News and Trends

Namnews, 7th January 2022 Costco ended 2021 on a high with double-digit sales growth in December as its warehouses and online store continued to prove popular during the pandemic. Over the five weeks to 2 January 2022, the group’s total net sales rose 16.2% to $22.24bn with comparable sales, excluding the impact of fuel and currency fluctuations, jumping 11.5%. In its 572 US warehouses, comparable sales also rose 11.5%, whilst the 105-strong chain in Canada recorded a 13.6% rise. Sales in its international division, which operates 151 warehouses around the world, were up 9.6%. Meanwhile, global e-commerce sales growth accelerated to 17.8%, from 11.7% the previous month. “Our comp traffic, or frequency, for December was up 9.8% worldwide and 8.5% in the US,” said David Sherwood, assistant VP of finance and investor relations at Costco. “Worldwide, the average transaction for December was up 4.3%, which included the positive impacts from gasoline inflation and FX.” In the US, regions and...

  Serial shortages, Amazon’s arrival and Aldi’s efforts to #FreeCuthbert – 2021 was never dull.  Morrisons was snapped up, Sainsbury’s exited wholesale and Mere arrived on UK shores. Oh, and don’t forget Brexit and Covid. So, before diving into 2022, take time to reflect on the past 12 months. HGV driver crisis It started with a trickle in the spring. A wholesaler here, a manufacturer there, each warning that a lack of HGV drivers was becoming a detriment to their business. By the time summer rolled around, the driver shortage was troubling all and sundry. The reopening of  pubs  and restaurants placed a demand on supply chains that hadn’t existed for over a year, and having lost tens of thousands of drivers during the course of the pandemic, the haulage industry was unable to cope. By June,  Tesco  revealed it was losing 48 tonnes in food waste each week due to the shortage and was in “overdrive” trying to recruit. It was not alone.  Li...

Namnews, 15th December 2021 New research from Birds Eye has revealed some of the key trends and challenges that convenience retailers face within the frozen food category. The survey of 200 independent retailers, undertaken in partnership with analysts at KAM Media, confirms how demand for frozen food has continued to increase during the pandemic. 34% of retailers said they have seen increased shopper demand for frozen products over the last 12 months, with 25% of retailers intending to invest further in the frozen category during 2022 – a growth of 6% compared with last year’s survey results. The study also explored the potential barriers to expansion that many retailers face, with 39% of respondents citing insufficient space for additional freezers as the biggest challenge to growing frozen sales in their store. A large number of retailers were also found to be missing out on new consumer trends and shopper demands, with 23% sticking with the products they’ve always stocked. “2021 ha...

  Namnews, 14th December 2021 Latest industry data from NielsenIQ shows that Marks & Spencer was the fastest-growing food retailer in the UK during the 12 weeks to 4 December, providing further evidence that the group’s turnaround plan is delivering results. Interim figures from M&S last month showed sales in its food division had grown 10.7% to £3.14bn, with operating profit climbing 31% to £143.7m. The group highlighted its success in broadening the appeal of its food range with more products and family-orientated ranges. A shift towards lower prices has also helped the business gain market share as people used the retailer from bigger grocery shops. The NielsenIQ data reveals that sales at M&S rose 9.1% heading into Christmas – a traditionally strong period for the retailer as consumers treat themselves to premium food items. Lidl (+8.3%) and Aldi (+4.6%) were the only other grocery retailers to grow sales against this time last year, with other chains facing tough c...