Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 8
Grocery retailers continue to seek
solutions to chronic labor shortages
By Andy Nelson
T
he pandemic has officially passed, the worldwide logistics
problems that followed are under better control, and the US
economy continues to add jobs at record paces.
But labor problems are still front and center for many industries, and
retail grocery remains one of the hardest hit.
There are still significant labor challenges facing retailers and their
supplier partners today, said Brian Numainville, principal of Lake
Success, N.Y.-based The Feedback Group.
Finding and retaining staff, for instance, is a major issue. Many
workers either left the workforce during the pandemic or shifted to
other opportunities with better compensation. That, Numainville said,
has made it difficult for grocery stores to find enough staff.
A related challenge is rising wages. As the labor market tightens - it's
currently near a 50-year low - workers are demanding higher wages.
This is putting pressure on grocery retailers' margins.
Retailers are responding with not only higher wages but efforts to
improve working conditions and investments in automation technology
for increased efficiency.
Other challenges retailers and their supplier partners are facing
include supply chain disruptions, rising food prices and inflation, all of
which impact profitability.
As in many other industries, technology will play a key role in helping
8 - JUNE 2023
the grocery industry cope with labor-related issues going forward,
Numainville said.
But investments in technology have to be combined with an equally
strong investment in employees.
" Automation technology, robotics, AI and increased use of data
analytics are some tools that can help retailers cope with fewer workers
and help increase efficiency. Paying close attention to employees and
their feedback will also be important as retaining staff becomes even
more important than ever before. "
The Feedback Group is tracking an exponentially increased demand
for employee surveys to help retailers understand staff perceptions of
working for their organizations.
" We expect this to continue into the foreseeable future, "
Numainville said.
Labor solutions = new product development
Food companies plan to invest a lot more in new product development
this year, and they're citing labor-saving tools and techniques as one of
the big reasons why.
That's among the findings in a new report from Westminster, Colo.based
TraceGains, 2023 Food and Beverage CPG Innovation, a survey
of nearly 300 food and beverage professionals that explores the state
supermarketperimeter.com
vectorfusionart- stock.adobe.com
http://stock.adobe.com
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - Intro
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 1
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 2
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 3
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 4
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 5
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 6
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 7
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 8
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 9
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 10
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 11
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 12
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 13
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 14
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 15
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 16
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 17
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 18
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 19
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 20
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 21
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 22
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 23
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 24
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 25
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 26
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 27
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 28
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 29
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 30
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 31
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 32
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 33
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 34
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 35
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 36
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 37
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 38
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 39
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 40
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 41
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 42
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 43
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 44
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 45
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 46
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 47
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 48
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 49
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 50
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 51
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 52
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 53
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 54
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 55
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 56
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 57
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 58
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 59
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 60
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 61
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 62
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 63
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 64
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 65
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 66
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 67
Supermarket Perimeter - June 2023 - 68
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-april-2024
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-march-2024
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-february-2024
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-january-2024
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-december-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-november-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-october-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-september-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-august-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-july-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-june-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-may-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-april-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-march-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-february-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-january-2023
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-december-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-november-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-october-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-september-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/-supermarket-perimeter-august-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-july-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-june-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-may-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-april-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-march-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-february-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-january-2022
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/-supermarket-perimeter-december-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-november-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-october-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-september-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-august-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-july-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-june-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-may-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-april-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/supermarket-perimeter-march-2021
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2021_02_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2021_01_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_12_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_11_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_10_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_09_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_08_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_07_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_06_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_05_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_04_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_03_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_02_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2020_01_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_12_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_11_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_10_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_09_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_08_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_07_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_06_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_05_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_04_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_03_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_02_01
https://digital.supermarketperimeter.com/sosland/sp/2019_01_01
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com