Economy Still Growing, But Could be Slowing Enough for Fed to Lower Interest Rates This Year

Key elements of the economy are still growing but appear to have slowed enough to be on track for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates later this year, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today.

“The consumer environment has kept the expansion on a positive path toward a ‘soft landing’ despite high interest rates,” Kleinhenz said. “Meanwhile, inflation has not yet been fully tamed, but we are seeing progress.”

Kleinhenz’s comments came in the August issue of NRF’s Monthly...

Rise of Ketogenic Dietary Preference Spurs High Protein Launches in Asia, says GlobalData

Growing awareness of the significance of a ketogenic diet for weight loss and weight management is driving consumers to read labels and ingredient lists when shopping for food and drinks. Brands are therefore focusing on innovations to keep up with changing consumer demands for high protein products, says to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Parthasaradhi Reddy, Consumer Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Health is an important motivator for Asian shoppers when buying food and drinks, given the high obesity levels and the need for...

Americas Food and Grocery Sector Projected Growth and Competitive Landscape Through to 2027

The "Americas Food and Grocery Sector Overview, Market Size, Competitive Landscape and Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Recently published data provides an extensive analysis of the Food and Grocery retail sector across the Americas, with robust growth forecasts and market shares of leading retailers.

A comprehensive databook offering groundbreaking insights into the Food and Grocery sector within the Americas has been added to our vast repository of industry research. This resource is poised to be invaluable for stakeholders looking to navigate the...

Fast Food & Quick Service Restaurants Take Off: Market to Reach US$318 Billion by 2034

The fast food and quick service restaurant market is expected to continue its upward trajectory, fueled by convenience, affordability, technological advancements, and evolving consumer preferences. Addressing health concerns and offering innovative, healthy options will be key for market players to thrive in the future.

The valuation for the global fast food & quick service restaurant market was around US$ 1 87,774.1 million in 2023 and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 4.90% over the forecast period...

Amazon Leads U.S. Grocery Retailers in Personalization Followed by H-E-B and Kroger, dunnhumby Finds

Dunnhumby, the global leader in customer data science, today released a special edition of the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index (RPI), designed to determine which retailers in the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market personalize the shopping experience best for their customers. In this inaugural RPI for Leadership in Personalization, dunnhumby found that Amazon stands apart from all other retailers followed by H-E-B in second and Kroger rounding out the top three. These three retailers are at the top of the rankings because...

Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Down Slightly from Record High in 2022

Gathering around the table for a Thanksgiving dinner won’t take as much of a toll on your pocketbook this year compared to 2022, but the meal still reflects historically high costs. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 38th annual survey provides a snapshot of the average cost of this year’s classic holiday feast for 10, which is $61.17 or less than $6.20 per person.

This is a 4.5% decrease from last year’s record-high average of $64.05, but a Thanksgiving meal is still...

Circana’s 2024 Food and Beverage Outlook Predicts Modest Volume Growth Following Three-Year Decline

Beverage and deli categories expected to outperform total food and beverage unit sales

Circana™, formerly IRI and The NPD Group, today released its 2024 food and beverage outlook, revealing that modest food and beverage volume growth is expected next year after three consecutive years of volume declines. The forward-looking outlook provides insight into the anticipated performance of the food and beverage industry throughout 2024, pointing to a more favorable landscape as several headwinds that weighed down 2023 are expected to recede...

Circana Research Reveals 79% of Americans Will Celebrate Thanksgiving with Their Usual Traditions

Circana™, the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior, today released its first Thanksgiving Tracker, offering vital insights into anticipated consumer behavior and purchasing trends for 2023 and looking back at similar trends from 2022. This comprehensive analysis will enable manufacturers, retailers and media organizations to make more informed decisions about merchandising and promotions to drive growth and profitability during the Thanksgiving season.

The week prior to and the week of Thanksgiving are critical sales drivers, although consumers also shop early for spot deals...

Consumers Experienced Increase in Purchasing Power in September with Slowing Inflation

Primerica, Inc. (NYSE: PRI), a leading provider of financial services in the United States and Canada, announced today the release of the Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™), a monthly index illustrating the purchasing power of middle-income households with incomes between $30,000 and $130,000. In September 2023, the average purchasing power for middle-income households was 99.3%, up from 97.4% in August. In September 2022, the index stood at 89.3%.

“Wage growth outpaced the increased cost of necessities in September 2023...

New Frozen Foods Research Reveals Steady Shopping Behavior Among Americans

New research finds that frozen foods maintain their relevance to grocery shoppers and offer a suite of valuable benefits that meet their mealtime needs. The third edition of the Power of Frozen in Retail, released today by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and FMI – The Food Industry Association, reports that frozen food sales reached $74.2 billion over the last year and that the core consumer audience remains steady, indicating a bright future ahead for performance. In a survey of more than 1,700 consumers, respondents indicated they find...

New Supply Chain Tech Aids in Effectiveness and Efficiency

Several new, innovative technologies are giving operators quick access to more data that can help them make better purchasing decisions, take advantage of optimal pricing, and ensure quality.

Making better decisions more quickly

One of those innovations is the increased availability of real-time supply chain data, which allows management teams to take the information and use it to make better decisions more quickly to manage food and supply costs, address supply chain disruptions, streamline logistics, and access product provenance.

“During the last few years...