Kroger vs. Albertsons: One Has a Growth Plan, the Other Needs a Turnaround. Will Either Win Tomorrow’s Food Customer?

 

The supermarket wars are no longer just about price, purchasing power, or store count. Kroger is trying to build its next growth engine. Albertsons is trying to reverse weakening sales. Both must prove that legacy supermarket brands can remain relevant to consumers who increasingly find food solutions everywhere according the Grocerant Guru®.

For decades, traditional supermarkets built their businesses around weekly shopping trips, stocked pantries, fresh produce, meat departments, center-store aisles, and loyalty programs. That model helped make supermarkets central to American food shopping.

But the consumer has changed.

Today, dinner might come from a grocery deli, a restaurant drive-through, a convenience store, a warehouse club, a meal kit, or a combination of food purchased across several channels. Consumers increasingly choose the solution that best fits the occasion, budget, schedule, and appetite.

That creates a difficult question for Kroger and Albertsons: Are they transforming themselves into more relevant food businesses, or are they still fighting yesterday’s supermarket battles while competitors capture tomorrow’s eating occasions?

According to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice Solutions®, the real competitive threat is not simply another supermarket. It is the retailer, restaurant, or foodservice operator that makes satisfying the next meal easier.

Kroger vs. Albertsons: The Performance Gap Is Becoming More Important

The failed $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons was supposed to create a larger supermarket competitor with greater purchasing power and the ability to compete more effectively against Walmart, Costco, Amazon, and other retailers.

Federal and state courts blocked the proposed transaction in December 2024, and Kroger terminated the merger agreement. The companies were left to pursue their futures independently.

Now the comparison is more revealing than the merger debate itself.

Their latest reported second-quarter results for fiscal 2026 show two different operating situations. Kroger reported modest positive identical sales and substantial adjusted e-commerce growth. Albertsons reported declining identical sales, slower overall revenue, and a need to accelerate its turnaround.

The latest numbers tell a different story

Performance measure	Kroger	Albertsons
Latest reported fiscal Q2	Ended Aug. 15, 2026	Ended Sept. 12, 2026
Identical sales	+0.2%	−0.8%
Digital/e-commerce sales growth	+20% adjusted e-commerce	+11% digital
Strategic direction	Multi-year growth and modernization plan	Accelerated turnaround and cost reduction
Immediate challenge	Reignite comparable sales growth	Reverse sales weakness while improving profitability

Sources: Kroger's second-quarter results and Albertsons' second-quarter results. The fiscal quarters ended on different dates, and the companies' digital-sales measures are not identical, so these figures are directional comparisons rather than perfectly like-for-like measures.

The contrast matters.

Kroger's 0.2% identical-sales growth is positive, but it is hardly evidence of a powerful sales engine. The company also lowered its full-year 2026 identical-sales outlook. Its 20% adjusted e-commerce growth is encouraging, although digital growth must ultimately translate into profitable customer relationships and stronger overall sales.

Albertsons faces a more immediate problem. Its 0.8% identical-sales decline suggests that its existing business is not generating the sales momentum management needs. Digital sales increased 11%, but that growth was not sufficient to prevent the decline in identical sales.

Albertsons also announced a comprehensive business review, accelerated cost-saving efforts, and the withdrawal of its fiscal 2026 financial outlook.

The key distinction: Kroger is trying to accelerate a growth strategy. Albertsons is trying to repair its operating performance while building its next strategy.

Neither position guarantees success. But the companies are not starting from the same place.

Kroger: A Defined Plan, but Execution Is the Test

On October 20, 2026, Kroger outlined a multi-year strategy to build what it calls America's Favorite Grocer.

Its stated priorities include investing in fresh food and meals, strengthening private brands, expanding its Boost membership program, improving digital profitability, modernizing operations, and using technology and artificial intelligence to improve execution.

Kroger also established long-term financial targets, including approximately 3% comparable-sales growth in 2029, excluding fuel and pharmacy, alongside targeted annualized adjusted EBITDA growth of 3% to 6% and adjusted net earnings-per-share growth of 7% to 11% for fiscal 2027 through fiscal 2029.

Source: Kroger's October 20, 2026 investor strategy announcement.

This is a more explicit growth roadmap than a strategy centered primarily on defensive consolidation.

But a financial target is not a consumer strategy by itself.

Kroger must demonstrate that investments in fresh food, prepared meals, digital shopping, private brands, and loyalty programs give consumers more reasons to choose its stores. The company needs to turn those initiatives into better meal solutions, more compelling value, and stronger shopping occasions.

Consider the practical opportunity. A customer shopping for dinner should be able to find an appealing combination of a prepared entrée, fresh produce, a side dish, and a dessert at a clearly communicated price. A customer seeking lunch should find satisfying hand-held foods and portable fresh options without navigating an entire supermarket.

Kroger's scale provides a platform for making these offerings available across many stores. Its challenge is to make that scale work at the individual meal occasion.

Kroger's risk is that it executes a sophisticated operational plan without making the consumer's food choices sufficiently easier, more relevant, or more valuable.

Albertsons: The Turnaround Must Reach the Customer's Shopping Basket

Albertsons' position is more urgent.

On October 13, 2026, the company reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 identical-sales growth of negative 0.8%. Net sales and other revenue declined 0.1% to approximately $18.9 billion. Digital sales rose 11%, but the company announced an accelerated business review aimed at simplifying its organization, reducing costs, reinvesting in customer value, and improving long-term performance.

Albertsons also withdrew its full-year fiscal 2026 financial forecasts as it undertook the review.

Source: Albertsons' second-quarter fiscal 2026 results.

The company has meaningful assets. As of September 12, 2026, Albertsons operated 2,240 stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia, using 22 supermarket banners that include Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, and ACME. Its business also includes pharmacies, in-store coffee shops, fuel centers, and digital platforms.

That footprint gives Albertsons opportunities to build regional food relevance. But a large portfolio of established banners can also make organizational simplification, consistent execution, and brand differentiation more complicated.

The company's immediate challenge is to reduce unnecessary costs without reducing the quality, availability, or convenience that customers expect.

Cost savings can create money to reinvest in lower prices and better stores. But cutting expenses does not automatically create a compelling food proposition.

Albertsons must determine where its banners have distinctive customer advantages, which stores and markets offer the best growth opportunities, and how prepared food and meal solutions can improve the frequency and value of customer visits.

It also needs to make its value proposition unmistakable. Shoppers under financial pressure should not have to work hard to understand which meals are affordable, which products deliver better value, and which promotions genuinely save them money.

Albertsons' risk is that the turnaround becomes an exercise in organizational restructuring and cost control while consumers continue taking their food dollars elsewhere.

The Digital Growth Paradox: More Online Sales Do Not Automatically Mean More Food Relevance

Kroger's adjusted e-commerce sales increased 20% in its latest reported quarter, while Albertsons' digital sales increased 11%.

Those are meaningful growth rates, but they should not be confused with overall comparable-sales growth. Nor should the companies' different digital metrics be treated as directly interchangeable.

Digital shopping can improve convenience, help customers plan purchases, support personalized promotions, and make pickup or delivery easier. But digital tools are most valuable when they strengthen the underlying food offering.

An app cannot rescue a weak meal assortment. Personalized promotions cannot permanently compensate for an unconvincing value proposition. Faster delivery cannot guarantee that customers will return if the food itself disappoints.

The opportunity is to connect digital capabilities with the entire food experience.

Can customers quickly identify a complete dinner for two? Can parents assemble an affordable family meal without making several stops? Can shoppers find fresh, portable breakfasts and lunches that fit their schedules? Can retailers recommend complementary meal components that save customers time and money?

These are not simply technology questions. They are questions about food merchandising, menu development, customer behavior, and the consumer's total eating experience.

Kroger has an opportunity to use its growth investments to create a more integrated food platform. Albertsons needs to ensure its turnaround produces visible improvements in the everyday shopping experience.

Both companies must move beyond measuring digital adoption and demonstrate how digital convenience improves customer retention, basket value, and profitability.

The Grocerant Niche: Where Both Supermarkets Must Compete Differently

The Grocerant Niche sits at the intersection of grocery retail and foodservice. It encompasses fresh, convenient, ready-to-eat, heat-and-eat, and easy-to-assemble food solutions.

The consumer does not necessarily care which department or channel provides the solution. The consumer cares whether the food satisfies the need.

A grocery deli may offer rotisserie chicken, prepared macaroni and cheese, and salad. A convenience store may sell a breakfast sandwich, fresh fruit, and a beverage. A restaurant may offer a takeout family meal. All can compete for the same eating occasion.

This is the battle for share of stomach.

For Kroger, the opportunity is to use its scale, fresh departments, private brands, and digital capabilities to make meal solutions more accessible and attractive.

For Albertsons, the opportunity is to use its regional banners and existing customer relationships to identify local preferences, sharpen value, and improve the relevance of prepared foods and meal components.

Both should examine more than conventional grocery transactions. They should evaluate the occasions they serve, the occasions they lose, and the reasons consumers choose competing solutions.

A shopper who buys ingredients for a weekend dinner may buy a prepared meal on a busy weekday and a hand-held breakfast on the way to work. Retailers that can serve those different needs have more opportunities to earn repeat visits and capture a larger share of food spending.

The strategic goal is not to turn every supermarket into a restaurant. It is to make the supermarket more useful when customers decide what to eat.

The Consumer Is the Judge, Not the Corporate Strategy

Inflation and food-price sensitivity make value essential. But value does not mean price alone.

Consumers evaluate what they receive in exchange for the money, time, and effort they invest. Food quality, flavor, convenience, portability, portion size, and the social experience all contribute to perceived value.

That is why meal bundles, ready-to-eat foods, heat-and-eat entrées, and mix-and-match meal components can be important. They help customers solve a practical problem while giving retailers opportunities to sell complementary products.

A clear dinner bundle can reduce decision-making. A prepared lunch can save time. A combination of fresh fruit, a sandwich, and a beverage can satisfy an immediate need without requiring a full shopping trip.

These are tangible benefits customers can recognize.

Kroger's challenge is to turn its strategic investments into more reasons to shop. Albertsons' challenge is to make its turnaround visible in the prices, products, and experiences customers encounter.

Neither company can assume that consumers will remain loyal simply because a store has served their families for decades.

Legacy creates familiarity. Relevance must be earned repeatedly.

Can Kroger and Albertsons Both Survive?

Both companies have substantial assets, established customers, recognizable brands, and opportunities to adapt. It is premature to declare either company destined to fail.

But the near-term outlooks differ.

Kroger appears better positioned strategically today. Its latest comparable-sales result was positive, its adjusted e-commerce business is growing rapidly, and its October 2026 plan establishes a multi-year framework for sales, earnings, and operational improvement. It still must deliver stronger sales momentum and prove that its investments create meaningful customer value.

Albertsons faces the more immediate challenge. Declining identical sales, a withdrawn financial outlook, and an accelerated business review indicate that management must address performance problems while deciding how to simplify and reinvigorate the business. Its store network and regional banners remain important assets, but those assets must translate into stronger customer demand.

This is a comparison of current strategic positions, not a prediction that one company will survive and the other will not.

The larger competitive threat to both is that customers are increasingly willing to divide their food spending among supermarkets, mass merchants, restaurants, convenience stores, and digital channels.

The next era of grocery competition will reward retailers that make food shopping and meal decisions easier, more affordable, and more relevant to individual occasions.

The old question was, "Where do consumers buy groceries?"

The new question is, "Where do consumers choose to satisfy their next food need?"

Kroger has articulated a plan to grow. Albertsons is working to restore its momentum. Both must prove they understand that the customer—not the corporate legacy—is the ultimate measure of relevance.

Three Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1. Kroger has the clearer growth roadmap, but the customer must see the difference. Digital growth, private brands, and operational modernization matter only when they translate into better food, stronger value, and easier meal decisions. A strategic plan earns its value at the point of purchase.

2. Albertsons must make its turnaround tangible. Cost reduction and organizational simplification can help, but customers need to experience the benefits through sharper pricing, compelling fresh food, convenient meal bundles, and improved execution. A turnaround that customers cannot see is unlikely to rebuild loyalty on its own.

3. Both companies must compete for the next eating occasion. The competition is not confined to supermarket aisles. It includes restaurant takeout, convenience-store meals, ready-to-eat snacks, and mix-and-match components. The grocer that solves more consumer food needs has more opportunities to capture share of stomach.

The Grocerant Guru® bottom line: Kroger currently has the more clearly articulated growth strategy; Albertsons has the more urgent turnaround challenge. Neither can rely on legacy brand recognition alone. In today's food marketplace, consumers are dynamic, not static—and the retailer that makes the next meal easier, more flavorful, and more affordable has the best opportunity to win.

Ready to Find Your Next Success Clue?

We specialize in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations—helping brands seize opportunities in food retail, technology, and menu innovation.

Reach out today: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us

Follow us: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Inflation Is the Enemy of Retail: How Meal Deals and Meal Kits Win the Battle for Price, Time, and Family Mealtime

 

Here is the consumer challenge every food retailer must answer: When the cost of feeding a family keeps climbing, why should a consumer spend more money, more time, or more effort buying a meal from your brand?

Consumers are making that calculation every day. They are weighing restaurant takeout against grocery-prepared meals, convenience-store food against drive-thru combinations, and meal kits against the time and cost of cooking from scratch. They are not loyal to retail channels simply because those channels have always served them. They are looking for the best combination of price, flavor, convenience, quality, and time according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Foodservice Solutions®.

Inflation may be the enemy of retailers, but irrelevance is the enemy of brands. When a meal feels overpriced, takes too long, or fails to deliver on expectations, consumers have alternatives—and increasingly, those alternatives cross traditional retail boundaries.

That is where meal deals and meal kits enter the fight for share of stomach.

A restaurant meal deal can make the total cost of dinner more predictable. A convenience store can turn a quick stop into a satisfying meal occasion. A grocery retailer can combine fresh ingredients, prepared entrées, and ready-to-heat components to help a family put dinner on the table with less planning and preparation.

Each sector has a different advantage, but all face the same challenge: make the consumer's money go further without making the consumer work harder.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we view this through the intersection of Price and Time. Price is what consumers pay at checkout; time includes the effort required to decide, shop, prepare, serve, and clean up. A low-priced meal that consumes an hour of a busy evening may not represent the best value. A convenient meal that strains the household budget may not win the next purchase.

The brands that succeed will understand that consumers are not simply buying food. They are buying solutions to everyday eating occasions.

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson, based in Tacoma, Washington, has long championed the principle that consumers do not think in retail-channel silos. They think about what they want to eat, how much they want to spend, and how much time they have available.

The question is no longer simply, “Who has the lowest price?” It is, “Who delivers the meal solution consumers believe is worth their money and their time?” That is where meal deals, meal kits, and the Grocerant Niche can help brands build relevance, encourage repeat purchases, and compete for a greater share of stomach.

Inflation Changes the Consumer Equation

According to the USDA Economic Research Service, food-at-home prices increased 2.3% in 2025 compared with 2024, while food-away-from-home prices increased 3.8%. The difference matters because restaurants and grocery retailers are competing for consumers whose food budgets remain under pressure.

These annual increases followed years of substantial food-price inflation. Even when inflation slows, consumers do not automatically return to their former spending habits. The higher price level remains, and households continue to make trade-offs.

The challenge for food retailers is to demonstrate value without teaching customers that their brand is worth buying only when it is discounted.

That is where meal deals and meal kits become strategic tools.

A meal deal provides a defined combination of products at a bundled price. A meal kit packages ingredients or components that help consumers prepare a meal with less planning and shopping effort. Depending on the retailer, a kit may be ready to heat, ready to assemble, or ready to cook.

Both formats can reduce decision friction. Both can showcase multiple products under one brand umbrella. And both can give customers a clearer understanding of what their money buys.

The winning equation is not simply lower prices. It is better perceived value for the money and time invested.

The Intersection of Price and Time

Consumers evaluate meals through two interconnected resources: money and time.

A low-priced meal that requires extensive preparation may not fit a busy household. A convenient restaurant meal that exceeds the family's budget may lose to a grocery solution. A supermarket meal kit that eliminates the need to plan several ingredients can compete with both.

Retailers should consider four questions when developing a meal offer:

·       Price: Is the total cost clear, credible, and appropriate for the target household?

·       Time: How much planning, shopping, preparation, and cleanup does the offer require?

·       Choice: Can consumers adapt the meal to different tastes, appetites, and dietary preferences?

·       Experience: Does the meal deliver flavor, freshness, satisfaction, and a reason to buy again?

The answers help explain why meal deals and meal kits should not be treated as interchangeable promotions. They solve different consumer problems, and the strongest retailers can use both.

Restaurants: Turn Meal Deals Into Brand-Building Platforms

Restaurants have a natural advantage in flavor, menu development, and prepared-to-order food. But consumers increasingly expect a clear explanation of what a meal costs and what they receive in return.

A well-designed meal deal can make that decision easier.

Family bundles, combination meals, limited-time menu pairings, and meals built around a recognizable entrée can communicate value before the customer reaches checkout. Restaurants can also use bundled offers to introduce appetizers, sides, beverages, desserts, and new menu items.

Consider a restaurant that pairs a signature entrée with a side and beverage at a clearly stated price. The bundle can encourage trial of products that customers might otherwise skip. It can also increase the number of menu components purchased in a transaction, provided the bundle remains profitable.

Meal kits offer another opportunity. Restaurant-developed kits can extend a signature flavor profile into the home through ready-to-cook ingredients, sauces, seasoning blends, or partially prepared components. These offerings can bridge the gap between restaurant-quality inspiration and the consumer's desire to eat at home.

The strategy is not to make every restaurant a grocery store. It is to make the restaurant brand relevant across more eating occasions.

Restaurants should measure bundle profitability, repeat purchases, add-on sales, waste, and customer retention—not just the number of discounted meals sold.

C-Stores: Win the Meal Occasion, Not Just the Snack Purchase

Convenience stores have spent years expanding beyond traditional packaged snacks, beverages, and fuel-related purchases. Prepared food, hot foodservice, grab-and-go meals, and fresh components create opportunities to compete for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and between-meal occasions.

For time-pressed consumers, the C-store proposition can be compelling: a nearby location, quick access, and a meal that requires little or no preparation.

Meal deals can combine a sandwich or hot entrée with a side and beverage. Other offers might pair breakfast items, fresh snacks, or shareable foods into an affordable combination.

Meal kits can take a different form in this channel. Smaller ready-to-heat or ready-to-assemble meal components may appeal to shoppers who need dinner for one, a quick lunch, or an additional item to complete a meal at home.

The opportunity is to match the package to the occasion.

A single-person dinner should not automatically be priced or packaged like a family bundle. A commuter seeking lunch has different needs from a parent stopping for an easy dinner solution.

C-stores can also use branded sauces, signature proteins, recognizable flavor combinations, and seasonal menu items to build differentiation. The goal is to give customers a reason to choose the same store for food—not simply because it is nearby, but because the food is worth returning for.

Grocery: Make Meal Kits and Prepared Components Easier to Discover

Grocery retailers already possess a significant advantage: access to ingredients, fresh departments, private-label products, and established shopping relationships.

Yet having the right products in the store is not enough. Consumers must recognize that those products solve a meal problem.

A 2025 Progressive Grocer report on its 76th Consumer Expenditures Study found that price and value were the leading consideration when shoppers purchased supermarket-prepared foods, selected by 61% of respondents. Quality followed at 57%, taste at 57%, and freshness at 50%. The study also reported that 22% had ordered meal kits.

These findings reinforce a fundamental point: value is multidimensional. A low price may attract attention, but quality, taste, freshness, and convenience help determine whether the purchase feels worthwhile.

Grocery retailers can respond with several complementary strategies.

1. Build meal kits around recognizable occasions.

Offer solutions for family taco night, pasta night, grilled chicken dinners, quick lunches, or weekend entertaining. Use clear preparation times and show what is included.

2. Combine fresh and prepared components.

A prepared entrée, fresh vegetable side, bakery item, and sauce can create a flexible meal without requiring the shopper to purchase a conventional meal kit.

3. Make the total meal price visible.

Display the cost of the complete solution rather than forcing shoppers to calculate the cost of each component independently.

4. Use private-label products strategically.

A retailer can combine private-label sauces, seasonings, sides, and proteins into a coherent meal proposition that encourages customers to buy several products from the same banner.

5. Cross-merchandise with purpose.

Position complementary products together, provide simple recipe suggestions, and make it easy for shoppers to move from inspiration to purchase.

The objective is to help consumers answer the familiar question, “What's for dinner?” before they leave the store.

What the Latest Meal-Kit Data Tell Us

The meal-kit opportunity has evolved considerably since the 2018 growth figures cited in the original version of this article. Those figures were historically important, but they should not be mistaken for current market conditions.

More recent research provides a useful picture of how meal kits fit into today's food landscape.

A 2024 market analysis published by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, using Euromonitor International data, reported U.S. meal-kit retail sales of approximately $7.9 billion in 2023. The analysis projected slower growth through 2028 than the category experienced during the 2019–2023 period, illustrating how post-pandemic shopping patterns and inflation have changed the market. These figures are estimates for the defined meal-kit category, not a measure of all supermarket prepared foods.

More importantly, newer research points toward the opportunity for store-based meal solutions.

A 2026 KPMG Consumer Pulse Survey, conducted from February 27 to March 18, 2026, found that 22% of all respondents had used meal-kit services in the preceding three months. Among respondents who had used meal-kit services, 34% reported using grocery-store meal kits, while 36% reported using HelloFresh.

These percentages have different denominators: the 22% measures meal-kit usage across all respondents, whereas the 34% and 36% measure reported usage of specific providers among meal-kit users. Because respondents could select multiple providers, the latter figures are not market shares and are not mutually exclusive.

That is an important signal for food retailers: the grocery store can be both an ingredient destination and a source of meal solutions.

The broader lesson is that retailers do not need to depend on one delivery model, one subscription service, or one format. They can combine meal kits, prepared entrées, fresh sides, take-home components, and value bundles to serve different consumer needs.

The New Electricity: Brand Relevance Across Retail Channels

At Foodservice Solutions®, we have long described New Electricity as the energy generated when innovation, relevant products, and new avenues of distribution work together.

For food retailers, that means connecting the right product to the right consumer and eating occasion, then making the purchase easy to understand and complete.

A restaurant can introduce a signature flavor through a meal deal and extend it into a take-home kit. A convenience store can transform a snack stop into a dinner occasion. A grocery retailer can use fresh ingredients and prepared components to create a meal solution that competes with restaurant takeout.

The channels may differ, but the consumer need is often the same.

This is why brand protectionism and rigid channel thinking can become obstacles to growth. Consumers do not necessarily care which department or retail format supplies every component of their meal. They care whether the combination works for them.

Retailers that make it easier to assemble, purchase, carry, prepare, and enjoy a meal can build stronger relationships with their customers.

Artificial intelligence, digital ordering, personalized offers, and better inventory planning may help retailers improve execution. But technology cannot compensate for a poorly designed meal, confusing pricing, inconsistent quality, or an offer that does not fit the consumer's day.

The food itself still matters.

So does the value proposition.

The Bottom Line: Sell a Better Meal Solution

Inflation puts pressure on every food retailer, but competing exclusively on price can damage margins and weaken brand differentiation.

Meal deals and meal kits offer a more productive approach when they are designed around the complete consumer experience.

Restaurants can leverage flavor and menu expertise. C-stores can leverage access, speed, and immediate consumption. Grocery retailers can leverage fresh ingredients, prepared foods, private label, and the ability to build complete meals from individual components.

The opportunity is to connect these strengths rather than treat them as isolated businesses.

Consumers are dynamic, not static. Their needs change by daypart, household size, schedule, budget, and occasion. Retailers that recognize those changes can develop meal solutions that earn both attention and repeat purchases.

At the intersection of price and time, the most relevant brand is not necessarily the cheapest. It is the brand that makes a satisfying meal easier to obtain, easier to afford, and easier to enjoy.

Three Grocerant Guru® Insights

1. Price gets attention; total meal value earns loyalty.

A compelling meal deal must balance price, portion, taste, quality, and convenience. Retailers that protect the customer experience while controlling costs have a better opportunity to build repeat business than those relying on discounts alone.

2. Meal kits and meal deals are distribution strategies, not just promotions.

Each format can introduce products, connect complementary categories, and create new eating occasions. The strongest opportunities emerge when brands extend their relevance beyond their traditional retail channel.

3. Time is part of the price consumers pay.

A meal that reduces planning, shopping, preparation, and cleanup can deliver value even when it is not the lowest-priced option. Retailers that understand the intersection of price and time can build more relevant food solutions for evolving consumers.

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Foodservice Solutions®, based in Tacoma, Washington. Foodservice Solutions® focuses on the Grocerant Niche, retail foodservice strategy, outsourced business development, and brand and menu integration.

Stay Ahead of the Competition with Fresh Ideas

Is your food marketing keeping up with tomorrow’s trends—or stuck in yesterday’s playbook? If you're ready for fresh ideations that set your brand apart, we’re here to help.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we specialize in consumer-driven retail food strategies that enhance convenience, differentiation, and individualization—key factors in driving growth.

Email us at Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Connect with us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter