We Brits are wimpy consumers of fresh produce relative to our Iberian neighbours – rough and ready data suggests that Spanish families consume double the amount that we do! Why so? History, geography, climate and food culture are hugely influential:…
It’s fashionable to be disparaging about Tesco as it struggles to regain market dominance in the UK and sheds overseas holdings like leaves in Autumn. But, it continues to be one of the most innovative grocers in the world. Notwithstanding…
You’ve got to keep on your toes in the UK grocery retail industry – sneak a weekend away in Berlin on the back of your trip to Fruit Logistica and, on your return, another hard discounter has popped out of…
Our blog is largely about what’s happening in the world of supermarkets, but we are curious about anything to do with the business of food and drink! So, we’re interested in food service: in the USA, so-called “away-from-home’ expenditure on…
It’s tough out there in the grocery retail trenches and commodity fruit and veg. is slap-bang in the firing line like so much cannon fodder. We blame bananas and milk ably aided and abetted by the hard discounters! We’re training…
Well, customers have breezed through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday and are careering towards the festive season with retailers worldwide cheering them on. The year is being filled to the brim with special days wooing shoppers to open…
Red and processed meats had a bad month in October. Mind you, they’ve been taking a bashing for a while and it’s not just on health. Beef and lamb are portrayed as being anti-social for environmental reasons (cattle and sheep…
Grocery market forecasts for the UK indicate a grueling time to 2020: overall grocery expenditure edging up a tick over 2% per year but a redistribution of spend with big box store sales declining, small supermarkets static, convenience stores sales…
Fishermen are the last remaining hunter gatherers in our food system and, increasingly, even they are turning to fish farming (farmed fish and seafood accounts for close to half our world’s seafood consumption). The popular image is of a fiercely-independent,…
Certainly, in the UK shopping habits have evolved through recent economic tough times – we are savvier (demand and seek out low and transparent prices); do a “big shop” less frequently and buy fewer items when we do; increasingly buy…
Supermarkets in your pocket. 