C-Store Sector Consolidation Will Drive Grocerant Fresh Food Sales

Alimentation Couche-Tard has acquired Holiday Stationstores, CST Brands, Ultramar and many more in each case the template has been the same integrate a fresh food first strategy to drive brand consolidation and sales with a focus on grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food fast according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  

So, when EG Group, the British retailer which last year purchased Kroger's convenience-store business, has now entered into a binding agreement for the acquisition of Cumberland Farms, according to Johnson we should expect the same.  Simply put more grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food.

Consolidation in any industry is a sign of sector strength according to Johnson and the C-store sector has been on fire for 9 years.  What is more important is haw the ‘big’ money sees the future of the industry and it clearly is pointing to a dramatic growth of grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food.

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Summer is Hot and Beverages are Cool

It may not be hot where you are today but summer is here and that means all of us will be cooling down with a cold beverage this summer.  Isabelle Gustafson published an article on stating that “people shouldn’t have to sacrifice healthy, fresh food choices for convenience and incorporates clean beverage offerings into its elevated convenience market.

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® agrees and says consumers are looking for fresh prepared grocerant beverages that are ‘better-for-you’. Here are the summer beverage trends from the article:

1. Non-GMO 

With organic beverage consumption anticipated to reach nearly $1.7 billion in sales by 2020, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen heightened demand for non-GMO and organically sweetened beverage options. Carbonated soft drinks as a category has been trending down for years, and as consumers raise the bar on what they put into their bodies, beverage providers will need to accommodate or face being left behind. We’ve seen great success with our natural fountain beverage alternatives — made with cane sugar, natural colors and natural flavors — and as summer months bring beach goers and road trippers in for quick and refreshing drinks, we anticipate this program to thrive.

 2. Kombucha vs. Soda 

As consumers lean in to label reading and ingredient knowledge, we’ve seen an increase in demand for functional beverage choices that offer a benefit to our guests, such as kombucha on tap with probiotics and specialty smoothie mix-ins for added protein, fiber and potassium benefits. Long gone are the days of empty calories — since launching earlier this year, our market has sold twice as many servings of tapped kombucha than bottled Coke — proving that this summers consumer is truly looking to get more bang for their buck.

3. Smoothies 

Light, refreshing and customizable, smoothies will prove to be a go-to beverage for consumers of all ages this summer. As natural food trends continue to thrive, more and more consumers are recognizing smoothies as a quick and convenient way to fit an extra serving of fruits into each day — rather than cooling off with traditional frozen beverages packed with sugar. Smoothies have consistently remained our most popular cold beverage offering – with the energizing Awake smoothie outselling traditional canned Red Bull — and with warm weather finally upon us, we anticipate this offering’s popularity to grow.

4. Fresh Flavor

With more options on the market today than ever before, the average consumer is more adventurous than past demographics and is always looking to try new things. Summertime is all about spontaneity, and as consumers seek out flavors they’re less familiar with, limited-edition and specialty products — such as unique natural soda, kombucha and juice offerings in flavors such as Cucumber, Sarsparilla, Strawberry Sage and Mandarin Cardamom — will prove to be successful.  So what do you think?

For international corporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit www.GrocerantGuru.com , www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or call 1-253-759-7869

7-Eleven Elevating Food & Beverage Drives Sales

Success does leave clues Amazon’s “Day One” reminding every employee to think of ‘today’ as day one of the company and how you can help make it better for consumers so it last.  Well, 7-Eleven has 66,579 locations around the world.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes the team at 7-Eleven is doing a lot of things right.

Once again,7-Eleven Inc. has been named the 2018 Hot Beverages Innovator of the Year by Convenience Store News.  With over11,800 locations in North America, this shows that its role as an industry leader is far from over according to Johnson.

For some time 7-Eleven has been adding single-origin, sustainably sourced brews. Late in 2017, the retailer headed south to the Cajamarca region of Peru for a Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee made with 100-percent Arabic beans. (Note: The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that seeks to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods.)

7-Elevens Peruvian coffee has citrus notes complemented by vanilla, cinnamon and berry undertones. The hand-picked beans are grown in the high Andes Mountains of Peru. They are then authentically roasted to a medium level for a smooth, rich taste.

Raj Kapoor, 7-Eleven’s senior vice president of fresh food and proprietary beverages stated "Today’s coffee-drinkers are more sophisticated and, in addition to wanting a great-tasting cup of coffee, many also are looking for something extra…Millennials, in particular, want coffee crops that are sustainably grown, sourced directly from small farms, and made from single-origin beans rather than blends."

Prior to introducing the Peruvian brew, 7-Eleven featured LTOs of single-sourced coffee from Matagalpa, Nicaragua and Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, the retailer’s popular 100-percent Colombian coffee is now made with Rainforest Alliance Certified single-origin beans.

What’s more, in April of this year, 7-Eleven went to Africa to source the first limited-time coffee available under its new Seven Reserve brand of fresh-brewed premium coffees. The Seven Reserve Africa Blend is a 50-50 combination of 100-percent Rainforest Alliance Certified Arabica beans cultivated on small farms in Ethiopia and Rwanda.

The CS News Foodservice Advisory Council members were impressed with how 7-Eleven is introducing all these new coffees from exotic locales known for producing fine coffee and so was the team at Foodservice Solutions®. They also gave credit to 7-Eleven for working with Conservation International to set measurable corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals to reduce its environmental footprint. As part of its CSR objectives, 7-Eleven says it will continue to seek out responsibly sourced coffees, and other products and packaging with less environmental impact. Leaders are dynamic not static.  7-Eleven continues to lead.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant