Retail Operations

Spotlight: Grocery Stores Provide Access to Disease Management and Treatment

Retail registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) meet with both customers and employees to shop the aisles, both in the store and virtually online to provide nutrition education and practical tips while also providing Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) ...

Necessity, the Mother of Invention

Our U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends series explores the food shoppers’ journey and offers insights into the hybrid shopper landscape we’re currently experiencing. As we get to know this new consumer, it is clear they have an appetite for technology that ...

Weathering Industry Challenges and Trends at the 2022 FMI Energy & Store Development Conference.

After a two-year hiatus, FMI is welcoming attendees in-person for the Energy & Store Development Conference September 19-21, 2022, in Orlando, FL. The food retail industry has shifted drastically, with changing consumer trends and habits driving ...

Calling FMI Members: Engage in Discussions on Hunger, Nutrition and Health

Over 50 years ago, the first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health was held with the goal to “put an end to hunger in America for all time.” The report included over 1,800 recommendations to influence nutrition policy over the next ...

Increasing Family Meal Consumption to Boost Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and therefore the perfect time to announce FMI’s Family Meals Movement new partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization ...

Grocery Shoppers Continue to Adapt and Evolve in a Challenging Landscape

The food retail industry continues to battle an obstacle course of issues, including the pandemic/endemic; supply chain challenges; inflation; domestic tragedies; and the ramifications of a war in Ukraine. With all this turmoil, it is comforting to ...

How are Increased Prices Changing Consumer Behavior?

At our weekly staff meeting, one of my colleagues lamented that she went grocery shopping over the weekend and spent more than she usually does despite buying less food. She is not alone. In the first quarter of this year, shoppers cut back on the ...

Breaking Down Active Assailant Incident Response

Another tragic shooting has befallen our industry in recent days and left us both heart-broken and in search of answers to that perennial question – what motivates this violent behavior? As we ponder the state of a society in which such acts occur, ...

A Toast to Our Store Managers

We all need a little ray of sunshine these days, especially those who have been on the frontlines these many months keeping grocery stores open, encouraging employees and supporting local communities through ups and downs. FMI’s Store Manager Awards ...

What Does It Mean to Eat More “Plant-Based” Foods and Beverages?

The connection between eating more plants and better health is undeniable. But what exactly does it mean to eat more “plant-based?...

Key Factors Influencing U.S. Grocery Shoppers

Consumers have witnessed a barrage of breaking news headlines over the last two years. Between a pandemic and resulting supply chain issues, and now increased inflation, there are weighty concerns on the minds of shoppers. However, Americans tell us ...

A Walk Through the Supermarket: Store Operations on Fresh Foods

I’m new to FMI and learning a lot about the ins and outs of the food industry. In preparation for our Store Operations Series: Fresh Focal Point, I took a virtual walk through the supermarkets with FMI’s in-house expert, Rick Stein, vice president ...

Driving Value by Framing the Grocery Store as a Destination for Health and Well-being

When food and nutrition programs are delivered by credible experts in the grocery store (in-person or online), the idea of framing the grocery store as a community destination for health and well-being comes to life. At FMI’s Midwinter Executive ...

How Does FMI Know the Current State of the Food Industry?

The answer is from YOU. We know because the industry tells us each year when we ask, as we have been doing every year for more than 70 years. The first ever The Food Retailing Industry Speaks (Speaks) report appeared in 1949. Seventy-three years ...

Six Degrees of Separation No More

After two full years of being separated and unable to participate in-person at events, it was a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively) to attend the Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) Innovation Showcase in Overland Park, KS, March 21-23. ...