Economy

Articles on how the economy is impacting retail.

  1. Data & Insights

The U.S. Pizza Sector: A Historical Powerhouse Facing a Structural Reset

  From Immigrant Food to Industrial Scale Pizza in the United States evolved from a localized ethnic staple into one of the most systematized and scalable segments in foodservice. Post–World War II suburban growth, combined with advances in refrigeration, distribution, and franchising, enabled rapid expansion. Driven again by the adoption of hand held food for […]
6 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Industry analysts respond to latest food inflation figures

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.3% in the 12 months to March 2026, up from 3.0% in the 12 months to February with food inflation rising 3.7%. Meat, fish, confectionery and soft drinks have been the most affected categories. Responding to the data,… This story continues at Industry analysts respond to latest food […]
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  1. Trends & External Forces

The Top 15 Specialty Pharmacies of 2025: PBM-Affiliated Pharmacies Dominate While Health Systems and Independents Gain Ground

By Adam J. Fein, Ph.D. Drug Channels Institute’s (DCI’s) latest analysis reveals that PBM-affiliated specialty pharmacies continue to dominate the dispensing of specialty drugs. For 2025, DCI has identified more than 1,900 dispensing locations with specialty pharmacy accreditation from one or both of the two major independent accreditation organizations. The overall number of accredited locations […]
2 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

New Surcharges And Fees Add Up To New Pressures On Consumers

From the Wall Street Journal: “An extra 3% for paying with a credit card. A 5% involuntary contribution to a restaurant’s employee wellness fund. $25 a month in addition to rent for trash collection. “Consumers already weary of rising inflation are now contending with a new crop of costs that are hidden in plain sight. […]
2 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Food Consumer Relevance in 2026: The New Battleground for Food Retail and Foodservice

  Customer relevance in 2026 is no longer a soft metric. It is a primary driver of traffic, frequency, and margin. Price still matters, but it is no longer sufficient. Today, relevance is defined by how effectively a brand aligns with how consumers actually live, eat, and shop across dayparts, channels, and occasions. Recent cultural […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Restaurant Brands in Trouble: Structural Stagnation, Broken Franchise Models, and the Cost of Not Evolving Fast Enough

  The restaurant industry is no longer being disrupted in cycles—it is being structurally rewired. Consumer behavior has shifted faster than most franchised systems can adapt: off-premise now dominates occasions, value is defined by time savings plus total meal utility, and digital engagement is no longer optional—it is the operating system. Against that backdrop, a […]
6 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Company Shop Group hits one billion surplus milestone

Company Shop Group, the redistributor and retailer of surplus products, has released its annual Impact Report, shining a light on the power of a circular economy and revealing it has hit the milestone of redistributing a billion items since its launch. The Impact Report reveals… This story continues at Company Shop Group hits one billion […]
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Confidence hit by gloom at home and abroad

Consumer confidence in the first quarter of 2026 fell to its lowest point since 2023, according to the Deloitte consumer tracker. Fear of rising fuel prices, fewer jobs and wage restraint seem to be behind falls in five of Deloitte’s six confidence measures. Overall, the… This story continues at Confidence hit by gloom at home […]
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  1. Shopper & Customer

The Grocerant Guru®: Jollibee, Chickenjoy, and the Global Family Meal Migration

  In today’s foodservice economy, consumer behavior is undergoing a structural shift. Traffic is no longer dictated solely by proximity or price—it is increasingly driven by flavor discovery, cultural relevance, and occasion-based meal bundling. At the center of that migration is Jollibee, a brand that has translated Filipino flavor profiles into a scalable, high-frequency, takeout-driven […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  The $165 Billion Annoyance Economy

The New York Times writes that “everyone knows the feeling of being stuck on hold, or spending time clicking through an endless series of pages to cancel a subscription, or screening spam calls, or trying to change a flight. These inconveniences make life less pleasant, but they are easy enough to write off as small […]
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  1. Owned Brands (Private Label)

Walmart Launches “Comprehensive Redesign” Of Great Value Private Label

Walmart yesterday announced “a comprehensive redesign of its flagship private brand, Great Value, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-quality products customers need, want and love – at an affordable price … The redesign will span almost 10,000 food and consumables items, making it the most extensive private brand update in Walmart’s history. To ensure a […]
4 min read
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  1. Department: Food

Your Views:   Backlashes

We had a story the other day about how Target plans to adjust its approach to grocery by focusing more on specialized products, and moving away from the something-for-everyone strategy. I was, to say the least, dubious. In wrote, ion part: The thing is, it isn’t easier to be an effective specialty food retailer.  It’s […]
13 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

The New Breakfast Equation—Time, Taste, Price, and the Rewiring of Meal Consumption

  Consumers are fundamentally reshaping how they approach food, driven by four converging forces: time scarcity, flavor expectations, price sensitivity, and the need to satisfy diverse household demands. What is emerging is not a temporary shift—but a structural transformation in meal consumption behavior and food channel migration according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Mapping the Vertical Integration of Insurers, PBMs, GPOs, Specialty Pharmacies, and Healthcare Services: DCI’s 2026 Update

It’s time for Drug Channels Institute’s (DCI) annual update of vertical integration among insurers, PBMs, specialty pharmacies, and healthcare services within U.S. drug channels. As you can see below, we have updated and revised our infamous illustration of the major vertical business relationships within the largest companies. These organizations continue to exert greater control over […]
2 min read
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  1. Stores & Formats

Plans For NYC-Owned Grocery Stores Take Shape

The New York Times reports that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is beginning to lay out his plans for city-owned grocery stores, looking to fulfill a core campaign promise he made during last year’s election. According to the story, Mamdani said the plan is to open all the stores before the end of his […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

One Measure Of Consumer Sentiment Reaches A New Low

From the Wall Street Journal: “Consumer sentiment fell in April to the lowest level recorded in the 70-plus-year history of the University of Michigan’s survey, evidence of Americans’ concerns that the Iran war will hit the domestic economy. “The survey’s initial April reading came in at 47.6, versus 53.3 in March … The April reading […]
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Another Example Of A Technology Backlash In The US

Content Guy’s Note:  A recent and continuing theme there on MNB has been a slow but growing backlash against technology in a number of forms – social media, screens that dominate and addict young people, facial recognition technology, and myriad other examples.  My position is that businesses of all kinds – especially retailers, which are […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Anthropic’s Mythos is Here. Is OpenAI’s Spud Next?

After Anthropic’s introduction of Mythos — the mega-model it said is too dangerous to release to the public — OpenAI is poised for AI’s next big moment with “Spud.” “Spud” is a massive new base model that OpenAI President Greg Brockman recently told us is “a new pre-train” that can understand instructions and context better. […]
6 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Why American Food Companies Are Viewed With Skepticism By Citizens

Politico has a piece about a new poll suggesting that there is broadening support among Americans for “restrictions on ultraprocessed foods, pesticides, seed oils, and junk food advertising, among other things.”  In fact, more Republicans, despite being members of a political party traditionally seen as being pro-business, than Democrats support such regulation. The reason? According […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Gamified Dining Wins: How Kura Sushi Turns Play into Profits with Participatory Food Marketing

  The restaurant industry is moving beyond transactions and into interactive, participatory food experiences, and Kura Sushi USA is demonstrating how that shift can drive measurable financial performance. This is not simply about sushi. It is about behavioral economics, menu engineering, and consumer engagement strategies that increase frequency, check average, and throughput simultaneously.   The […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

From Points to Precision: Why AI-Powered Loyalty Is Rewiring the Grocerant Economy in 2026

  The loyalty landscape in foodservice and convenience retail is undergoing a structural reset—and the data is no longer subtle. According to the 2026 Paytronix Loyalty Report, operators that once relied on static, points-based systems are now pivoting toward AI-driven personalization fueled by first-party data. The result? A measurable lift in visit frequency, ticket size, […]
5 min read
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  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Andy Jassy On Grocery, Squiggly Lines, Betting Big, & Music Lessons

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has posted his annual letter to shareholders, following in a tradition begun by founder and then-CEO Jeff Bezos in 1997.  (As usual, Amazon also posts the original 1997 message after the new missive, which is one way to indicate that as much as the business has evolved and grown, its core […]
7 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Drive-Thru Under Pressure: Why Fast Food’s Core Profit Engine Is Stalling

  The drive-thru remains the dominant revenue engine for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), generating 60%–75% of total sales at many brands. Yet today, operators are confronting a convergence of pressures: elevated labor costs, persistent food inflation, declining traffic, and slower service times according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® this is […]
5 min read
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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 […]
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