Consulting

Articles on/from consultants and consulting firms in Retail/CPG.

  1. Data & Insights

Reoccurring Customer Visits Drive Incremental Revenue Faster

  The growth algorithm across all sectors of food retail—restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery service delis—has converged on one immutable truth according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®:  frequency of visits is the most reliable driver of incremental revenue and long-term profitability. What was once a convenience-store insight is now […]
5 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

Unbossing: Reed Hastings from the Mountaintop!

We have entered the age of Debossification. An age where zones of control are being replaced by zones of influence. Where the future does not fit in mindsets of the past. An era of where smart leaders acknowledge that every career has a midnight hour and one should exit at five to 12. It is […]
4 min read
0
  1. Associates & Employees

Labor Pains

There were a number of stories that were reported over the past few days that illustrate the state – and state-of-mind – of the US workforce. •  Gallup is out with a study saying that “the personal and professional environment of U.S. workers was worse at the end of 2025 than at any point in […]
4 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Assessing The Impact Of GLP-1 Drugs On Food Consumption

From CNBC: “The cost of GLP-1 drugs is falling, and pill versions are hitting the U.S. market. For restaurant chains and snacking giants, higher adoption of weight loss and diabetes treatments poses a threat to their sales — or an opportunity. “GLP-1 drugs slow digestion, suppress users’ appetites and increase satiety. For many restaurants and […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

“Tip-Off & Take-Off: The Rise of AM ‘Grocerant’ Game Fuel During NCAA Bracket Season”

  When the first whistle blows in the morning during NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, something fascinating happens—not just on the court, but in kitchens, breakrooms, and increasingly, retail foodservice counters across America. Welcome to the AM Daypart Game Day Revolution, where breakfast meets bracketology, and indulgence becomes a shared social ritual.   The Dunk Heard […]
3 min read
0
  1. Channel: Restaurants

The American Restaurant “Melting Pot”: Why the Industry Must Lead on DEI to Reflect the Nation It Serves

  The United States has long described itself as a “Melting Pot”—a nation strengthened by immigrants, cultures, traditions, and ideas blended together to create something uniquely American. Nowhere is that concept more visible, or more economically important, than in the restaurant industry. From quick-service counters to fine-dining dining rooms, restaurants employ one of the most […]
5 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

4 Critical Mistakes Emerging CPG Brands Must Avoid When Pitching a Retail Buyer

For emerging CPG brands, the journey from a home kitchen or a small-batch facility to the shelves of a national retailer is fraught with challenges. While many founders focus entirely on the quality of their product, the reality of the retail industry is that a great product is only half the battle. Success depends on […]
5 min read
0
  1. Retail Ecosystem

Commerce Riff with Sri & PVSB – March 17, 2026

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce.  This week’s topics: McKinsey AI Breach Ulta Beauty Results Target price reductions Kroger Growth Priorities CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/ DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Andrew Ross Sorkin on the Risk if AI Succeeds, Private Credit, Prediction Markets, and the SpaceX IPO

When Andrew Ross Sorkin released his book on the 1929 stock market crash last year, the prevailing worry was that the debt-reliant AI buildout might end in disaster. Now, six months later, the market is freaking out about AI’s potential to succeed. Every Anthropic blog post seems to cause a mini-meltdown in software stocks and […]
14 min read
0
  1. International

Retail sales dampened by wet February

UK Total retail sales increased by 1.1% year on year in February, against a growth of 1.1% in February 2025, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. This was below the 12-month average growth of 2.3%. Food sales increased by 2.9% year on year in… This story continues at Retail sales dampened by wet February […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

Iran War Shockwaves and Target’s Strategy Reset, with Guest Co-Host Kevin Ertell and Our Interview with EY’s Malin Andrée & Jon Copestake

In this wide-ranging episode Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc are joined by special guest co-host Kevin Ertell, retail veteran, former Nike executive, and author of The Strategy Trap. The episode blends breaking retail news with a live interview recorded at the NRF Big Show featuring Malin Andrée, Global Retail Sector Leader at EY, and Jon Copestake, […]
2 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

Restaurant Customer Disequilibrium: Why 2026 Is the Year Complacency Finally Breaks the Chains

  The restaurant industry didn’t just take its eye off the ball—it left the ball in the parking lot, went inside, and ordered the same combo meal it’s been eating for 25 years. Operators mastered brand protectionism, but somewhere along the way, many forgot the equally important skill of brand evolution. And now? The bill […]
4 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

The End of the Endless Aisle: The Paradox of Choice in Ecommerce

For years, ecommerce has succeeded on an assumption that the more a marketplace offers, the more users are to spend. Digital shelves seem to be infinite, unlike physical ones, and this “endless aisle” was long seen as a competitive advantage. Now, shoppers spend more time browsing, comparing, filtering— and increasingly leave without buying anything. According […]
4 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Flavor Forward: Why Beef Is Back on the Menu

  Flavor is not a trend. Flavor is the foundation. And today, across every restaurant segment — from QSR to polished casual — beef is reclaiming its rightful place as the centerpiece of craveability, culinary authenticity, and menu profitability. Beef is not simply protein. It is umami density. It is Maillard reaction theater. It is […]
5 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Asos veteran Ricky Jassal ends time at fast fashion giant and heads over to Sainsbury’s

Ricky Jassal has left Asos where he spent the past 14 years, holding various roles during that time, most recently Senior Solution Lead, UK Warehouse Fulfilment Technology. His next job will be with Sainsbury’s Digital, Tech and Data, which powers the UK grocery giant’s retail site. In a LinkedIn post, Jassal said: “After 14 years […]
2 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

4 ways to prepare your retail operations for the era of agentic commerce

​[[“value”:” For years, customers have relied on search, filter and scroll to discover and buy products. That behavior is now shifting: with agentic AI, shopping is becoming less about finding products and more about expressing intent. Instead of typing keywords or browsing categories, consumers describe what they want — a meal plan for the week, […]
3 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

A $1 Morning Time Machine: McDonald’s Brings Back the Egg McMuffin Magic

  On March 2, the Golden Arches are doing more than discounting breakfast — they’re dialing up nostalgia, traffic, and app engagement with a $1 Egg McMuffin and $1 Sausage McMuffin with Egg, exclusively through the McDonald’s App. For food industry professionals, this is a case study in brand equity monetization. For consumers, it’s breakfast […]
4 min read
0
  1. Department: Nonfood

The Marketing Plan

A few year ago, Mark Ritson wrote a handy guide to creating a marketing plan and critiqued those who make “PowerPoint decks by the yard.” Mark wrote: “Most marketing plans are PowerPoint presentations. Nothing wrong with that. But they are just too damned long – 50, 100, 200 slides in a plan. This is a […]
3 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

From Corner Grocery to National Chain: A Historical Overview of Convenience Retail

The modern convenience store (C-store) traces its roots to the early 20th century’s neighborhood corner shops and service stations — simple places where travelers and local residents could buy milk or a snack without entering a full grocery. Over the decades, these mom-and-pop operations dotted towns and cities, creating community hubs with an intensely local […]
5 min read
0
  1. Operations & Supply Chain

Designing a Smarter Logistics Network: The Hidden Growth Lever Most New Brands Overlook

For emerging retail brands, logistics is often seen merely as a cost center, a function to be negotiated down, outsourced quickly or lightly automated just to keep orders moving. But as margins tighten, customer expectations rise and omnichannel complexity accelerates, the brands that succeed treat logistics not as a back-office expense but as a strategic […]
5 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

The State of Patient Access: What Industry Leaders Reveal in a New Survey About Hub Models, Technology, and the Road Ahead

Today’s guest post comes from Scott Genone, Chief Product Officer at CareMetx. Scott shares findings from CareMetx’s 2026 Patient Services Report, based on a survey of more than 100 patient access decision-makers across biopharma, consulting, and specialty care. The results reveal an industry in transition. Hybrid hub models are becoming the norm, technology enablement remains […]
2 min read
0
  1. Associates & Employees

Retail People Index shows worker morale slump in 2025

More retail workers ended 2025 feeling unhappier and at risk of working while unwell and quitting their jobs, as concerns around high employment costs, redundancies and rising levels of retail crime took hold. The Retail Trust and global consulting firm AlixPartners’ new Retail People Index found wellbeing steadily dropped throughout 2025,… This story continues at Retail People Index shows worker morale […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Department: Nonfood

The Share-of-Stomach Reset: Who Wins When Food Consumers Rewrite the Rules?

  The North American food marketplace is in the middle of a structural demand reallocation. Call it consumer discontinuity, call it channel fragmentation, call it the democratization of meal access. Whatever the label, the outcome is the same: legacy assumptions about where, when, and why people buy meals no longer hold. Operators who continue to […]
4 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

New Asos virtual try-on experience launches in partnership with AI fashion platform AIUTA

Asos is laying claim to a unique hybrid approach to virtual try-on that lets customers see how selected products could look on them by uploading their own image or choosing an AI generated virtual model that represents their likeness.  This initially launches in partnership with AI fashion platform AIUTA with around 10,000 products on the Asos IOS app. The feature will be available to […]
2 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Jordan Munro makes return to Starbucks and takes on tech solutions products role

Jordan Munro is returning to Starbucks as the retailer’s Manager of Technology Product and Solutions. He previously spent 20 years there, holding such roles as Manager, Product and Solutions – Contact Centre Technology. He has also worked at Point B and MOD Pizza. In a LinkedIn post, Munro said: “I’ll be leading a talented team […]
3 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

Why Fragmented Forecasting is the #1 Driver of Lost Retail Margin (And How to Fix It)

Retail operates at a constant, unforgiving sprint. With today’s global trade volatility and fast-moving trends, poor forecasting has become a high-stakes vulnerability. A slight miscalculation — whether missing the boat on the next TikTok trend or being hit with a last-minute supply chain disruption — can lead to unhappy customers and margin erosion. To outpace […]
5 min read
0
  1. Channel: Grocery

Is It Time to Keep a Bad Idea From the Public? Albertsons vs. Kroger

When Kroger and Albertsons agreed to a $24.6 billion merger in 2022, the companies framed it as a scale-driven solution to inflation, competition from Walmart and Amazon, and a rapidly changing food retail landscape. Two years later, the deal collapsed under Federal Trade Commission scrutiny—and now, in 2026, both companies are asking a federal court […]
4 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

7 Eleven Super Bowl Sunday Super Customer Focused

  This is Food‑Fact‑Filled, Data‑Driven Look at How the World’s Largest Convenience Retailer Wins Big With Consumers by Steven Johnson’s the Grocerant Guru’s team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® Super Bowl Sunday and National Pizza Day sit back‑to‑back on the calendar, and 7‑Eleven is treating both like the food‑centric cultural holidays they’ve become. With […]
4 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

AI-Led Legacy Modernization for Retail and CPG: Transforming Applications and Data into an Intelligent Enterprise

It will not be too off the mark to say that retail and CPG organizations find themselves at a crossroads and a critical inflection point in decision-making for future growth. While the fundamentals of success, such as extreme customer-centricity, financial rigor and operational excellence through data-driven decisions remain firmly vital, there are some additional developments […]
5 min read
0

Trending Topics

Editor’s Choice

  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
Written by

Trending