Supermarket Perimeter - August 2021 - 54

Produce: Salad Bars
The future of salad bars at retail: insights from the Produce Marketing Association
INNOVATION
The pandemic accelerated and often
forced innovation: new concepts, new
service options, capturing self-serve
sales in new ways, new ideas around
catering, and the idea that some
stores thrive with self-serve and some
don't do well, and that's OK - one
size doesn't fit all.
* The lunch and dinner crowd:
This has changed permanently
for some people. Retailers need
to innovate to capture that sale
without complete reliance on the
self-serve bar.
* Continue modifying offerings for
the new realities - e.g. smaller
groups for meals/holidays, new
working/shopping patterns. Things
will not be back to " normal " soon,
if ever.
* Look at new service options,
including salad robots, to allow
shoppers to choose what they want
without having ingredients open to
everyone.
* Experiment, offer variety,
especially for customers with
pandemic meal fatigue. Do
limited-time offers, keep variety
going without having to have huge
inventory. Reinvent meal solutions
with protein, grain and vegetables.
ADAPTATION
As the situations change - over time and regionally - retailers must
prepare for what's coming next. That may require a wait-and-see approach
for clarity before taking next steps.
* Prepack is not going away.
* Build trust in-store. Create an environment in-store that shows you
know shoppers' habits and ideas about sanitation/safety have changed.
* Eliminate under-performers. The " closed-for-now " time allows time to
assess whether self-serve should be reinstated when the time comes.
Reopen where appropriate/allowed, and reinvent unproductive space.
* Revamp assortment options. Consumers still cook more at home, watch
cooking shows and want new meal ideas. They want to try new things.
COLLABORATION
with internal teams, suppliers and
other partners
* Keep store teams energized
around fresh, service and
new ideas.
* Work with suppliers on
assortment, package sizes, new
products, combining prepack
with self-serve options. Vendors
have ideas and solutions.
* Bring together a team from
multiple facets of the company
to bring synergy to meal
solutions for customers.
WORDS OF WISDOM
* Stay focused on the customer, and it will lead you to your path.
* Try what resonates. During the pandemic we were allowed to innovate and fail. If
you don't have some failures along the way, you didn't try enough new things.
* Retail is a tower of strength to communities and neighborhoods - yes,
during and due to the pandemic, but also through the other 2020
situations of elections, civil disturbance/unrest and more.
* We will always reflect on this past year - if we can get through that, we can get through anything.
54 - AUGUST 2021
supermarketperimeter.com
Contributing panelists for
the PMA roundtable that
produced these insights
included representatives from
210 Analytics, Albertsons
Companies, Carlson AirFlo,
Associated Wholesale Grocers,
Dover Food Retail (Hillphoenix),
Gelson's Markets, Giant Eagle,
Hormel Foods, Hussmann
Corp., Isabelle's Kitchen/
Salad Bar Tenders, The Kroger
Co., Nestle, Sunset Food
Mart, and Taylor Farms.
SOURCE - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

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Supermarket Perimeter - August 2021

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