Dept. Grocery

  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. Department & Category

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Food & Friendships

Actor/writer Andrew McCarthy had a piece in The Atlantic the other day – an excerpt from his new book, “Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America” – that looked at the friendship deficit experienced by man American men.  Needless to say, I found a business lesson there, especially because over food […]
< 1 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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  1. Trends & External Forces

OffBeat:  The Big Not-So-Easy

If you are not already watching “Shrinking,” on Apple TV, you should be. “Shrinking,” which just finished its third season and has been renewed for a fourth, is a gently comedic look at the lives and relationships of three therapists – played by Jason Segal, Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford – in the Southern California […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Fire, Flavor, and Frequency: Why Tucson’s Tito & Pep Is Goldmine in Disguise

  A Modern Desert Dining Experience From the vantage point of the Grocerant Guru®, what’s happening inside Tito & Pep isn’t just “fine dining”—it’s a case study in how experience-driven foodservice is outpacing traditional retail food models. Set in Midtown Tucson, the restaurant delivers a chic mid-century modern aesthetic paired with an intimate yet energetic […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Dollar/Value

Lidl GB stumps up £600m to strengthen store network with 50+ locations planned

Lidl GB has announced that it will be opening more than 50 new stores in the next 12 months as part of a £600 million investment in its British infrastructure. Upcoming store openings include key sites such as Abbots Langley near Watford, Warrington in Cheshire, and Thornbury in Gloucestershire which are all set to open […]
2 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Just Eat and Starship Technologies tie up brings food delivery robots to streets of Barnsley

Starship Technologies has partnered with Just Eat to roll-out a pilot scheme involving self-driving delivery robots in North East Barnsley. The launch will initially see a small number of the orange, talking robots serving thousands of residents, delivering food from restaurants to customers’ doors within minutes. The service starts today in Carlton, Athersley, Monk Bretton […]
2 min read
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  1. Channel: Mass

Target Adjusts Its Grocery Strategy

The Street reports that Target “plans to make a major shift in its grocery section” – it wants to be a specialty grocer. “Target’s Chief Merchandise Officer Cara Sylvester explained the chain’s grocery strategy during its fourth-quarter earnings call,” the story says. “‘We’re focused on what’s next, strengthening Target’s unique identity when it comes to […]
2 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Grocery Stores Race for Relevance with Time-Starved Consumers

  Today’s consumer is not just value-driven—they are time-starved, convenience-focused, and increasingly replacing restaurant visits with retail meal solutions. This behavioral shift is forcing grocery retailers to rethink their role, moving from traditional food sellers to meal solution providers competing directly for “Share of Stomach.” Stop & Shop: Repositioning Dinner Around Convenience Stop & Shop […]
4 min read
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  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
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Stitch Fix CEO Matt Baer, Nike’s Identify Crisis, Grocery’s Looming Collapse of the Middle, and Pets.Com: The Sequel

This week on The Remarkable Retail Podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc break down the forces reshaping retail before sitting down live at Shoptalk in Las Vegas with Matt Baer, CEO of Stitch Fix. The episode opens with a wide-ranging look at the macro pressures bearing down on the industry—geopolitical conflict, rising tariffs, and supply […]
2 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Two Examples Of Effective Customer Communications

As frequently mentioned here on MNB, I have a weakness for effective customer communications – I love it when retailers go beyond the simple communication of prices and product. Last week there were two great examples of this, from two of my favorite retailers. First up, on social media Jennifer Mayne, e-commerce director at Dorothy […]
2 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

What Goes Around Comes Around: Why “Back to Basics” Is Winning the Modern Plate

  In foodservice, trends rarely disappear. They cycle, evolve, and return with sharper relevance. In 2026, one of the most telling examples is the resurgence of traditional cooking fats such as butter, lard, and beef tallow. This shift is not driven by nostalgia alone. It is supported by clear, data-backed consumer demand, particularly among younger […]
4 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Grocers’ Biggest Strategic Misfire: Chasing Shelf Rent While Consumers Chase Dinner Tonight

  The data is not ambiguous—it is directional and disruptive. According to FMI – The Food Industry Association, the percentage of consumers replacing restaurant meals with deli-prepared foods jumped from 12% in 2017 to 28% in 2025. At the same time, 53% of consumers are assembling hybrid meals, blending prepared foods with items already at […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

The VETO Vote Wins: What Amy’s Drive Thru Closure Signals About Organic & Vegan Foodservice

  The closure of Amy’s Drive Thru—including its final unit at San Francisco International Airport—is not an indictment of organic or vegan food. It is a case study in consumer relevance, price elasticity, day-part fit, and the ultimate authority of the “consumer-facing VETO vote.” From the perspective of the Grocerant Guru®, the takeaway is clear: […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Same Traffic. Different Outcome. Why? 

There’s a lot happening in retail right now—but most of it isn’t showing up where people are looking. The headlines say spending is up. Traffic looks steady. On paper, things seem fine. But underneath, behavior is shifting. What customers do, when they buy, and why they convert is changing in ways most retailers can’t see. […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Why Wellness is Becoming a Winning Retail Strategy    

Four major retailers are betting big on wellness this year: Ulta, Target, Amazon and Boots have all made significant forays into wellness in 2026. These moves align closely with signals we’ve identified across consumer behavior, category convergence and wellness-led spending.   Consumers are dedicating more of their time, energy and dollars to their own wellness routines. Mintel has been tracking this shift for several years, identifying wellness as one of the most durable, cross-category […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

KC/In Conversation:  The Intersection of Business & Technology

From Western Michigan University’s annual Food Marketing Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan … a wide-ranging panel discussion that I had the chance to facilitate last week about the impact of technology on various segments of the business.  The focus includes robotics, AI, Agentic commerce, and how a business needs to re-engineer its corporate DNA if it […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Department: Beverage

Beer, Basket Building: How 7-Eleven and Budweiser Turn a Holiday into High-Margin Momentum

  Let’s get straight to it: beer isn’t just a beverage—it’s a traffic driver, a margin enhancer, and when merchandised correctly, a meal solution multiplier according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. The latest limited-time promotion from 7-Eleven proves exactly that, leveraging National Beer Day (April 7) as a strategic […]
4 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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