Packaging

  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
0
  1. Department: Food

The Real Cost Of Shipment Damage: How One Crushed Box Can Impact Your Business

If a crushed box arrives on a customer’s doorstep, your first instinct will likely be to calculate the cost of sending a replacement. But this number is just one fraction of the entire ordeal. Shipment damage sets off a chain reaction of costs that reverberate through operations, customer relationships, and your overall brand reputation. The […]
3 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Guest Column:  Thom Blischok on “Retail Restructured”

Content Guy’s Note:  I don’t run a lot of guest columns on MNB, but when I read this LinkedIn posting from Thom Blischok, of The Dialogic Group, I decided that it was exactly the kind of piece that should be featured here – it focuses on how three major retailers are engaging in fundamental rethinking […]
3 min read
0
  1. Holiday & Events

Easter Joy Is Not Optional — It’s Profitable (Especially with Adults)

  Easter is no longer a kids-only holiday—it’s a full-scale adult participation event, and more importantly, a high-margin, multi-day consumption cycle that food retailers and foodservice operators can no longer afford to misunderstand according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA Based Foodservice Solutions®. What began as “Adultoween” has now evolved into a broader […]
4 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

Why Retail Is Not Just Another Sales Channel (And Why Brands Fail When They Treat It That Way)

For years, commerce has been dominated by digital-first thinking. The rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands promised higher margins, owned customer data, and complete control over brand storytelling. But today, that narrative is shifting. Customer acquisition costs are rising, online competition is intensifying, and many digital-native brands are hitting a growth ceiling. As a result, brick-and-mortar […]
4 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

The shelf-edge command centre: Why ESEL strategy matters | Viewpoint: Ed Betts

Electronic shelf-edge labels (ESEL) are having their infrastructure moment. Most retailers still frame them as operational tools: they cut labour, reduce pricing errors, and eliminate the regular chore of relabelling. These are real benefits, but they tell only half the story. As retailers develop more… This story continues at The shelf-edge command centre: Why ESEL […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

Strings & Things updates packaging to reflect ‘real cheese’ credentials

Strings & Things has rolled out updated packaging across the full Cheestrings range with a badge saying ‘real cheese’ to highlight it’s ingredients. The new design aims to enable shoppers to quickly identify the natural dairy benefits of 8 at shelf, while reinforcing its position… This story continues at Strings & Things updates packaging to […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Why Foodservice Retailers Must Embrace the Grocerant Era

  The latest NielsenIQ report confirms what  Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has been signaling for years: the convenience channel is losing trips because it is still merchandising for yesterday’s consumer. The data is unambiguous—33% of shoppers say they’re visiting less often, and trips per buyer are down 2.2% […]
4 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

McDonald’s Has Lost the Plot — and Consumers Are Walking Away

  For decades, McDonald’s has been the gravitational center of American fast food — a brand so large, so omnipresent, that it seemed immune to the pressures reshaping the rest of the restaurant industry. But in 2024–2026, the Golden Arches have begun to flicker. Not because of a single scandal or a fleeting trend, but […]
4 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Inside Amazon’s Plans For “A New Kind Of Supercenter”

Business Insider reports that “Amazon is moving deeper into Walmart’s territory with a new kind of supercenter. Internal documents show how that strategy is taking shape. “The e-commerce giant is planning to build a number of large-format stores that combine a Walmart-style supercenter with a robotics-powered warehouse, including previously unreported locations, according to internal documents […]
3 min read
0
  1. Channel: Restaurants

Panda Express: A 40-Year Case Study in Scalable Grocerant Strategy

  From a single mall-based concept in 1983 to a $6+ billion powerhouse, Panda Express has quietly engineered one of the most disciplined growth stories in foodservice. For restaurant operators, c-stores, and grocers, Panda is not just a brand—it is a blueprint for how the “Grocerant” model (prepared foods + convenience + bundling) scales profitably […]
4 min read
0
  1. Data & Insights

Grocers Step Up: Solving Parents’ Time Crunch with Better-for-You Meal Solutions

  Back-to-school is no longer just a retail event—it’s a high-stakes meal solutions moment, where grocers have a unique opportunity to solve one of the most persistent pain points for families: time-starved parents seeking nutritious, convenient, and kid-approved food options according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. In 2026, the […]
5 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Mix & Match Meal Bundling Is an Invitation to Customer Migration: Why Little Caesars’ Four-N-One Stix Signals the Next Competitive Battleground

  From the vantage point of Foodservice Solutions® in Tacoma, WA, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the fastest way to steal share in today’s foodservice landscape is not through price alone—it’s through strategic bundling that invites customer migration across dayparts, channels, and occasions. The latest move by Little Caesars—its new Four-N-One […]
4 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Your Views:  A Surge In Dynamic Opinions

Got a lot of responses to our coverage of the national backlash against electronic shelf labels, and concerns about dynamic/surge pricing. MNB reader Rudy Dory wrote: We have had ESLs for over twenty years. We have never had a complaint about surge pricing. Wanting to ban ESLs in smaller units like ours would penalize people […]
9 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

Warburtons unveils packaging redesign for its 150th anniversary

Warburtons is marking its 150th anniversary with a packaging redesign across its portfolio. The brand refresh aims to unite the portfolio under a “powerful, cohesive visual identity, making products unmissable on shelf and effortlessly shoppable for customers”. Jonathan Warburton, chairman of Warburtons says: “Leveraging the cherished and instantly recognisable… This story continues at Warburtons unveils packaging redesign for its […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Gen Z Eats on the Move: Why Value, Convenience, and Brand Trust Are Reshaping Every Meal Occasion

  Gen Z isn’t abandoning brands—they’re recalibrating how, when, and where they spend. New data from First Insight reveals a nuanced shift: while national brands still dominate preference across food and beverage categories, Gen Z is actively reallocating spending, prioritizing value in everyday consumables while trading up in lifestyle-driven categories. For food marketers, operators, and […]
5 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

Retail Packaging Mistakes That Keep Your Product Off Shelves (and How to Fix Them)

You’ve poured blood, sweat, and resources into developing a product that solves a problem. You’ve validated the concept, built a community online, and you know your target audience inside and out. But when it comes to the pivotal moment of a customer scanning the aisle, does your packaging seal the deal or send them scrolling […]
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. Channel: Restaurants

Darden Restaurants: From Dining Rooms to Doorsteps—The Strategic Evolution of Takeout, Delivery, and Bundled Meals

  Few companies illustrate the transformation of American dining habits better than Darden Restaurants. Known for powerhouse brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, Darden has steadily repositioned itself from a dine-in dominant operator to a multi-channel foodservice leader where off-premise occasions drive incremental growth. The Historical Shift: From Dine-In to Off-Premise Dominance Historically, Darden’s […]
5 min read
0
  1. Channel: Restaurants

Darden Restaurants: From Dining Rooms to Doorsteps—The Strategic Evolution of Takeout, Delivery, and Bundled Meals

  Few companies illustrate the transformation of American dining habits better than Darden Restaurants. Known for powerhouse brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, Darden has steadily repositioned itself from a dine-in dominant operator to a multi-channel foodservice leader where off-premise occasions drive incremental growth. The Historical Shift: From Dine-In to Off-Premise Dominance Historically, Darden’s […]
5 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

You Heard It Here First: 7 Mintel Predictions Realized at Expo West 2026 

Expo West 2026 offered a clear reflection of several long-running shifts Mintel has been tracking across health, nutrition, and consumer expectations. What stood out most this year was less about flavor innovation and more about a reorientation toward how the body feels—physically, emotionally, and even metabolically. Many of the dominant themes at the show mapped […]
8 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  As Time Goes By

On the subject of dynamic pricing as reflected in electronic shelf labels – which some states want to ban – MNB reader Donald C. Taylor wrote: Probably a poor comparison and sure, the industries are different, but aren’t our local gas stations doing this exact same thing?  Prices change, prices are digitally displayed roadside, the […]
8 min read
0
  1. Stores & Formats

Moves To Drive Food Industry Back To The Past Gain New Momentum

The New York State Attorney General has come out in favor of a bill that would ban electronic shelf labels, calling them an “exploitive practice” resulting in higher prices. From The Gothamist: “New York Attorney General Letitia James is throwing her support behind state legislation to curtail retailers and grocers from setting prices using algorithms […]
3 min read
0
  1. CPG: Food

Yoplait unveils new-look Peppa Pig yogurt range

Yoplait has launched a new look for its Peppa Pig yogurts and extended the range to include both small pots (45g) and big pots (85g). Targeted at three- to six-year-olds, the new packaging features baby Evie, a new addition to the Pig family, alongside Peppa… This story continues at Yoplait unveils new-look Peppa Pig yogurt […]
< 1 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