The Retail Rundown: A Preview of Christmas Favorites

Few protein items embody the year-end holiday spirit quite like the classic Christmas ham and the standing rib roast. These iconic centerpiece proteins often dominate holiday tables, shaping both wholesale market trends and retail advertising strategies.

This year, the wholesale beef rib market kicked off its seasonal rise in late July, climbing 32% between July 28 and Thanksgiving week. Since then, the market has shifted into typical year-end procurement mode with a generally steady undertone, and holiday buying is expected to wrap soon...

The Retail Rundown: Holiday Shopping Lifts Foodservice and Grocery Demand 

December is when most consumers fully embrace the holiday spirit—and start spending accordingly.

This year's holiday spending is off to a strong start, with record shopper turnout and a surge in online activity. Adobe Analytics reports that total online sales from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday amounted to $44.2 billion, up nearly 8% from last year.

Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation reports that a record 202.9 million people shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend, up from 197 million last year. Supermarkets were the most popular destination at 47%, followed closely by online shopping at 45%...

The Retail Rundown: Cheaper Turkeys Hit Shelves Despite Wholesale Price Surge

This Thanksgiving, holiday shoppers might spot some relief: retail turkey prices have eased, even as wholesale values climb toward near-record highs.

Ongoing challenges, such as persistent bird flu outbreaks and relatively low hatch rates, have limited production all year, leaving supplies exceptionally thin ahead of the holiday. 

While retailers secure turkeys well in advance to build cold-storage inventories, frozen whole-bird stocks in 2025 remain near seasonal record lows, leaving little supply cushion...

The Retail Rundown: Protein Adds to Holiday Price Gains

Easter week has arrived and grocers are tapping into the holiday's spending momentum. But for consumers, Easter dinner is shaping up to be pricier than last year, with many holiday staples seeing year-over-year price increases.

According to Expana’s latest US Easter Index—which tracks price changes in key holiday-related commodities—overall prices rose 11.8% year-over-year, driven largely by higher costs in the protein and bakery categories.

Expana’s Easter Protein Index, which covers lamb, beef, pork, salmon, cod, and eggs...