Grocery Store Consternation Grows as 7-Eleven Enters Grocerant Meal Business

We all know that success does leave clues and when a growing chain of over 60,050 retail stores enters a new sector the undercurrents of that action will have a rippling effect on every other retailer.  According to Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®, Steven Johnson when 7-Eleven rolled out its new Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meals anxiety increased in the headquarters of legacy grocery stores. 

Regular readers of this blog know that consumers are migrating away from traditional fresh food outlets for new non-traditional locations for fresh food almost as fast as they are cutting the cord and migrating from cable TV to new less expensive internet options.

7-Eleven has the pulse of today’s food consumers and has created a new platform of grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals and meal components that can be bundled into the perfect customized family meal. 

One growing consumer commonality was recently uncovered from results of Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCard data was that 91% of all family meals in the United States today include at least one prepared food component. 

7-Eleven has 15 new locally made, chef-inspired heat-and-eat meals that they are beginning the new program with.  Each of the “convenient restaurant-quality meal solutions” were created with inspiration from Italian, hometyle, Asian and Mexican recipes representing the melting pot of consumers food choices.

The grocerant niche meals that are made in local kitchens and delivered daily to participating locations in select markets, the on-the-go options are available in the refrigerated case for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meals can be heated at the store for immediate consumption or taken to-go for a suggested retail price of $3.99-$4.99 according to 7-Eleven. Selections include:

Italian

·         Chicken Parmesan: Signature breaded chicken filet on a bed of penne pasta, topped with California marinara and aged Parmesan cheese.

·         Creamy Chicken Alfredo: Grilled white meat chicken with creamy Alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese served over penne pasta.

·         Cheesy Tortellini: Four-cheese tortellini topped with creamy Alfredo sauce and aged parmesan cheese.

·         Cheese Lasagna with Meat Sauce: Hand-rolled pasta filled with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, traditional Italian-style meat sauce and a blend of Italian-style cheeses.

·         Spaghetti Bolognese: Spaghetti noodles topped with an authentic Italian-style seasoned meat sauce and shredded parmesan cheese.
 

Homestyle

·         Macaroni and Cheese: Cavatappi noodles coated in a blend of five cream cheeses and topped with cheddar cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs.

·         Homestyle Turkey Chili: Homestyle chili made from ground turkey, black beans, ripe tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions and celery in an ancho chile pepper puree.
 

Asian

·         Asian-style Beef and Broccoli Bowl: Premium steak cuts on a bed of long grain white rice, served with broccoli, roasted red peppers and a teriyaki glaze.
 

Mexican

·         Beef Enchiladas with Rice: Traditional hand-rolled enchiladas filled with slow-simmered crumbled beef, smothered in a rich pasilla guajillo pepper sauce and topped with a blend of Mexican cheeses.

·         Chipotle Chicken Bowl: Shredded chicken seasoned with crushed tomatoes and onions, served with rice, vegetables and ranchero beans, and topped with cheddar cheese.

·         Deluxe Verde Chicken Enchiladas with Rice: Hand-rolled enchiladas, stuffed with poblano pepper-seasoned shredded chicken, covered with spicy tomatillo sauce and finished with authentic queso fresco cheese.
 

So the question becomes how well are you addressing the needs of today’s consumer? Are you still selling the same food the same way?  Are you doing what you have always been doing?  We the consumer is not.  The consumer is dynamic not static and if you are in the food industry today you need to be as well.  

Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us