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October 2008
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Economic Pressures Directly Linked to Increase in Theft
As economic woes crown the nation's headlines, retailers are faced with a series of changes in the marketplace. Shopping behaviors continue to shift as consumers seek to save on the grocery bill by substituting routine purchases with money-saving alternatives or eliminating luxury foods altogether. Shoppers are trading down, using coupons, sales promotions and value packs to save even further. Some, however, are cutting back their grocery expenses in an entirely different way. read more
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Variety & Convenience Take a Back Seat to Value
Change, everybody is talking about change todayour two presidential candidates; consumers grappling to keep pace with inflation, falling housing prices, declining incomes, and shrinking investments; and CPG manufacturers and retailers looking to drive profitable growth at a time when they are being squeezed with soft consumer sales as well as increased costs. In the world of retailing, the magic formula of leveraging value, variety and convenience to win shopper dollars is changing, and value is the variable in the formula receiving the most attention from consumers, shoppers, manufacturers and retailers. read more
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Recessions are CPG growth opportunities
It sure feels like a recession, even if some economists question whether we've crossed the technical threshold yet. The barrage of media headlines this year has people believing the worst. Negative forecasts spiral from the nerve-wracking real estate decline, soaring energy prices, rising job losses, tighter credit and the shaky dollar.
The effect at retail has more nuance than an upturn in staples sales, as people eat out less and turn to food stores more for their next meal components. read more
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Communicating Outbreaks
Recently, the FDA lifted its advice to consumers to avoid eating both peppers (jalapeño and Serrano) and tomatoes (raw red round, Roma, and red plum), saying that the outbreak that sickened more than 1400 people over the summer appears to be over.
But fallout from the outbreak is ongoing. To date, consumer avoidance of peppers and tomatoes has cost the industry an estimated 250 million dollars. read more
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Consumers want their gum sugar-free
Rare is the kid who hasn't witnessed a classmate being sent away by a teacher for popping and smacking bubble gum. Or discovered that used pink good on the underside of a desk. Rare is the basketball fan that didn't see legend Michael Jordan use chewing gum as a concentration aid during games.
Young or old, some 50% of Americans chew gum, averaging about 170 servings per person per year, according to Wrigley, a rate that far exceeds per capita consumption in China, Russia and the United Kingdom. read more
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The Lempert Report: Weekly 5 Minute Trends Videocast
Every Thursday you can log on to our latest Trend Report! It's the 23-year old Lempert Report now in a five minute video format that includes downloads to make sure you have the latest information on the consumer trends that matter the most. The Lempert Report promises you the stories and insights that you can't find elsewhere on sustainability, retail formats and what's top of mind for your consumers. read more
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'Healthy' gains in breads
Fresh bakery bread stirs shoppers' imagination with versatility that yields endless quick meal solutions. Lengthy gondola runs of the category show a vast range of textures, tastes and ingredients that can precisely suit different meats, fish and accompaniments.
With shoppers more inclined to buy and eat more healthfully, bread, with diverse nutritional additives baked in, serves as a high-traffic microcosm of the wellness food trend. read more
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Will attempts to pair food with
beer, wine and liquor pay off?
Beer-of-the-month clubs? Wine reference guides? Bottle signings and samplings? Food pairings and recipes with spirits?
All are underway or on the boards by supermarketstaking a page from popular restaurants and vineyards that differentiate themselves through expertise, tastings and recommendations.
From Safeway in California, to Martin's in Indiana and Michigan, to Felpausch and Hannaford further east, alcohol is an avenue through which stores aim to become destination authorities rather than mere sellers of products. read more
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America's overweight: the irony and the opportunity
America's distaste for bodily fat is deadly ironic with millions of people stuffing themselves to the point of obesity, and taking life paths filled with diabetes, impaired mobility and other serious health conditions.
When U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona called obesity "the terror within," he named it a threat to the nation's security. He wasn't the first. A predecessor, Dr. C. Everett Koop, noted obesity kills 300,000 Americans a year, is the second-leading cause of preventable death behind smoking, and costs the U.S. read more
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CHANNEL WATCH
The Nielsen Company estimates that during the 52-week period ending on June 28, 2008, over $12.9 billion was spent across all retail channels in the Candy category which includes Chocolate and Non-Chocolate Candy, Dietetic Candy, Breath Sweeteners, and Marshmallows. read more
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Why the weather matters.
With all the attention on the failings of Wall Street over the past couple of weeks, few people gave notice to what in my mind is even a more severe long term problem. Yes, there were a few reporters who left the Republican Convention in Minneapolis to cover the weather (for at least a day), but the reality is that the storms and hurricanes of the past few years are creating a real problem for agriculture, and adding much pressure to the rising costs of producing food. read more
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Facts, Figures, & the Future Newsletter
Click here for your FREE subscription to Facts, Figures, & the Future.
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The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2008
FMI's Speaks is the annual state of the industry report a must-have for everyone in the food industry. The report reviews important market trends affecting food retailing and evaluates the industry's performance in sales, profits, margins and a wide variety of productivity measures. Click here for more information.
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Shopping for Health 2008
This report examines shoppers' interest and attitudes, as well as in-store activities, regarding health and nutritional concerns and the ways in which these play out in purchase decisions at the grocery store. Click here for more information.
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U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2008
FMI's best-selling report, U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, is the industry source for data and knowledge of the grocery shopper to gain an in-depth understanding the role of food and nutrition in today's society. Click here for more information. read more
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Food, Nutrition & Science
We've just launched a brand new monthly newsletter: Food, Nutrition, & Science from The Lempert Report.
Our mission is to provide retailers and brands with the latest food news and the tools needed to better serve and empower our shoppers to make the best food choices possible. Each issue will contain interviews with leading researchers, nutritionists and trend setters. read more
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