Now GNC Enters Meal Delivery

 

Who is your next competitor?  Last week the new entrant in the race for a larger share of stomach is GNC.  They are now selling meals and offering meal delivery.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® asks if you are a chain restaurant, C-store, or grocery store why does your product mix look more like yesterday than tomorrow’s?

In a partnership describe as a natural extension GNC is entering into the meal delivery space through a new partnership with RealEats. Yes, GNC the retailer focused on holistic health and wellness is adding more to its plate (like that).  Extending customer relevance, and the ‘halo’ of better for you GNC is not only a new meal competitor it is a powerhouse of ‘better for you’ messaging that will drive new electricity into grocerant niche fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat food sales according to Johnson.

GNC CFO, Cam Lawrence, stated, It’s a natural extension for the retail brand, both literally and figuratively.  Helping our customers live well has been at the heart of what we do at GNC since we were founded in 1935 and has never been more relevant that it is today,”

Lawrence continued, “This exciting partnership was a natural fit for our business that expands our product line to include diverse and delicious meal options, and give GNC consumers access to fresh, healthy meals across multiple channels.”

Battle for Share of Stomach

So, GNC customers can choose from different meal bundles that can be ordered through the company’s website. Choices include meals designed for specific consideration or diets, such as meat-free or lower-calorie dishes. Available in vacuum-sealed packaging for quality, food safety and shelf life, RealEats meals are made with ingredients free of additives or preservatives, many of which are locally sourced.

Npte: The meal deliveries will begin later this year, with service available throughout the United States.

RealEats, founder and CEO Dan Wise, stated, the partnership provides an opportunity to expand its footprint at a pivotal time of growth for the subscription meal delivery service. I started RealEats as a busy, single dad who wanted to provide fresh, nutritious dinners for my two young boys, but didn't have the time to do grocery shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning. Through this new partnership with GNC, we will be able to deliver our nutritious and delicious meals to a whole lot more people,” RealEats will garner the ‘halo’ of better for you with this deal that will drive incremental customer relevance and new electricity.

So, how are you creating new electricity?  According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”  That said, what are you waiting for?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information.