Retail Operations

The Ready Stance for the Food Industry

In sports there is something called “The Ready Stance.” It’s the optimal positioning to allow your body to swiftly change directions. In The Ready Stance, a persons’ core muscles and major muscle groups are engaged and at the ready so they can ...

Navigating an Extreme Obstacle Course

As I look at the results of The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2022 report, I see many of my professional role models throughout the food industry navigating a different type of obstacle course than my childhood idols. The food industry has had to ...

How Your Company Can Win with A People-First Culture

No one can deny that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profoundly impact of the food industry workforce. According to The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2022 report, 87% of food retail businesses and 86% of food supplier businesses surveyed report ...

The Resilient U.S. Grocery Shopper

The dictionary defines resilient as, “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Certainly, shoppers have embodied this definition by protecting their own personal health and even navigating the business and operational ...

The Food Industry is Working to Improve Nutrition Security

Food retailers, product suppliers and manufacturers are working to improve nutrition security with creative solutions and partnerships, making it easier for consumers to access and afford nutritious foods and beverages. Across the country, FMI ...

Who is The Animal-Alternative Product Shopper?

In the inaugural Power of Plant-based Foods and Beverages 2022 report, which is FMI’s first-ever comprehensive review of the plant-based topic broadly, we looked at naturally plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains and ...

Addressing Root Causes of Supply Chain Disruption in Transportation and Logistics

We’ve seen that our supply chain is resilient to a point, but we also have sustained inflationary and workforce pressures at play; therefore, there is a real need and opportunity for industry collaboration across the entire value chain to restore ...

Are You Encouraging a Digital-First Culture?

The food retail industry has been forced to focus on technology-driven innovation by the changing shopper expectations, new digital competition, and the explosive growth of consumer digital technology. What executives often miss, though, is the need ...

From Top to Bottom, Retailers Must Proactively Prepare

In our first ever Asset Protection in Food Retail 2022 report we surveyed food retailers about their asset protection activities and found there was a top-to-bottom list of asset protection areas where food retailers have proactive ...

Leadership is An Evolving Skill Set

People say some leaders are born to lead, but others navigate a career and grow into leadership. I’ve found leadership is based on the foundation of hard work day-in and day-out and that it is not just about ensuring the task gets done, but that ...

Coupons Are Changing. Are You Ready?

With the recent economic news around inflation and supply chain issues, coupons and consumer savings have jumped back into the headlines. We decided to reach out to The Coupon Bureau and talk to the CEO, Brandi Johnson, and learn about current ...

The Control Grocery Shoppers Want

During oppressively hot and humid summer afternoons, my family likes to indulge in movie trilogies. We recently revisited the classic Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time. The obsession of the gold ring in the series always gets to me—how can it ...

Supply Chain Pressures to Persist in 2022

Building long-term capacity and resilience in the food industry supply chain is an imperative issue for retailers and suppliers alike. Collaboration and communication are key to determining root causes, addressing current roadblocks, and building ...

Lessons Learned from Trailblazing Grocery Consumer Affairs Professionals

Often, you must look back in order to move forward. I recently had the opportunity to reflect on FMI’s consumer affairs accomplishments over the past several decades with a group of trailblazing grocery consumer affairs professionals that met in ...

Photo Friday: Consumer Affairs Reunion

More than 20 food retail consumer affairs professionals recently met in Washington, D.C. to share insights from their storied careers. Six of these professionals were recipients of the Esther Peterson Award for customer service and in 2021, FMI ...