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Kroger Q4 2020 sees 'sticky customer engagement' in digital business, first Ocado automated warehouse goes live

Kroger Q4 2020 sees 'sticky customer engagement' in digital business, first Ocado automated warehouse goes live
Kroger closed Q4 2020 with total sales (excluding fuel) up 10.7% to $30.7bn compared to Q4 2019, and a 118% boost to digital sales for the quarter.
Within its digital business, delivery sales grew 249% during the quarter as more and more new customers engage with the companies
“seamless ecosystem,” said Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen on the company’s Q4 2020 earnings call.
“We see a 98% retention rate within our ecosystem highlighting how sticky our customer engagement is,” McMullen said.
McMullen noted how the company continues to improve its digital profitability and is advancing its personalized shopping experience leveraging data analytics to forge deeper relationships with its customer based.

Kroger , Markets , Manufacturers , Suppliers , R-amp-d , Bakery , Meat , Dairy , Healthy-foods , Prepared-foods , Snacks

Deal-making rebounds and increase in exits frees funds for more early stage investments

Deal-making rebounds and increase in exits frees funds for more early stage investments
A year after the initial shock of the coronavirus pandemic caused many to hit the brakes on new deals, mergers and acquisitions in the food and beverage space not only have rebounded but exceeded expectations – making 2020 a record year for consumer deals and setting the stage for more exits and early stage investments in the coming years, according to one investor.
“When we got into the COVID pandemic in March and April and May, deals dropped off” from 1,910 transactions in January 2020 to a low of 895 in April, Nick McCoy, managing partner at Whipstitch Capital, told attendees at New Hope Network’s virtual Spark Change conference this week.

Nick-mccoy , Hope-network , Whipstitch-capital , New-hope-network , Spark-change , Manufacturers , Markets , R-amp-d , Covid-19 , Food-retail-ande-commerce , Trendspotter , Investment

Grummies democratizes superfoods with a gummy format

Grummies democratizes superfoods with a gummy format
Many consumers are aware of the nutritional value so-called superfoods have, but few can commit to a daily diet packed with turmeric, ashwagandha, and elderberry (and even fewer enjoy the taste). This hangup was the impetus for Grummies, a brand of gummies containing a variety of functional ingredients.
The global gummy vitamins market is estimated to be valued at $5.9bn in 2020 and is projected to reach $10.6bn by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 12.5%.
Grummies is taking what founders Nick Michlewicz and Colin Darretta believe is a cleaner approach to making their gummies.
"Gummies are the fastest growing category in the wellness space, but most are not very good for you," claimed Michlewicz, pointing out the category's use of sweeteners such as corn syrup and glucose syrup, and use of artificial colors and flavors.

Colin-darretta , Sabinsa-curcumin , Nick-michlewicz , Google , Manufacturers , Markets , R-amp-d , People , Healthy-foods , Clean-label , Food-labeling-and-marketing , Nutrition-facts

Functional foods, beverages & hemp, CBD sales held back as shopping habits shift during pandemic

Even as consumers seek ingredients that promise to boost their immunity, reduce their stress and support their well-being, sales of functional foods and beverages were held back in 2020 compared to organic due to shifting shopping preferences away from the categories in which they are concentrated, according to data presented at New Hope Network’s virtual Spark Brand Success conference this week.

Hope-network , Nutrition-business-journal , New-hope-network , Carlotta-mast-march , Markets , Manufacturers , Suppliers , Healthy-foods , Covid-19 , Cbd-and-hemp , Food-labeling-and-marketing

Retailers challenged with restoring customer satisfaction lost during the pandemic: ACSI report

Retailers challenged with restoring customer satisfaction lost during the pandemic: ACSI report
Customer satisfaction with the retail sector has hit a low point across most channels particularly supermarkets and online retail hit where consumer sentiment dipped to a five-year low, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) Retail and Consumer Shipping Report 2020-2021.
ACSI’s
annual report is based on interviews with 70,767 US consumers between Jan. 13, 2020 and Dec. 27, 2020.
Waves of disruption impacted all channels of retail, and customer sentiment declined across the board, reported ACSI.
“From mandatory closures that halted in-person shopping to stock shortages caused by panic buying, retailers experienced anything but business as usual. Deliveries from online retailers were delayed, and customers were frustrated when high-demand items sold out. And it shows, as 86% of the retailers measured suffer downturns in customer satisfaction year over year,” said David VanAmburg, managing director at the ACSI.

United-states , Americans , David-vanamburg , Giant-eagle , Sam-club-walmart , Publix , Walmart , Costco , Albertsons , Kroger , Trader-joe , Southeastern-grocers

Follow Your Heart CEO on selling to Danone, growth opportunities in plant-based foods

Earth Island (Follow Your Heart) co-founder and CEO Bob Goldberg has always had an independent streak, telling reporters over the years he’s happy dancing to his own tune despite periodic overtures from big CPG suitors. Last month, however, he inked a deal to sell the company he co-founded in the 1970’s to Danone. So what changed?
“
To be completely transparent about it,
I’ve always been in the ‘stay independent’ camp” said Goldberg, a pioneer in the plant-based foods arena who was waxing lyrical about vegan mayo and cheese decades before many investors, big CPG companies, or mainstream consumers, started paying much attention.

California , United-states , Bahamas , The , Danone , Chase-design-group , Your-heart , Southern-california , Beyond-meat , People , Manufacturers

Investing in the Future of Food: Manna Tree investors seek emerging brands focused on human health

Investing in the Future of Food: Manna Tree investors seek emerging brands focused on human health
As the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in the role of nutrition in wellness and underscores the supply chain’s fragility, the investors at Manna Tree Partners are looking for at least three growth stage companies that are revolutionizing the production, delivery and consumption of food to support human health.
With $235 million in assets under its management as of last month and six investments already in its portfolio to date, Manna Tree’s managing director Pam Shepherd shares in this episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Investing in the Future of Food where she see the most potential to improve human health and create a more transparent, stable supply chain.

United-states , Manna-tree , Pam-shepherd , Foodnavigator-united-states , Vital-farms , Verde-farms , Gotham-greens , Evolve-biosystems , Markets , Manufacturers , Suppliers

Gotham Greens goes west to unlock next growth chapter: 'The indoor environment is relatively unexplored but offers fantastic opportunities'

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Gotham Greens goes west to unlock next growth chapter: ‘The indoor environment is relatively unexplored but offers fantastic opportunities’
By Mary Ellen Shoup
Using funding from its recent $87m Series D capital raise, indoor agriculture company Gotham Greens has expanded operations to Northern California – its first West Coast greenhouse location – opening a 10-acre facility, which will bring its total annual production to 40 million heads of lettuce and herbs.
Expanding to Solano, California, where the greenhouse will be co-located with the University of California-Davis (UC Davis), is a significant milestone for the company that has thus far built greenhouses in its home state of New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado.

New-york , United-states , Colorado , Rhode-island , California , Illinois , Maryland , Canada , Chicago , Gail-taylor , Gabe-youtsey , University-of-california

Ocean Hugger gears up for global plant-based seafood launch after forging JV with Nove Foods

Plant-based seafood firm Ocean Hugger Foods – which was forced to pause operations last June as COVID-19 ravaged the foodservice industry (its primary market) – will stage a comeback later this year after forging a joint venture (Ocean Hugger Inc) with Thai food manufacturer Nove Foods.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of global manufacturer NRF, Nove Foods has “
multi-continent manufacturing capabilities and sales relationships with many of the world’s largest retailers,” and is “
quickly becoming a major force in the supply of cutting-edge plant-based foods,” said David Benzaquen, co-founder and board member at Ocean Hugger Inc.
The plan is for a global launch of an expanded portfolio of plant-based seafood products in retail and foodservice in late 2021, said Benzaquen, who told FoodNavigator-USA that the order is still to be determined, but the company "

United-states , Americans , America , Ocean-hugger-ahimi , James-corwell , David-benzaquen , Whole-foods , Ocean-hugger-inc , Nove-foods , Ocean-hugger , Foodnavigator-united-states , North-america

Consumer Brands Association marks first anniversary with growth, renewed industry trust, on point agenda

Consumer Brands Association marks first anniversary with growth, renewed industry trust, on point agenda
A sharp increase in the Consumer Brands Association’s membership in 2020 underscores how the trade group’s “pro-consumer, pro-growth agenda” is helping it regain the trust and support of the CPG industry, including some companies that left the organization while it was under different leadership as the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
In the year since the Consumer Brands Association rebranded from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, 18 CPG companies have returned to the fold or joined for the first time – representing a 30% increase in membership that includes both large established players and emerging brands.

United-states , Geoff-freeman , Denise-morrison , Grocery-manufacturers-association , Consumer-brands-association , Campbell-soup-company , Ripple-foods , Consumer-brands , Regulation , Manufacturers , Suppliers , Markets