Foodservice Solutions

Fresh & Easy it is not: but looks at the casualties in the Marketplace where Fresh & Easy is! While legacy regional chain Grocery Stores companies struggle, one example is Phoenix based Bashas Fresh & Easy with its prepared prepped component foods is making friend with consumers. Some regional chain players are excelling at Grocerant style foods that are prepped and focus on local / seasonal flavor profiles. Foods to make and serve at home received very favorable rating over all multicultural categories this is truly where the opportunity is coming from. Consumers palates are a custom to more that one flavor profile. Restaurant Brand managers are concerned more about the “Brand” than the consumer one might think. Maintaining a very narrow focus and losing consumer frequency and dollars.
While the vast majority of Convenience stores in America are franchised owned that is the largest reason many C-stores are slow to enter the Grocerant sector. Franchisee in many cases utilizes family for a work force and think low labor equates to greater profits. It is not untrue. However the chains that are privately owned focused on the consumer are garnering large share of new customer base from there Grocerant style ready to eat and ready to heat meals. The opportunity is tremendous however breaking the labor metric mentality is an entirely different issue. The focus needs to be on the unmet consumer need set, then volume and profits will follow.