Shoppers Believe Government Policies and Actions Most Responsible for Higher Prices in Supermarkets 

The Feedback Group, a leader in providing actionable stakeholder feedback, today released new findings from national research conducted with 1,150 consumers about their experience shopping in supermarkets for food and groceries.

Government Policies and Actions Top List of Factors Responsible for Higher Prices at Supermarkets
Supermarket shoppers rated a variety of entities and factors, on a five-point scale where five is "highly responsible" and one "not at all responsible", as to their degree of responsibility for higher prices in supermarkets. Viewed as most responsible, government policies and actions received the highest mean score (3.86). Product manufacturers and suppliers scored second most responsible (3.75), followed more distantly by wars and worldwide political conflicts (3.42), supermarket retailers (3.40), and labor supply shor

Circana Report Reveals Private Brands Surge Amidst Inflation 

Supporting shoppers by investing in innovation and promotions is key for retailers.

Circana™, the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior, ​​today released a new report on the state of private brands (also referred to as store brands or private labels). Despite high inflation, private brands have experienced growth, surpassing $217 billion in sales in the United States market. The report, “CPG Private Brands Update,” provides an update on the store brand landscape, and identifies retailer opportunities to increase demand for their own brand and private brand...

Biden Calls on Snack Companies to Stop 'Shrinkflation" Rip-Offs

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday called on snack companies to stop shrinkflation, which is when businesses cut product sizes but keep prices the same, describing the practice as "a rip-off."

"Some companies are trying to pull a fast one by shrinking the products little by little and hoping you won't notice," Biden said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

"Give me a break. The American public is tired of being played for...

Holiday Food Prices Projected Up 7% from Last Year, 18% from Two Years Ago

National supermarket data confirms slower food price inflation with consumers seeing smaller price increases when shopping for 2023 Christmas meals. According to a data analysis and forecast prepared by Category Partners, the price of purchasing Christmas dinner at a supermarket will be approximately 7% higher than in 2022. The forecast was derived using supermarket sales data provided by NielsenIQ collected from more than 35,000 food stores in the United States.

The data analysis shows that a basic Christmas dinner in 2023 purchased from a supermarket...

Consumer Spending in U.S. Restaurants Continued to Rise in November

Household spending is being supported by consumers' positive sentiment about their local economies.

Restaurant sales rose steadily in recent months, as resilient consumers maintained their willingness to spend on experiences.

Eating and drinking places* registered total sales of $94.7 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in November, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That was up a solid 1.6% from October’s upward-revised volume of $93.2 and represented the ninth consecutive month of sales growth...

U.S. Stocks Trade Mixed Following Latest CPI Report

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for November Tuesday morning, showing the index up 3.1% on the year.

The latest data matched expectations and was down from 3.2% the month prior. Inflation gained 0.1% on a monthly basis in November after holding steady last month, slightly outpacing expectations.

The core CPI, which strips out food and energy, increased by 0.3% last month after rising by 0.2% in October. Over the last 12 months, the all items minus food and energy index gained 4.0%...

Holiday Meals Simplified

(Family Features) With holiday entertaining on the minds of many this time of year, it's important to take steps to make setting the table stress-free and keep focus on what really matters – spending time with loved ones.

With 92% of customers expressing some level of concern about inflation, according to Walmart's Holidays 2023 Seasonal Survey, it's important to take steps to save time and money during an expensive time of year.

To help combat inflation, the retailer – which has saved customers more than $1 billion on seasonal baskets and rollbacks during the past year...

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...

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...

WTI Oil Prices Dip Below $90 a Barrel Following Fed Comments

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slipped below $90 a barrel at midweek after the Federal Reserve signaled that one additional rate hike is possible this year.

In a widely anticipated move, the central bank maintained the target range for the federal funds rate at 5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent. Fed officials re-emphasized they are "strongly committed to returning inflation to its 2 percent objective."

The central bank has raised rates 11 times since March 2022. After peaking in June 2022 at 9.1%, U.S. inflation...

The Retail Rundown: Checking on Chicken; Latest Inflation Reading

For more than thirty years, the National Chicken Council (NCC) has partnered with major U.S. chicken producers to promote chicken sales this month—leading to September being crowned as National Chicken Month.   

In what was historically regarded as a slow period for poultry sales following the conclusion of summer grilling, increased in-store promotions and ad campaigns including chicken-centric recipes have helped extend the robust summer consumption season into September since the program's inception in 1989.

The number of chicken items found in advertisements this week based on Urner Barry's... 

Stock Futures Rebound Early Thursday Following Fed Minutes from July Meeting, Walmart Earnings 

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve released minutes from its latest policy meeting that took place on July 25-26, contributing to a lower close in stock futures at midweek as traders weighed the potential for additional interest rate hikes. The next FOMC meeting is scheduled for September 19-20. 

"In their discussion of current economic conditions, participants noted that economic activity had been expanding at a moderate pace. Job gains had been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate remained low. Inflation remained elevated," said the minutes...

Annual CPI Reported at 3.2% in July, Slightly Under Expectations

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for July, showing the index up 3.2% on the year. The latest data was slightly below expectations, which anticipated annual inflation to be 3.3% following a 3.0% rise in June. 

July's figure snapped a 12-month string of easing inflation but remains well below its June 2022 peak of 9.1%—the highest rate in four decades. 

On a monthly basis, inflation gained 0.2% in July, in line with expectations. The index for shelter was the largest contributor to the monthly all items increase, accounting for over 90% of the increase, according to the BLS...

Restaurant Brands are Turning to Subscription Models in the Next Big Loyalty Trend

The "Global Loyalty Programs Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook 2023" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global loyalty market is expected to grow by 12.7% on annual basis to reach US$135.9 billion in 2023. In value terms, the global loyalty market has recorded a CAGR of 13.1% during 2018-2022.The global loyalty market will continue to grow over the forecast period and is expected to record a CAGR of 12.2% during 2023-2027. The global loyalty market is...

Producer Inflation Up Modestly in June; Unemployment Claims Decline

Today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures the change in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output, increased by 0.1% month-over-month in June. This was below trade expectations for a 0.2% gain. 

On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand also advanced by 0.1% annually. This was the lowest level since August 2020. Economists were expecting a 0.4% year-over-year increase...

Food Retailers & Suppliers Continue to Innovate as Inflation, Workforce, Supply Chain Issues Persist

Food retailers and suppliers, facing formidable challenges with a changing workforce, inflation, The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2023supply chain hurdles, intense competition and shifting consumer buying habits, are investing in more creative and proactive approaches to future-proof their businesses, according to FMI—The Food Industry Association’s annual comprehensive research analysis The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2023.

The 74th annual report finds the food industry is prioritizing innovation to increase efficiency and foster redundancies across product supply and assortments; investing in technology for worker recruiting, training... 

CPI Eased to 3.0% in June, Slightly Below Expectations

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released the Consumer Price Index report for June, showing the index last month up 3.0% on the year. This was the smallest annual increase since March 2021 and was down sharply from the June 2022 peak of 9.1%. 

The latest data was slightly below expectations, which looked for inflation to decline from 4% in May to 3.1% in June. Inflation has eased for 12 straight months but remains above the Fed's target rate of 2%, leading some traders to anticipate...