Supermarket Perimeter - March 2020 - 6

the

WIRE
Specialty Food
Association's top
8 industry trends
After reviewing approximately 80,000 specialty
food and drink products at the 2020 Winter
Fancy Foods Show in
January, the Specialty
Food Association's
Trendspotter Panel
identiﬁed eight notable
trends in the industry.
The top trends from
this year's show were:
* Regional Cuisines
of Asia - sauces, seasonings, instant noodles
and snacks from varied
regions of Asia were
in the spotlight of
the show.
* Oat Milk Takes
Dairy-Free Center Stage
- oat milk dominated
the winter show with
cheeses, creamers,
butters, confections and
RTD beverages.

6 - MARCH 2020

* Plants as Plants - a
renewed consumer
interested in whole
fruits and vegetables
was visible in the show.
* Prebiotic-Rich
Functional Beverages
- functional beverages
are spurring sales of
specialty drinks, drinks
with prebiotic beneﬁts emerged at this
year's show.
* Charcuterie and Deli
Meat Makeover - all
types-grass fed, plant
based and traditional-
of charcuterie and deli
meats were popular at
the show.
* Mocktail Culture
- the popularity of
mocktails is on the rise,
and this year's show
displayed sophisticated
nonalcoholic mixed
drinks and ingredients.
* Sparkling and Global
Teas - indigenous tea

leaves, new teas and
tisanes were easy to
ﬁnd at the winter show.
* Sustainability-Driven
Product and Packaging
Development - products at the annual show
are becoming increasingly environmentally
friendly though plantbased foods, regenerative agriculture, upcycled ingredients and
sustainable packaging.

Meijer rolls
out sushi and
craft beer bar
A Meijer store
in Brighton,
Michigan, opened a
sushi and craft beer
bar Feb. 7. Hissho Sushi
and Bell's Brewery
teamed with the
retailer to introduce the
brand-new concept to
the market.
Supermarket
prepared foods are the
fasting growing sector
of the foodservice
industry, according to
the Food Marketing
Institute. Research conducted by Hissho found
that consumers want
more than product
variety and competitive
pricing. They also want
an experience.
The new 840 squarefoot instore restaurant
will offer customers
fresh, hand-rolled
sushi, hot appetizers,
and even morning
breakfast options, with
a changing list of craft
beer on tap. The sitdown dining experience is staffed by a
team of 15 associates."
With this new
www.supermarketperimeter.com

concept, Hissho Sushi
is redeﬁning the
experience of a
customer's evening
at their local grocery
store," says Dan Beem,
CEO of Hissho Sushi.
"It is our commitment
to deliver hand-crafted,
premium sushi that's
prepared by local chefs
daily to Meijer shoppers.
The Hissho Sushi &
Craft Beer Bar allows
us to go even further,
providing one-ofa-kind experiences
where shoppers can
conveniently enjoy our
products, a local craft
beer and get in their
weekly grocery run."

Peapod exits
Midwest
Ahold Delhaize USA
closed the Midwest division of its online grocery
sales business, Peapod,
in February, discontinuing the grocery delivery
service in Illinois,
Wisconsin and Indiana.
The decision resulted
in the closure of
company facilities in
ﬁve cities across the
Midwest, affecting
approximately 500
associates.
"This was a difficult
decision given Peapod's
rich history in the
Midwest," said Kevin
Holt, Ahold Delhaize
USA, CEO. "We know
changes such as these
are never easy for
consumers and communities. We appreciate
the loyalty of associates
and customers in the
Midwest sales business
over the past three

decades. We have been
and will continue to
leverage the learnings
from our 30-year legacy
of online grocery to
enable each of the
brands to grow its
omnichannel business
on the East Coast."
Ahold Delhaize
USA says the decision allows the grocery
retail group to focus
on expanding the
leadership position of
its brands on the East
Coast and execute its
strategy to enable the
company's local brands
to be leaders in each of
their markets.

Hy-Vee c-stores
to focus on fresh
Hy-Vee, Inc. has
acquired four QT convenience store locations
in the Des Moines, Iowa,
metro area that will
reopen as Hy-Vee Fast &
Fresh Express stores on
March 20.
The convenience
stores will offer a variety
of meal and snack
options.
Offerings will include
a fresh food express
counter with breakfast,
burgers, Nori Sushi,
healthy home meal
choices, grab-and-go
fruits and vegetables,
bakery options
and more.
The Fast & Fresh
Expresses will have
traditional convenience
store offerings, include
wine and spirits selections and fuel pumps.
The four locations will
be open from 5 a.m. to
11 p.m. daily.
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Supermarket Perimeter - March 2020

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