Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer: From Amazon to Walmart, everyone’s looking to take a bite out of traditional supermarket sales
“Retailers should also take a close look at exactly what shoppers are buying online from competitors for at-home delivery. In many cases, of course, it’s fresh meal kits. ‘Brick-and-mortar supermarkets — where 98.5% of the food business is done — have an opportunity to respond by offering their own Blue Apron-type products. And they can offer fresher, more customized options in-store versus delivery, options that also include frozen and refrigerated items,’ says Don Stuart, managing partner at Wilton, Conn.-based Cadent Consulting. Kroger and Whole Foods have already rolled out meal kits, though Amazon’s recent announcement that it will enter the meal kit delivery business as well may spur even more retailers to develop in-store solutions.”
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“Although private label share has remained fairly steady since 1980, a new report from Cadent Consulting suggests a sea change is on the way, thanks to seven key drivers, including both Amazon/Whole Foods and hard discounters. The Amazon/Whole Foods combination alone could yield 2 incremental share points and hard discounters 1.5 share points over the next 10 years, reports Stuart. All told, store brand share is expected to jump a whopping 8.0 points to 25.7% by 2027, he says. While hard discounters are driving many of the changes in food retailing today, ‘Don’t forget about club stores,’ says Stuart. ‘Costco’s private label will put tremendous pressure on traditional grocery.’ And it’s not afraid to flex its considerable muscle. In fact, the chain recently made news when it eliminated Kind bars from its assortment in favor of its own store brand because it didn’t think it was getting the best possible price. He also suggests traditional retailers keep a close eye on emerging channels like drugstores and dollar stores that continue to add frozen and refrigerated SKUs. ‘We expect more out of both of them in the year ahead,’ says Stuart.”
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