Fall is a great time for my rescued Jack Russell Terriers. (Don’t they look gorgeous in this picture). They love the outdoors and trips to the cottage. Though I wish I could do the same I have being too busy launching my new business, “Food Distribution Guy” – www.fooddistributionguy.com. Though the traditional Canadian grocery sector is an $87.5B dollar sector, (2013, The Big Drop For Canadian Grocery Sales, Canadian Grocer, 2014), research reveals small food manufacturers have trouble securing product distribution.

We help small food manufacturers get listed and stay listed.

So if you are working hard on getting yourself listed or know of a small business facing this predicament, let’s do coffee. I’ll give you all sorts of tips and even buy you an espresso.

“Follow your heart, it won’t lead you astray”.

-Richard

 

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Happenings In the Canadian Grocery Sector

Here are some interesting tidbits that are happening in the food and grocery sector:

Proposed Changes To Food Nutrition Labels

The Canadian Government has unveiled proposed changes to food nutrition labels that is aimed to make them both easier to read, and more “relevant” to Canadians’ lives. In essence nutrients that Canadians may want to consume less of are listed near the top of the table, and the nutrients that Canadians may want to consume more of are listed at the bottom.View the article.

I have instructed my food client in the chocolate sector to review this legislation and provide her feedback to the Canadian Government. Have you done the same? The time is now to speak up before it becomes law.

Brand Loyalty

Canadians are becoming less brand loyal according to a report released by Veritas Communications and Northstar.View their full report.

In their report, 74% of those surveyed indicated they had switched away from one of more of their “preferred brands” and 69% indicated they are planning to switch from a “preferred brand” in the coming year. Their report is supported by a study undertaken by Bond Brand Loyalty that found 29% of consumers would not be loyal to a brand without its loyalty program. One of my clients recently implemented aconsumer loyalty program that led to increased traffic at their food stand. What are you doing to maintain brand loyalty?

Dollar Stores

Dollarama is Canada’s hottest retailer. In 2013, sales topped $1.86B representing a 16% increase over 2012. Consumable products represented 37% of their sales. In fact, they are the fourth most frequented grocery shopping destination for Canadian Mom’s. I created a brand strategy for a client seeking to expand into this sector that resulted in incremental sales revenue in excess of $250,000. Is this sector on your radar screen? If not, why not?

 

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Upcoming Conferences & Trade Shows

Thank you to everyone who dropped by our booth at Grocery Innovation. The show was a tremendous success. Look forward to Grocery Showcase West – April 13th and 14th, 2015. Check it out here!

I will be attending the Canadian Grocer Thought Leadership CEO Conference on November 24th, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto.
View event details here.