Thanks to Progressive Grocer’s 91st annual report and research therein, we have fresh insights into where wellness and nutrition fit into food retailers’ — and pharmacies’ and Big Box stores’ — strategies.

That priority ranks high in grocers’ plans for in-store services in 2024 and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Far above all other strategies for food retailers’ in-store services, we see that on-site butchers rank high — among 3 in 4 retailers. Why this might be the case: cost- and value-focused consumers often have questions about how to cook different (lower-priced) costs of meat, or desire recipe advice and/or personal levels of service.

Following that, employing wellness experts ranks next-in-line with 43% of stores calling out this new-store employee role tied with seafood specialists and community programming,

Note that information kiosks and service kiosks are also important for roughly one-third of stores. Both of these service types can be productively purposed for health and well-being, whether for medical information about food-medicine contraindications or recommendations for recipes and basket purchases when managing diabetes, heart disease, or gut indications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Populi’s Hot Points:  In this 91st edition of Progressive Grocer’s annual report, it’s useful to review the PG100 Top 100 store companies: Walmart ranks top, followed by Amazon, Costco, Kroger, CVS Health, Walgreens, Target, Sam’s Club, Albertsons, and Loblaw.

Clearly, there is already health-and-wellness baked into so-called “grocery” destinations, with the very nature of “grocery” expanding into health-and-wellness — and vice-versa, with the once-core-business of retail pharmacy expanding the square-footage of fresh food and frozen cases and other foods beyond sugary sodas and candy-at-the-checkout counter.

Thanks to Progressive Grocer and Oracle for the work on this “progressing” market segment in the increasingly omnichannel health/care ecosystem.