Good for consumers or bad for local growers? Are these mutually exclusive? Around the water cooler at legislatures across North America, a $15 per hour minimum wage is a popular topic. With many jurisdictions in both the United States and Canada floating the idea, the Ontario government has taken the plunge. On May 31st, Ontario…
Could This Marriage Wreak Havoc on the Status Quo? If you happen to be digitally savvy, reside in the upper quadrant of earners in the United States or Canada and love organic foods, you might be thinking this is a match made in heaven. And on the surface the Amazon buyout of Whole…
What does the future hold? If you were to look back at the power players of the Canadian grocery industry 25 years ago, you might conclude that not much has really changed since then. Oh sure, there has been some consolidation and Walmart has imported their food business from south of the border, but by…
They’ll tell you problems are just a part of life Running a small business can be a very rewarding experience. The joys that come with that entrepreneurial spirit vary from the freedom of being your own boss to the sense of accomplishment derived from building something from the ground up. Along with the many joys…
Organics expensive compared to conventional produce If you were take a quick stroll through any Canadian grocery store you would likely find a number of organic fruits or vegetables to buy. Over the last couple of decades organics have grown in popularity amongst customers and increased in importance amongst grocery retailers, that is if penetration…
Will Organic Produce take over? It was not that long ago that Organic fruits and vegetables filled a niche on the grocer’s shelf. Often it was tucked away in the corner of the produce department and visited only by weird looking people wearing shabby clothes. It was as if organics were their own little secret…
How present grocery companies will be successful with Millennials in the future Two momentous realities are taking shape with respect to the millennial generation, realities which will profoundly impact how successful grocery companies offer their products and services in the future. More importantly for successful grocery companies of the present, if they do not recognize…
What Will we be Eating? Building an Assortment to Match The consumer landscape is changing in profound ways. Boomers are aging, millennials are having children and the youngest among us, the generation Z’s are becoming increasingly influential with grocery store purchase decisions. Add to that the shifting cultural mosaic in North America and one can…
Kids Friendly Products…Good for Everyone It’s not everyday that you hear about the virtues of marketing to children. Normally it is talked about in the vein of preying on children or using their inherent vulnerabilities against them. Both of those critiques are valid when talking about overtly targeting kids in a company’s marketing efforts. But…
The Sharing Economy can help Small Business The Sharing Economy means different things to different people. For many, it involves everyday people monetizing their stuff or their time. It’s also usually accompanied by state of the art online technologies that connect people in need with people in business. Technology companies like AirBNB and Uber are…