Tag: Consumer

Still don’t know how serious consumers take their produce shopping these days?  Can’t get your head around whether organic produce offers work? Well, in the absence of intelligent news reporting in this country, we have to revert to this other place where English is spoken, the good US of A.

When a shopping reporter (or was that reporting shopper?) spends his time inspecting the produce displays of Walmart and compares them with those of his local icon Whole Foods, you know America is on the move. And where America leads (having followed the UK), we in turn follow.  Eventually. To a point.  But nevertheless.

Especially when the themes sound  familiar.  Locally sourced, organically grown, attractively merchandised, survival of the small grower.  Now, where have we heard this before?

There are several levels to this debate. The first and most basic level is – what is a margin and how do I calculate it? I don’t want to waste my time writing about something every retailer should understand, but unfortunately too few do.

The second level is product or category related margins. What should the margin on potatoes be, compared to the one earned by strawberries, bananas or turnips? What is a realistic margin, what is a fair margin and what is downright obscene?
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From field to shopping trolley, it’s one of the most vital factors in fresh produce operations – but there’s not nearly as much of it as there should be.

Consistency is one of the most misunderstood concepts in business. Consistency is often portrayed as a secondary goal. “Ah well, I might not be able to be top dog, but at least I am consistent, so that’s OK then.” The reality is that consistency is a state aspired to either consciously or subconsciously by growers, service providers, retailers and consumers alike – and half the time without even realising that everyone is after the same objective.
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