Grocerant points of distribution and menu innovation empowers consumer choice.



Foodservice Solutions® grocerant guru Steven Johnson recently conducted in the United States an immersion tour and found high quality innovative points of distribution, menu personalization and cultural inclusion.

The grocerant niche is filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh and prepared food that is generally described as better for you.

Convenience store volume sector leader and director of foodservice Michael Sherlock, said that "Our business is all about speed and convenience,…"Seconds count when it comes to helping our customers on their way and turning over parking lots, much in the same way that a restaurant focuses on speed of service to turning over table availability during peak times." He is not alone many other convenience store chains including 7 Eleven and Casey’s General Stores have had noted success after entering the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat grocerant fresh and prepared food niche.

Walgreens, Rite Aid, Amazon Fresh and Sears are all entering the fresh and prepared food niche. When you combine that with food trucks and pop-up stores you find growing consumer momentum and new bundled meal options. Here are three of the interesting meal component options discovered on the immersion tour.

1. Oatmeal and coffee (grocery store) $0.99

2. Sauerkraut Pizza and Beer (full service restaurant) slice + beer ($3.50)

3. Poached Salmon with dirty rice and sweet plantain (food truck) ($5.95)

The primary driver of the grocerant niche is quality food bundled as components allowing and promoting consumer choice. Meal time is now becoming a time of convenient meal participation, with differentiation and individualization for the entire family. When a family can mix and match components everyone wins.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant