The late Mr. Dave Nichols who revolutionized branding launched Canadian retailers’ first private-label brand in the late 1980’s. Setting out to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie and to outdo Christie’s then-best-selling Chips Ahoy, he personally approved the President’s Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie. Having set the gold standard for the private-label brand, some 25 […]
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The Canadian grocery branding strategy has never been more critical, as the sector faces ongoing turmoil—further complicated by anticipated tariff wars. For the 52-week period ending December 28, 2024, the Canadian grocery sector achieved a mere 1% unit growth, with 49.7% of all sales happening on promotion.[1] Coresight Research in the United States projects only […]
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Consumers tend to classify mushrooms as plants. After all, the fresh ones are sold in the retail produce department. They have long served as utility players across kitchens. The earliest recorded appearance of mushrooms in a recipe is from an 1824 cookbook, “The Virginia Housewife”. The now-famous Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup debuted in the […]
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Living a healthier lifestyle has become a theme for most consumers. January 2024, McKinsey and Company reported that 82% of consumers now consider wellness a top or important priority in their lives. The global wellness market was forecasted to hit $1.8T this past year. The US wellness market was valued at $480B in 2024, growing […]
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The grocery sector has evolved, and will continue to evolve. I grew up in a small town: Streetsville, Ontario, 1 hour west of Toronto. When my parents went grocery shopping, they had 2 options, Dominion, and a franchisee owned IGA. Those two banners have subsequently been purchased by Metro and Sobeys respectively. Today, I have […]
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