Supermarket Perimeter - December 2021 - 6

the
WIRE
Barbecue named top
global taste trend
Taste and nutrition
specialist Kerry has
revealed its top global
taste trend in 2021:
barbecue.
A total of 26 barbecue,
smoke and grill tastes
were identified across
Kerry's Taste Charts in
Europe, APMEA, North
America and the Latin
American region. A
dozen of these were
considered " emerging " ,
while another five made
the " up and coming "
category.
Meanwhile, Innova
reports that one in every
seven new products
developed around the
world is barbecuefocused,
while in Europe
43% of new food and
beverage launches in
2021 featured barbecue
as a component. Asia
has the most potential,
with new product
launches up almost
one-third (to 21%) in the
last five years.
In addition, more
than 33% of all sauces
and seasoning products
launched during 2016-20
call out barbecue on the
front of package, along
with 30% of new snack
products.
6 - DECEMBER 2021
Kerry has identified 39
main global variations
and traditions from
around the world-
ranging from Memphis
and Texas in North
America to kebab in the
Middle East, yakitori, char
sui and tandoori in Asia,
khorovats from Armenia,
to jerk in Latin America.
Instacart, Publix
partner on rapiddelivery
service
Instacart and Publix
have teamed up to
debut Publix Quick
Picks. Available across
Publix's entire sevenstate
footprint, the
new storefront allows
customers to shop from
Publix's wide assortment
of fresh groceries,
pantry and household
essentials, meals, snacks
and more, for delivery
in as fast as 30 minutes
with Instacart Priority
Delivery.
Publix Quick Picks first
launched in September
in Tampa, Fla. Following
a successful pilot, the
companies expanded the
service across Publix's
operating footprint
ahead of the holiday
season, enabling millions
of households across
the Southeast to receive
rapid delivery from Publix
for the first time ever.
Customers to-date
have ordered a variety
of items from across
the virtual aisles, from
premade meals including
fried chicken tenders,
Italian pinwheels and
sushi, to convenience
essentials like soda,
chips, ice cream, candy,
beer, wine and hard
seltzers, and everything
in between.
Available to
customers on Instacart's
Convenience Hub, an
Instacart marketplace
product feature
that streamlines the
convenience shopping
experience, as well
as on delivery.publix.
com, Publix Quick Picks
allows customers to
access essentials in
as fast as 30 minutes
- when they need just
a few items quickly to
supplement their weekly
grocery shop.
Sales surge for
independent grocers
The 2021 edition of the
Independent Grocers
Financial Survey, a
joint study between
the National Grocers
Association (NGA) and
FMS Solutions, found
that in the fiscal year
2020, sales increased
an average of 17% for
independent grocers.
In the fiscal year
that ended on March
31 for many retailers,
transaction sizes were
boosted to an average of
$31. While inflation was
high, sales still gained
13.5% once adjusted for
the price increases.
Big contributors
were dry grocery, dairy,
frozen and meat. The
high demand drove an
increase in inventory
turns, reaching an
average of 19.2 times
per year as well as a
decrease in shrink to
2.5%. While hard-dollar
expenses rose in areas
such as wages/benefits
and supplies, sales gains
accelerated faster. This
prompted a drop in total
expenses as a percentage
of sales to 26.9%, down
from 28.8% in 2019.
In all, independents
managed to improve
their margin to 28.4%
across departments, with
the biggest departmental
increases by dry grocery,
dairy, GM/HBC and beer/
wine/liquor.
The study found
independents put the
pandemic sales gains
to effective use by
reinvesting into the
business, with 62%
increasing capital
expenses. Both store
remodeling and new
store openings reached
their highest levels in
many years. Additionally,
they improved their
debt-to-equity ratio and
paid down long-term
liabilities.
With Instacart and Publix's new service, Publix Quick Picks,
grocery items can be delivered in as little as 30 minutes.
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Supermarket Perimeter - December 2021

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