By Steve Markenson, Director, Research, FMI
I miss hallway discussions. I miss chit-chat at the coffee machine and insights shared over the copy machine. (To be clear, I don’t miss the copy machine or the headaches it caused.) In this world of Teams meetings and online project management collaboration, a bit of the “fly on the wall” interactions have been lost. Those conversations—whether you’re in the middle of them or listening in—have value and for an industry that faced a lot in 2019, and even more in 2020, it might be nice to have that dialogue.
FMI is about to release our 71st annual The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report, which tracks operations and strategic initiatives of the food retail industry. This year’s Speaks report reviews performance for 2019, but it also incorporates findings for the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, offering a unique look the distant past with an overlay of recent experiences.
To debut this signature research, we are offering the food industry the chance to be “flies on the wall” of a discussion among FMI subject matter experts. FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin will discuss some of the key findings from Speaks with FMI’s very own:
- Mark Baum, Chief Collaboration Officer & Senior Vice President, Industry Relations.
- Jennifer Hatcher, Chief Public Policy Officer & Senior Vice President, Government Relations.
- Dr. Hilary Thesmar, Chief Food & Product Safety Officer & Senior Vice President, Food Safety Programs.
In addition to taking a look back at all the good that happened in the industry during 2019, the discussion will look at:
- Sudden and dramatic growth in online shopping.
- Changes in the behaviors and needs of shoppers.
- Changes in the competitive landscape.
- Disruptions in and strains on the supply chain.
- New dynamics surrounding workforce issues.
- Navigating the evolving guidance provided by government.
Join us on October 7th at 2:00 pm ET. The full Speaks report will be released, after the webinar.
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