Retail Operations

Our Voice of The Food Industry blog offers commentary from FMI subject matter experts on timely and important topics to the food industry.
  • The Time To Learn and Re-Learn Is Now

    Jun 12, 2020
    Each day of Midsummer will kick off with a live streamed Insight Session, designed to offer thought leadership, insights and more on timely topics facing the industry. These sessions will be archived on the Midsummer virtual event platform and ...
  • Providing an FMI Member Forum During Disruption

    Jun 9, 2020
    The current pandemic has drastically impacted how we normally do business. As operating procedures shift, reliable, fast information has become critical. To meet the need and supplement our FMI Coronavirus Resource page, FMI has launched a knowledge ...
  • Important Store Management Training During COVID-19

    Jun 8, 2020
    Pre-COVID-19, FMI partnered with grocery industry specialist Harold Lloyd to debut a new webinar education series for store directors and store managers designed to help stores and teams operate at their greatest. The first webinar took place on ...
  • Requirements for a New Normal in the Food Supply Chain

    Jun 3, 2020
    Normal is a comforting word; even saying it aloud offers context and sets expectations. When it comes to the business of food and our greater marketplace, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly upended the ordinary. Today, the meaning of normal seems to ...
  • Understanding the Food Retailing Industry During COVID-19

    Jun 1, 2020
    We are surveying our industry during a particularly challenge-riddled time, where COVID-19 has caused our day-to-day store operations and business plans to change dramatically in a very short period. That is why participation in this year’s Speaks ...
  • Food Waste During COVID-19

    May 28, 2020
    We are both single shopper households, and during the COVID-19 pandemic have been lucky to be able to work from home while experimenting with new ways of food shopping and “cooking.” Right in line with a finding in the U.S. Grocery Trends COVID 19 ...
  • Next Steps In Couponing

    May 26, 2020
    As we have seen in past recessions, most recently in 2008, coupon usage increases dramatically when consumers feel economic pressure. From 2008-2009, all coupon redemption increased 15.2%. What will that number look like this time around? Inmar ...
  • Photo Friday: Vice President Hosts Food Industry Panel at Hy-Vee, Inc.

    May 22, 2020
    In front of a small group of food industry executives, political and agricultural leaders, and members of the media, Vice President Mike Pence commended the industry for its extraordinary efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, “You’ve done an ...
  • Unprecedented Times

    May 21, 2020
    Throughout this pandemic, FMI has been tracking consumer trends and charting how shopping behaviors are changing to accommodate the unique situation that COVID-19 has foisted upon us in our U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends COVID-19 Tracker. Honestly, the ...
  • Making the Connection: New Digital Platform Links Buyers and Sellers

    May 19, 2020
    To address acute supply chain disruptions and mitigate food loss and shortages, FMI has launched a new subscription-based digital platform that matches retailer and wholesaler members around the country with suppliers, including those who are new to ...
  • A Dreamy Strategic Plan for Midsummer

    May 18, 2020
    FMI’s Midsummer Strategic Executive Exchange provides a unique strategic opportunity for trading partner collaboration to hit the reset button and together identify, prioritize and address the industry’s most pressing business issues. Through ...
  • If We Had a Crystal Ball … What Could Grocery Shopping Look Like in the Future?

    May 15, 2020
    Even in the best of times, most of us would like the ability to take a peek into the future. However, during these unprecedented times, the desire to know what is going to happen next increases dramatically. Since March 21, 2020, FMI has been ...
  • Understanding Online Order Fulfillment Options

    May 14, 2020
    Unprecedented online grocery shopping growth because of COVID-19 has dramatically increased the need for efficiency and better understanding of online retail fulfillment operations. Last week, in a virtual program hosted by FMItech & The Center for ...
  • We’re All In This Together

    Apr 30, 2020
    Since the early days of the pandemic, FMI staff have been tracking news stories recording the food industry’s responses to their communities. Our tracking is a growing spreadsheet updated daily with nearly 200 rows documenting stories of food, ...
  • Grocery Heroes: A Half Million Jobs and Counting

    Apr 29, 2020
    We know from our U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends COVID-19 tracker that 25% of Americans are especially worried about having enough money to pay for food. Questions about the emerging job market have resulted in these anxieties and uncertainties ...