction, but this time, for a different reason all together: 28 consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales, with its...
read moreSteve Jobs once said that "innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." While he likely wasn't referring to the convenience store industry, he might as well have been. Because at a time when retail is increasingly shying away from new openings, the U.S. convenience store category is thriving, with a 0.3% growth in new stores last year.
read moreThough sandwiches remain popular across the board, with 61% of consumers eating them at least weekly either at home or away from home, older and younger consumers have different considerations when it comes to ordering sandwiches at restaurants, according to the...
read moreVolume growth for the frozen food category turned positive for the first time in five years, up 1% for the 12 weeks ending March 10, according to a report by RBC Capital Markets, reported MarketWatch (April 8).
read moreDespite production declines, falling exports raised per capita availability of vegetables and pulses in 2017, according to USDA's Vegetables and Pulses Outlook Report, dated April 27.
read moreThe sugary beverage tax in Philadelphia, PA, is pushing down consumption rates of soda and energy drinks, according to a study from Drexel University published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reported HealthDay (April 12).
read moreCustomized products from lesser-known brands are becoming more popular with consumers, especially the Millennial market, according to IRI’s 2017 New Product Pacesetters report.
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