American consumers aren’t feeling particularly jolly heading into the holiday shopping season this year with more than one-third (35 per cent) of American consumers across all income levels expecting to spend less, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. With an economy in turmoil, only six per cent expect to spend more and fifty per cent of consumers surveyed expect to spend the same amount as last year during the holiday shopping season. Fortunately, the Australian economy in... ...Read more »

In part two of our discussion of the economic crisis and its impact on different sectors of the food industry we shine the spotlight on supermarkets, manufacturers, gourmet retailers and convenience stores. Supermarkets Supermarkets, as a whole, will be one of the least affected sectors in the wake of any further deterioration in economic conditions. Supermarkets do face the prospect of consumers ‘trading down’ within the store and reducing purchases of ‘non-essentials’ but, despite... ...Read more »

More and more American consumers are now turning toward the supermarket aisles for quick dinner options at the expense of fast-food restaurants. Three out of five consumers (62 per cent) who report purchasing more supermarket prepared meals than a year ago, are doing so instead of purchasing from fast-food restaurants, according to a new report from American foodservice consultants Technomic. The survey of more than 1,500 American consumers found that family-style and casual-dining restaurants were... ...Read more »

Private label products, or store brands, are growing faster in convenience stores compared to other stores and represent a tremendous growth opportunity for the convenience channel, according to new research to be released by The Nielsen Company. Nielsen’s research discovers that sales of private label products escalated by nearly 20 per cent over the last year to $826 million in American convenience stores, compared to a 15 per cent increase in drug stores (pharmacies) and just under 10 per... ...Read more »

American consumers are balancing the need to save money on consumer packaged goods with the need to conserve petrol, so they are turning to major shopping centres to make fewer and larger shopping trips. Information Resources, Inc.’s (IRI) latest research, ‘Times & Trends: Channel Migration 2008′, reveals that shopping centres were the only store type to achieve sales gains across six key grocery retail department areas during the last year, while traditional grocery retailers... ...Read more »

7-Eleven, Inc. last week named Mars Snackfood as the recipient of its US Retailer Initiative Award for 2007. The annual honour recognises a “top supplier and partner who excels at supporting 7-Eleven stores in meeting their customers’ changing needs through team merchandising, demand-chain solutions, cost of goods, category management, and creativity in advertising and promotional programs”. The collaboration between retailer and manufacturer is often vital to success and Mars and... ...Read more »

Australian grocery and liquor wholesaler Metcash maintained earnings guidance of after tax profit of almost $197 million on the back of sales revenue expected to pass the $10 billion mark for the first time. The third largest player in the grocery industry, Metcash came under scrutiny from the ACCC during the recent Grocery Price Inquiry, but Chief Executive Andrew Reitzer was content with the outcome. Pleased with the “creeping acquisitions” proposals and “workably competitive”... ...Read more »

NightOwl Convenience is set to expand its network into Victoria with the opening of its first Victorian store in Mornington. Australia’s sixth largest convenience store franchise is anticipated to open their Mornington store in September this year, as they look to embark on a Victorian expansion. They are looking for franchisees within the Melbourne market so they can open additional stores throughout the city. NightOwl Convenience Master Franchisor, Adam Adams, said he was excited to be entering... ...Read more »

An array of food and beverage manufacturers are now looking to consumers to provide ideas for new products and flavours as the internet opens up greater opportunities to connect with consumers. And it is not just manufacturers offering consumers with greater control over what they eat and drink, with retailers also seeking increased customer involvement. Mountain Dew  Mountain Dew, a popular beverage owned by PepsiCo, has recently announced a new beverage called Mountain Dew Voltage following an... ...Read more »

With gross margins on fuel hovering around 5 per cent, it’s not surprising that many convenience store operators are taking a fresh look at their foodservice programs – where margins are typically over 40 per cent and may exceed 60 per cent.As a percent of total c-store sales, foodservice remains small. But higher fuel prices may actually help c-store operators grow their foodservice sales, according to American food consultants Technomic. “Consumers are much more interested in... ...Read more »