Grocery Wars

Life has always been about coping with challenges. More than two decades ago I was diagnosed with depression. When I was first diagnosed, I kept it to myself. Today, I still do. Though I feel it is a stigma that I am not proud of, many well known personalities such as Dwayne Johnson, Michael Landsberg, […]

Growing up, Kraft Dinner was a favourite for Canadians. Great taste and it was easy to prepare, especially for an amateur chef like myself. Introduced simultaneously in both Canada and the US in 1937, Canadians consumed 55% more boxes per capita than Americans.[i] I remember when Kraft admitted their iconic product contained synthetic colours. Due […]

Brand loyalty, is the mission for business when launching a new product. When I was the Brand Manager for Tabasco Sauce in Canada, they enjoyed  an +80% brand loyalty level. That was during an era of no social media, and food prices were stable. Today, that term is more fiction than fact. “The death of […]

In the early 1990’s I remember the first Dollar store opening up in the GTA. Having identified this new retail channel, I brought it to the attention of Senior Management in Canada, and the United States. My concerns were unheeded by Senior Management, and I was told they would never become a serious threat to […]

The Canadian grocery sector is in a volatile state due to the inflationary wars. Though much has been made about the rising food prices in Canada, the UK’s November’23 CPG inflationary figure came in at 9.2%[i], as compared to 5% for Canada.[ii] Over the past year, though food sales increased 6.6%, it was all fueled […]