Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association’s Post

Change is afoot and venerable Market Hall Foods is, sadly, not immune as they close their Berkeley location while keeping Rockridge in Oakland open. These are tough but necessary choices that reflect the push and pull of increasing cost and uncertain demand. This follows recent closures across the country including Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen & Market. Folks often lament these closures and posit what they believe to be the issues driving the moves, but the below article lays in stark relief some of the commonalities that thread through the industry as it hits some inevitable bumps. Contrary to what we have all long believed, more and bigger is not always better, and there is no shame in taking three stores to two, or two to one, if it means that the core business model and consumer value proposition can remain viable and healthy, if not compelling. Let's patronize our specialty retailers and be intentional about supporting not only them, but the smaller producers they feature that are vital to our food and beverage ecosphere! #retail #retailclosing #specialtyfood #retailtrends #supportsmallbusiness

Where is your go-to burger spot? For many Americans, that has changed over the last few years. As costs and prices have increased coming out of the pandemic, "consumers have reshaped the burger business, shifting toward newer brands or those with a higher perception of quality, and away from some of the more traditional quick-service chains. But they're not all shifting to fast-casual chains." Read More: https://lnkd.in/gj32wX-y #quickservice #fastcasual #restaurantdata #burgers #restaurantconsulting

Wine sales are down for retail liquor and wine shops in Colorado—in many cases, significantly. Wonderful story with first-hand interviews with real people by Colorado Public Radio. A year ago this month a new law went into effect allowing wine sales in grocery stores. Passed by voters, the law's enactment has hit non-grocery store retailers in the gut. Sales are down from 15 to 35%, and in some cases more. Clearly, many Coloradans are won over by the convenience of getting wine with their groceries. They also may believe they're getting a better purchase price. In many cases, this is a responding NO. To be clear, wine brands available at grocery stores are limited. The wines originate from the mass-produced corporate industrial complex, purchased from large wholesalers. If you value small businesses both in the retail and producer arenas, please frequent your local non-grocery shopkeeper. You'll be doing you and your neighbors a favor! #drinklocalwine #shopretailliquorstores #shoplocal #coloradowine https://lnkd.in/g3ujiTsm

As a food entrepreneur and closet marketeer, I see challenges with this partnership: 1. Krispy Kreme donuts are best served warm. Their red neon light created a cult like following. But when they over expanded years ago into gas stations and c stores the light wasn’t shining anymore. At that point they became just another donut and cheapend their brand. 2. It will be a gargantuan, if not impossible task to service all 13,000+ McDonald's restaurants with a “fresh” donut. I watch it everyday here in the Northeast as they try to supply local supermarkets with fresh donuts. Nobody is thinking about donuts in the afternoon or at dinner time - the window is 7am to 9am. This means a “thaw and sell” donut will have to be developed for this partnership to even have a chance of survival. But again, it goes against what KK is known for. 3. McDonald's is arguably one of the most recognized brands in the world. However, they’ve come under fire recently for their pricing and customer service. I’d double down my resources right there. Focus on making the customers feel special when they walk in the door and give them a meal that provides value - as they created the “value meal” concept. The introduction of donuts might grow their TikTok followers, but it won’t add to the bottom line. Save that dough. PIE THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER®️ #qsr #cpg #fastfood #dessert #marketing #mrtods #entrepreneurship

Brown’s Super Stores Inc. has revealed a hefty investment in Di Bruno Bros., a chain of gourmet food emporia in the Philadelphia area, according to a published report. The private transaction between the two family-owned companies includes the closure of Di Bruno’s eight locations on Thursday, April 4 for what store signs are calling “technology updates,” with some stores to remain closed on Friday, April 5, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Citing an “industry insider” as a source, the Inquirer wrote that the Di Bruno name would be retained, operations at Brown’s Super Stores should not be affected and that the changes shouldn’t be noticeable to Di Bruno shoppers. The source added that Di Bruno’s current owners, Bill Mignucci Jr. and his cousins Billy and Emilio, would stay on at the business, which was founded in 1939 by Danny and Joe Di Bruno. Brown’s and Di Bruno issued a statement saying that their aim was to “create a new entity that is financially resilient and builds upon the exceptional quality and customer experience for which the Di Bruno Bros. brand is known.” Joshua Brown, son of Executive Chairman Jeff Brown, who stepped down as president and CEO when he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Philadelphia last year, is listed on corporate papers for two new companies, DB Gourmet Brands and DB Gourmet Markets, according to the Inquirer, which added that the companies declined further comment. Di Bruno’s has about 250 employees while more than 2,300 associates work at Brown’s stores. Westville, N.J.-based Brown’s Super Stores Inc., a member of Wakefern Food Corp., owns and operates nine ShopRite supermarkets and two The Fresh Grocer stores in the Delaware Valley. Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern is the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative. The company comprises more than 40 members that independently own and operate 360-plus supermarkets. Wakefern is No. 29 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 listing of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

It's well known that some of the top-selling products are those tied to holidays and special occasions. 🍬 However, grocery stores have been expanding their fresh product offerings beyond the traditional bakery and deli departments. Enter the Sweet Shop setup: a new way for grocers to stay competitive and draw in shoppers all year round. 🍭 Here's how 👉 https://ow.ly/qMIh50TkcF2 #foodretail #grocery #supermarket

Have you eaten at CAVA? (It's delicious!) The Mediterranean chain is giving fast-casual restaurants a run for their money. I'm sharing more insights in my latest Forbes article. https://lnkd.in/gjEFA4Ka #cava #restaurantindustry #restaurantbusiness #restaurant #marketing #qsr #fastcasual

🔥 🍗 🐔 Retailer of the Week - Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 🐔 🍗 🔥 In 2019, Popeyes launched the Chicken Sandwich heard round the world. A brand that was deemed mid tier at best and known for not great service was on the road to reinvention over the last decade or so and man did it land. Pre-chicken sandwich (an era, of sorts) the average unit volume for a Popeyes was around $1.4MM. Post chicken sandwich, we’re talking closer to $1.8 - $1.9MM. Pretty cool, right? But you can’t just attribute all of the rapid success to one product, right? Social Media - Popeyes and its main competitor of today, Chick-fil-A Restaurants, had a sparring match over the chicken sandwich on social that substantially raised the awareness of Popeyes - drawing people to products outside of just the chicken sandwich   Exclusivity - Popeyes ran out of chicken sandwiches allocated for 6 weeks in about two weeks… making people want them more Reinvention - if you haven’t stepped into a new Popeyes it’s pretty amazing the difference. Much cleaner, much friendlier, much faster with better customer service. Now they’ve started offering out new products like Wings and Nuggets. Their recent launch of the wings became their most popular offering since the sandwich. The store format continues to get smaller and more efficient (at ICSC Atlanta they said they could fit on about .7 of an acre depending on site) and is in ultra growth mode having recently overtaken KFC as the #2 chicken chain in the US. I wonder if they’ll ever overtake CFA… My favorite item is the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, red beans and rice, and some sweet heat sauce on the side… what say you?

In-N-Out Burger has the right idea. If I were advjsing a growing retail grocer OR an emerging brand on growth strategy, and they asked which company they should emulate, my answer would be the same: 👉In-N-Out burger has just over 400 stores, spread across 8 contiguous states. 👉Since they are fundamentally opposed to frozen supply chain, all of their stores are within a one day drive of their fresh ingredient supply. 👉Thus, their transportation and operations expenses are MUCH lower than if they spread their 400 stores coast-to-coast. 👉As they have grown, they NEVER compromised on quality, and never lost focus on their core customer. 👉They “overpay” their employees to make sure they have above average TM loyalty, low turnover, and a promote-from-within culture. 👉They foster a cultish word of mouth and social media following with “secret menus” and ordering lingo, and “scarcity” of their store openings. 👉They are family owned, and virtually debt-free, and seemingly can make quick top-down strategic decisions without too many “cooks in the kitchen” Anyone who can follow this blueprint in grocery will put themselves in a great position to win for the long haul. Pod Foods #innovation #grocery https://lnkd.in/eNjApRxW

Boston Market, the fast-casual chain known for its rotisserie chicken, potatoes, and mac and cheese, has seen better days. While the food remains popular among consumers, the outdated 90s decor is no longer inviting to customers. One question that arises is whether the company should have stuck with their original name, Boston Chicken. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments. #BostonMarket #FastCasual #businesslessons #Branding #innovation #privateequity #mcdonalds