Market Trends

Seattle’s Best Coffee has entered the $1.4 billion ready-to-drink (RTD) U.S. coffee market with a line of branded iced latte coffee drinks inspired by the most popular coffee beverages sold in the brand’s cafes.

Regional independent Niemann Foods, Inc. plans to replace its legacy pricing system with a new solution it will use to analyze item/profit movement and track earned promotional dollars from suppliers.

The U.S. market for ice cream and related frozen desserts, including frozen yogurt and frozen novelties, grew 2 percent to $25 billion in 2009, in spite of a recession that adversely affected frozen dessert sales, according to “Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts in the U.S.: Markets and Opportunities in Retail and Foodservice, 6th Edition,” a report from New York-based market research publisher Packaged Facts.

With the wide assortment of citrus fruits currently in season, Los Alamitos, Calif.-based Frieda’s Specialty Produce is urging retail produce managers to employ the vividly hued fruits to bring excitement to winter produce departments.

In a bid to help grocers score with health-focused New Year’s shoppers, Mann Packing is rolling out multiple promotions in January and February to further bolster sales.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers rely heavily on trade funds to proactively shape demand, influence retailers and collaborate on marketing programs that help drive consumer behavior. While the average shopper may not be aware of it, virtually every product placement, price reduction and end cap have been funded by manufacturers.

A new year offers a fresh start. This idea holds as true for the center store as any other part of the supermarket. To begin with, grocers can expect forward-looking CPG manufacturers to really step up to the plate in terms of making their businesses more effective, streamlining their supply chain practices and bringing their marketing strategies more decisively into the digital age.

During a conference call on Tuesday to review results of its third-quarter financial results, Supervalu chief executive Craig Herkert revealed that two more executives from outside the company have joined the retailer, including former Home Depot and General Electric executive Chuck Golias as group VP of strategic planning, and Keith Wyche, who most recently led U.S. operations for Pitney Management Services, as president of Cub Foods.