PepsiCo and Conagra temper outlooks as they struggle with consumers’ shrinkflation concerns: Sales volumes for both companies fell as private labels capture record dollar and unit share.
Walmart looks to grow its online grocery lead: The retailer is modernizing its supply chain by opening five automated distribution centers for fresh food, expanding four traditional facilities, and upgrading another.
Kroger leans into value: The grocer is hosting a big sale about a month before a crucial court hearing on its proposed merger with Albertsons.
Gen Alphas’ anti-aging skincare regimen causes concerns: Brands and retailers are under pressure to disclose product risks as tweens copy their favorite beauty influencers.
Retail marketers should focus on brand marketing to combat consumers’ desire for value. That was the main theme from General Mills, Nike, Levi’s, and more brands’ recent earning calls. Oh, and if you can get Beyonce to name a song after your brand, even better.
The nation’s largest fast- food chains race to the bottom: Taco Bell and Sonic joined Starbucks, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s in rolling out low-cost value meals to attract cost-conscious consumers.
CPGs respond to growing divide between lower-income and wealthy spenders: While General Mills and others boost promotions, P&G doubles down on premiumization.
L’Oréal blames weak China sales for slower global growth: While the company sees sluggish premium demand, mass market players are winning over price-conscious consumers.
Albertsons, Costco, and Instacart are enhancing their retail media offerings. TikTok Shop reached a $1 million livestream. And three-time consecutive first place winner Walmart is developing immersive ways to shop and catering product lines to younger shoppers. Here’s our Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List for June 2024.
While intermediaries’ share of ecommerce sales (grocery or otherwise) will remain relatively flat for the next couple of years, they’re still a long-term threat to traditional retail. But there’s an opportunity for retailers to use intermediaries’ strategies against them.
Grubhub pushes deeper into groceries: The delivery company will fulfill orders for Albertsons’ banners that include Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and Vons.
India quick-commerce startup Zepto raises $665 million to capitalize on surging demand: Rapid deliveries are gaining share of the country’s nascent ecommerce market, pushing heavyweights like Flipkart and Reliance to join the fray.
Kroger grew its customer base in Q1: The grocer’s comparable sales and profits both outpaced expectations, but it faces some headwinds from its pharmacy business.
Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants braces for slower growth: The company expects same-store sales to increase by just 1% to 2% in fiscal 2025, as lower-income diners pull back.
In part two of this two-part podcast episode, we discuss some more predictions for 2024 that are too specific to be 100% certain about but could still come true, including: what happens next when measuring retail media, Starbuck's drone delivery pilot, and how the publisher/AI relationship will play out. Tune in to the discussion with our vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna and analyst Max Willens.
Easing UK inflation hurts budget grocers’ momentum: Asda and Aldi lost share in June as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and upmarket players regain the edge
Since the pandemic, online ordering and delivery have become table stakes for the grocery industry. Retailers like Albertsons have begun to develop tools and capabilities that provide added value for customers, focusing on creating a more convenient experience. “Consumers think about food 226 times a day, that’s a lot of cognitive load,” said Jill Pavlovich, senior vice president of digital shopping experiences at Albertsons Cos. “So we want to take the experience from a transactional one to a helpful set of tools that can help people manage this.” Albertsons leveraged customer data to identify areas for improvement across its website and mobile app.
Consumers think twice about buying fast food when prices rise: Traffic has fallen at major QSR chains since California’s 25% minimum wage increase took effect in April.
Amazon Fresh tries to turn returns into a customer acquisition tool: Shoppers who return online purchases at the grocery store are eligible for discounts as the retailer struggles to make headway.
Starbucks launches breakfast deal to bring in value-minded customers: The coffee company is leaning on a number of ventures—including a new production studio—to restore growth.