FOODSERVICE/ C-STORES

C-stores: the new 3rd place.

As coffee shops turn to mobile-only pickup, c-stores have the potential to take their place. By becoming a restaurant, an EV charging hub, or a grocery store, c-stores just might be our new home-away-from-home.

Pricing Innovation Strategy.

Retailers need to rethink how they make money. With delivery and curbside pickup expanding, the standard model of grocery is eroding. Retailers will be experimenting with new ways to offer new services with higher margins.

Entertainment Goes Mainstream.

After a pandemic of isolation, people are anxious to get out and get together. However, with younger consumers increasingly saying no to alcohol, people are looking for alternatives to bars. Eatertainment facilities are making eating out more of an adult social event.

Restaurants as Product Labs and Incubators.

Restaurants are realizing that their brand can go further than their storefront. From high-end establishments to fast-food, restaurants are using their name and their creative forces to expand further into grocery.

The End of Categories.

The digital revolution is changing consumers’ perception of the grocery store. When people shop online or walk through the store with a phone, the aisles are reduced to a search bar. Categories are no longer held captive by aisles and brands have more latitude to stretch and grow.