Regional grocers, Food prices, and Sustainability - Weekly Snacks #75

Campaign corner

Halloween candy. Halloween is celebrated by trick-or-treating enthusiasts, talented bakers who create deliciously eerie cakes, and those who indulge in thrilling horror movie marathons. M&M's is joining in on the Halloween festivities, paying tribute to this spooky time and all the fun tricks and sweet treats it brings, with the iconic M&M's characters by their side.

Make it extra. Ready for something Extra? Take a look at Extra Gum’s commercial . Two women sit side by side at a nail salon, getting their nails done. One woman, intrigued by her sparkly green nails matching her Extra Refreshers Gum, inspires them both to choose nail designs inspired by the gum, and they take pictures together.

Retail technology

Suburban expansion. Amazon recently launched its third suburban Amazon Go store in Puyallup, Washington, and its sixth in the United States. The store features Amazon's convenient "Just Walk Out" technology , allowing customers to enter, grab what they need, and leave while being automatically billed, with a digital receipt sent later. Despite some cutbacks in its brick-and-mortar operations, this opening signals Amazon's continued commitment to physical retail spaces.

Regional grocers. Regional grocers can compete in the digital innovation race, as highlighted in Grocery Dive's recent series on smaller chains adopting new technology to enhance efficiency, brand presence, and customer engagement across various shopping channels. Profiles of Lowes Foods and Good Food Holdings showcased their efforts to embrace omnichannel apps and personalized shopping experiences.?

Retail expertise?

Sustainability. What other ways can companies convince consumers that sustainable products are worth their value and are not low quality? Will sustainable items become a declining market? These are the questions that various retailers answered in one of Retail Wire’s discussions . Here’s what Gene Detroyer mentioned:?

Luxury products. Will the current slowdown in luxury spending in the U.S. be more short-term or long-term in nature? Has the overall luxury growth opportunity become larger due to social media and other factors? Various retail experts answered these questions in one of Retail Wire’s discussions . This is what Brandon Rael stated:?

In other news…

Food prices. UK food prices have decreased for the first time in over two years due to intense competition among supermarkets. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), grocery prices dropped by 0.1% month-on-month in September, although they remained 9.9% higher than the previous year, with a slower year-on-year inflation rate compared to August's 11.5% rise. The decline was primarily attributed to lower fresh food inflation, which reached its lowest level in 14 months at 9.6% in September, while overall shop price inflation also slowed to 6.2% year-on-year, down from 6.9%.

Consumer preferences. Consumers are primarily concerned about the sugar content when checking nutritional information on food and beverage packaging, even more than fat or calories. A survey by Cargill revealed that nearly two-thirds of consumers aim to avoid sugar, and most of them also prefer not to consume artificial sweeteners.