Shoppers Continue to Purchase More Fresh Foods

Think deli meats and sushi!

In case the food world is not paying attention, the “fresh” experience is attracting more and more shoppers, and retailers are taking advantage of this increase in interest. In fact the next time you’re in the fresh department, notice how many shopping carts you see perusing the selections, especially if you’re in a high velocity fresh retail store. 

According to Nielsen, in a new study, Fresh Guiding Principles, high velocity fresh retailers show 49% of their total food sales coming from the fresh department, while low velocity retailers showing 29% of sales coming from fresh. 

For the top performing fresh retailers, the deli department is playing a starring role grabbing 29% of their fresh sales, with deli meat and cheeses up three percent in the year ended Feb. 25, 2017. And the study shows that sushi is playing a significant role from grocers, offering as many as 32 different types of sushi and up 13% in sales. 

The meat department is also gaining ground with 23% of these fresh sales, with organic meat generating nine percent of those meat dollars. 

And speaking of organic, in high velocity fresh retail stores, 32% of households purchase organic produce. And these organic shoppers spend 8.6% more per trip across the total store than those who don't purchase fresh organic products. 

Today's shoppers have more choices than ever before, and retailers that offer fresh selections have an opportunity to set themselves apart.