CHICAGO - Supermarkets and other retailers are ramping up their meals programs in a renewed effort to compete with restaurants, Technomic researchers said. New and expanded meal offerings are putting emphasis on quality and variety, and are integrating trends such as ethnic foods and signature items that are shaping restaurant menus. “Whole Foods probably deserves most of the credit for spawning this new interest among retailers,” Ron Paul, Technomic‘s president, said in a statement to the press. The imminent arrival in the United States of Tesco, a U.K. retail chain known for the quality of its chilled, prepared foods, could also be driving renewed interest, another source said. Whatever the reason, the new focus has spurred Technomic to launch a study to evaluate the potential for food-service suppliers to do business with retailers. Technomic is a research and consulting firm that works with companies in the retail and food-service arenas.
Technomic: Retailers Put New Focus on Meals
CHICAGO - Supermarkets and other retailers are ramping up their meals programs in a renewed effort to compete with restaurants, Technomic researchers said.
