U.S. Pet Treat Sales Approach $10 Billion Mark

In its just-released report on Pet Treats and Chews in the U.S., Packaged Facts projects that U.S. retail sales of dog and cat treats will reach $9.87 billion by the end of 2021, after two years of double-digit increases.

Sales growth in treats has consistently outpaced the more mature pet food market and pet supplies in general, and this growth accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Pet owners spending more time at home with their pets has translates into more opportunities for treat-giving,” notes Packaged Facts analyst...

eCommerce Platform Pepper Raises $16M in Series A Funding for Food Distributors

Pepper, the eCommerce platform for food distributors, has raised $16 million in Series A funding that will enhance the ordering experience for distributors servicing over 25,000 restaurants and grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada. Index Ventures led the round with participation from Greylock, Imaginary Ventures, BoxGroup, Moving Capital, and Brett Schulman, bringing the total capital raised to date to $20M.

With the Series A secured, platform enhancements are a top priority for Pepper. “This funding enables us to accelerate product development in..."

Discounter Market Set to Top £34 Billion as Sales Spring Back in 2022

From the lure of the middle aisle to the thrill of a bargain, Britain’s savvy shoppers are set to splash out £34.4 billion at food and non-food discounters in 2022—an annual increase of 6.6%—as the sector looks set to spring back to growth, benefiting from continued economic uncertainty.

Next year’s forecast return to growth will be much welcomed by the sector, as food and non-food discounter sales in 2021 are expected to drop to £32.3 billion, following a bumper 2020... 

In-store Retail Sales Rise to Pre-pandemic Levels, as E-Commerce Growth Slows, Reports NPD

The steady, gradual growth of e-commerce dramatically accelerated during the pandemic, elevating the amount consumers spent shopping online to almost equal the amount consumers spent in stores. Now, with brick-and-mortar stores open across the U.S., online revenue growth is slowing down. At the same time, physical store sales have increased, rising to 64% of all retail sales in September 2021, according to The NPD Group.

“Physical stores are more relevant today than they were before the pandemic,” said Marshal Cohen... 

Feel Foods to Launch Plant-Based Foods E-Commerce Platform

Feel Foods LTD. announced today it is creating a new e-commerce platform with advanced logistics operations in time for the festive season.

Web developers ‘Able & Howe’ is designing the new e-commerce site with full e-commerce capabilities as well as state-of-the-art inventory control capabilities, ensuring operations are efficient, effective, and uninterrupted. Prior to the upcoming holiday season and the launch of its e-commerce platform, Feel Foods is adding more fulfillment personnel and is ramping up production of its popular, 100%...

Packaged Facts Analyst Comments on Home Chef Hitting the $1 Billion Mark

The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19 as consumers continue to spend more time at home. In 2020, more consumers than ever before were deciding to order meal kits and other food and beverage items online to avoid grocery shopping in crowded stores, where they might be exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

Growth has continued through 2021 as consumers looked to meal kits and grocery e-commerce as a convenient alternative to conventional grocery shopping and meal planning...

New Supply Chain Program Offers Training in Critical, Growing Area for Retailers

The NRF Foundation and the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) Foundation today announced the launch of a new Warehouse, Inventory and Logistics certificate for retail employees. The program will be offered as the newest credential as part of the NRF Foundation’s RISE Up skills training portfolio.

“Ecommerce and supply chains are increasingly essential to our economy,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “The Warehouse, Inventory and Logistics credential will give job seekers and employees the training they need to navigate the complex..."

Metapack Launches New Shipping Plans for Retailers

Metapack, the global leader in ecommerce delivery technology, today announced that it has launched new shipping plans for retailers around the world. From small and medium businesses to large global enterprises, the new transparent pricing models from Metapack have been launched to help retailers expand their business by providing quick and direct access to its Delivery Manager platform.

As the shift to ecommerce becomes more prevalent, it’s essential for all retailers to have access to the right scalable shipping technology and infrastructure to meet the growing delivery experience demands from consumers...

Walmart and Meredith Corporation Partner To Help Answer the Question: ‘What’s for Dinner?’

Walmart Inc., the No. 1 U.S. retailer and world’s largest grocer, today announced a cross-platform partnership with Meredith Corporation, the leading multi-platform media company reaching nearly 95% of women in the U.S., to help millions of busy families plan and prepare meals faster and more easily through AI-powered meal planning, shoppable recipes, visual search, chatbots, and more. The partnership pairs Meredith’s expertise in food content, hyper-local consumer insights and proprietary technology platform with Walmart’s wide customer reach, omnichannel presence, deep product assortment, convenient...