Jun 11, 2014

FMI and Hartman Group Partner on U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2014 Study

JUNE 11, 2014 – CHICAGO, IL – Food Marketing Institute (FMI) today released its annual analysis of U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, presented by FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin at FMI Connect, which reveals dramatic changes in the consumer universe that have impacted the way food retailers do business.

Sarasin commented on one of the most significant trends, stating, “FMI’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2014, done in collaboration with the Hartman Group, shows supermarkets returning to a 54 percent level of channel share, supercenters down to 22 percent and each of the other categories, such as discount and specialty - registering one percent lower from the positions held the year before.

“Clearly, the traditional supermarket picked up a few points in all that movement, but what is most interesting is the leap in the number of people who claim they have no primary store. When FMI first started listing this option in 2011, only two percent said they had no primary store. This year, nine percent claim no primary store.”

Laurie Demeritt, CEO of the Hartman Group, Inc., noted that the joint study identifies important shifts in the way Americans are food shopping, including not just an increasing reliance on multiple stores, but also an increasing fragmentation of shopping responsibilities within the American household.

Demeritt said, “We offered FMI a unique opportunity this year to approach the survey research through a cultural perspective, interviewing Americans in their homes and while shopping. Drawing upon ethnographic research into U.S. food consumption, we found that the convenient, formerly helpful idea of a 'primary shopper'- a single adult responsible for, and at least knowledgeable about, a household's grocery purchases - no longer does justice to how American households manage their food purchases today.”

U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2014 identifies and explores five major trends:

  1. Diversification of the “primary store” as a touchstone of shopper behavior;
  2. fragmentation of the “primary shopper” role within households;
  3. Generational transformation in what “planning” means to food shoppers;
  4. Re-orientation of consumer attitudes around wellness, with fresh, less-processed taking a center stage; and  
  5. Opening for food retailers to become trusted allies in helping shoppers navigate food and wellness.

For a copy of the report, visit www.fmi.org/store; a code for a free download of the report is available in the FMI Connect directory.

About FMI

Food Marketing Institute proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry. FMI’s U.S. members operate nearly 40,000 retail food stores and 25,000 pharmacies, representing a combined annual sales volume of almost $770 billion. Through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations, FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to more than 1,225 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI membership covers the spectrum of diverse venues where food is sold, including single owner grocery stores, large multi-store supermarket chains and mixed retail stores.  For more information, visit www.fmi.org and for information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org.

About The Hartman Group
The Hartman Group is the principal provider of global research on consumer culture and behaviors, and a leading advisor to the world's best-known brands on market strategy. Through a unique suite of integrated custom, primary research capabilities, market analytics and business strategy services, The Hartman Group uncovers opportunities and avenues for growth for clients across the consumer-driven marketplace. The Hartman Group is internationally recognized for breakthrough perspectives on emerging and evolving consumer behaviors in health and wellness, sustainability and food culture.