The Retail Rundown: Retail Focus Shifts Toward Father’s Day Grilling Demand

Cold and wet weather across several regions of the country dampened Memorial Day grilling plans, likely creating a softer-than-anticipated kickoff to the unofficial start of the summer grilling season.

Attention is now quickly turning toward the next major grilling occasions of the summer—Father’s Day and the Fourth of July holiday period. These seasonal events historically begin to influence demand patterns for grilling staples such as bellies, loins, ribs, and steaks. 

Following Memorial Day, protein promotions have shifted more heavily toward seafood, which now accounts...

The Retail Rundown: Summer Travel Drives Foodservice Gains as Retailers Compete for Shoppers

Foodservice is in full swing this summer, fueled by warm weather and vacation season as consumers hit the road and dine out. This Fourth of July, AAA estimated a record 72.2 million Americans traveled domestically—a 2.4% increase from last year and 7 million more than in 2019.

“This year, we're seeing strong demand for road trips, flights, and cruises, especially with the holiday falling on a Friday,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of AAA Travel.

With so much consumer attention on travel and dining out, food...

The Retail Rundown: Independence Day Deals in Focus

As the Fourth of July holiday draws closer, competition for front-page ad space among proteins is heating up. Seafood is currently leading with a 29% share, followed by beef and pork, each capturing 24%. Chicken accounts for 18%, while turkey trails at 2.6%.

Burgers and hot dogs remain backyard barbecue mainstays. Several national grocers were promoting 78–84% lean ground beef under $5 per pound, with eye-catching specials as low as $2.27 on a discounted basis.

Over Father's Day weekend...

The Retail Rundown: Grocers Set Stage for Final Summer Push

With Father’s Day in the rearview, grocers are setting the stage for the final big buying event of the summer: the Fourth of July.

The upcoming holiday marks the last major retail push before Labor Day and serves as a key buying window for proteins like beef ahead of the mid-summer lull. To keep product moving, grocers are expected to lean heavily on promotions and feature aggressive pricing in the coming weeks.

Post-Father’s Day, pork and chicken are poised to capture more...