In-Depth Know-How Of Imported Foods Is Our Core Strength

Sunil Agarwal, promoter of Pune-based Fine Foods, speaks to Progressive Grocer about his stores’ specialty and core strengths, trends in imported world foods and how his small format store chain has played to its strengths and established a solid reputation in gourmet retailing.

The Impact Of GST On E-commerce Market

With GST, inter-state movement of goods has become easier. E-commerce enterprises can deliver their products on time without any delay, which will inspire more consumers to buy products online.

SPAR India: A Hypermarket Known For Value And Differentiation

The Dutch brand SPAR is the world’s largest voluntary retail chain with over 12,000 stores in 40 countries worldwide and meets the needs of over 13 million consumers every day. In India, SPAR Hypermarkets operates 20 stores across nine states. Progressive Grocer takes a look at how the retailer remains receptive to introducing new products across categories and the various innovations it has put in place to keep abreast of the fast-changing consumer buying trends.

Taking The Lead In Honey Market

With the changing food consumption paradigms, the generation today prefers everything healthy in their diet. With this shift, one of the most sought after breakfast essential– honey has taken over as a staple on the breakfast table. To know more about this emerging food trend and his take on how the category is maturing in India, Progressive Grocer spoke to Vimal Anand, Managing Director, APIS India.

Heritage Foods Premium Ice Cream Brand “ALPENVIE” To Set Tongues Drooling

Available in varied flavours and formats the ice-cream brand targets young adults and college goers.

Parle Agro Launches The New #TheFrootiLife Campaign For Summer 2018

Parle Agro, the largest Indian beverage manufacturer, announced the launch of the new #TheFrootiLife campaign for Summer 2018 and has taken a hyperlocal marketing strategy with various initiatives that are specifically targeted towards different regions of the country.

Applications Of Blockchain Platform In Agri-Food Supply Chains

Blockchain technology has the potential to make every transaction in the agri-supply chain transparent, traceable, and verifiable without any third-party oversight.

What To Keep In Mind When Selecting Juices And Soft Drinks?

Here are some tips that will help to select fruit juices and beverages that are healthy and safe to consume.

Specialty Store In Chennai Gains A Nation-Wide Following

Founded in 1999, Chennai-based Nuts ‘n’ Spices is a Specialty store that sells a large variety of products such as dry fruits, spices, herbs, health products, sugar-free products, imported chocolates and biscuits, imported dairy products, imported ice creams, frozen foods and many more gourmet products. The 33 Nuts ‘n’ Spices stores have an average store area of 1,200 sq. ft. with total retail area spanning 40,000 sq. ft. In the last fiscal, the chain grossed a turnover of Rs. 82 crore, which is impressive taking into account its Rs. 57 lakh revenue in the first year of operation.Progressive Grocer traces the incredibly successful journey of Nuts ‘n’ Spices since its inception as a small Specialty store to attaining its current cult status as a destination food store for the health-conscious cosmopolitan crowd.

Big Opportunity For Plant-Based Natural Origin Products

India is a highly attractive emerging market in the throes of major changes. Brands that are willing to adapt and react to the changes by partnering with suppliers that invest in sustainability and understanding regulatory and consumer concerns are well positioned to exploit the world’s soon to be third-largest food and beverage market.

Organic Power

Progressive Grocer spoke to organic industry experts to understand the market proposition of organic products in India and how this trend will shape up in the future.

Getting Started With Demand Forcasting

Sophisticated planning is modest, but growing, in grocery.

Consumer Behaviour Is Changing And How!

Trends show a steady and progressive shift in consumers’ aspirations and spending behaviours—in certain categories. For one thing, shopping is becoming more social—involving all family members—and much more frequent, thanks to the rise of online shopping.

Hitching Business To The Online Wagon

E-retail is giving tough competition to physical stores, gaining ground in revenue and visibility as consumers distance themselves from the traditional supermarket model.

Kannur's Most Famous Bakers

The Venus Group is popular for its Sheen Bakery stores in Kannur, Kerala. The family-run business is now managed by the second generation of family entrepreneurs. Veenish Kumar, Managing Partner at Venus Group of Concerns, talks to Progressive Grocer about how the business has evolved over the years and his plans for the future.

Give A Wide Berth To Chemically Ripened Mangoes

Mangoes have a rich legacy and are known for their nutritive value. But in today’s environment, they are also a cause of concern. As the mango season breaks in, it challenges the demandsupply mechanism, leaving room for unethical ways to manage demand upswings.

How To Loyalize Your Customer Base

Progressive Grocer speaks to retailers with hands-on experience in running and developing loyalty programs to find out about the ways of making them into a powerful platform for meaningful engagement with customers and winning their trust in the brand.

Collaborate To Succeed

At a time when retail dynamics are changing faster than the ability of retailers and producers to respond effectively and commensurately, the need for collaboration between the two is graver now than ever before. Progressive Grocer spoke to two industry stalwarts to get a sense of how and in which areas can retailers and producers collaborate for mutually profitable objectives.

The Spice King And Founder Of MDH: A Journey Of Grit, Courage And Determination

How Mahashayji Dharampal Gulati overcame the many adversities that came his way and through doughty pluckiness and an enterprising spirit scripted the success story of India’s most popular masala brand MDH.

Making A Difference To The Organized Retailing Of Seafood

West Coast Fine Foods (India) Pvt. Ltd. – one of India’s leading domestic distributors of fresh and frozen seafood, vegetables and vegetarian snacks (Frish brand) – has a presence across India’s leading retail outlets and is a supplier to hotels, restaurants & caterers. The company’s latest initiative in retail has been the launch and build up of the Cambay Tiger Sea Food Mart, which brings international standards of fish retailing in India.

How Organic Foods Are Shaping The Future Of Food Industry

The practice of bringing in all food products under the organic label will erode the authenticity and genuineness of the organic category. It is therefore crucial for us to build trust to enable growth and sustain this practice. We must begin to focus on our biodiversity and the rare varieties to sustain the organic food industry in a healthy manner.

Pioneers In Eggless Bakery Products

As the premier European inspired bakery, Lovely Bake Studio offers 100% egg-less delicacies, a first-of –its –kind concept in India. The company is ramping up its pan-India presence and has also started exporting overseas to the Middle East, Hong Kong and Australia.

F&G Sector Bats For Easier Compliance Burden

Progressive Grocer spoke to three prominent members of the industry to get a sense of the sector’s comfort level in dealing with GST. While each one of them welcomed its implementation and were appreciative of GST’s stated aim to bring about transparency and accountability in transactions, they also expressed an overwhelming concern for more simplicity in the rules and greater flexibility in the compliance.

GST Is Bringing A Sea Change In The FMCG Sector

The FMCG sector will be the first industry to feel the positive impact of GST but gradually its impact will become widespread and invigorate the nation’s overall economy.

The Fantastic Four

This quartet of food retailers is doubling down on ecommerce now, for future success.

How To Make Big Payoffs From Execution Of Great Concepts

The concluding session on Day two of India Retail Forum celebrated innovation in retail and feted those retailers that have introduced unique retailing concepts, showed excellence in execution strategy, demonstrated grit and perseverance through the implementation stages and brought it all to a successful fruition with exemplary returns and payoffs.

We Serve A Premium Niche In Food & Home Needs Retailing

Hyderabad-based retailer Q-Mart has changed the retail landscape of the city by being the first to introduce gourmet, organic, imported and specialty food categories, way back in 2001. Its promoters have also brought in new concepts in merchandising and technology, in-store display and consumer engagement, all of which have helped the store build a large and loyal base of customers. Nibedita Roy of Progressive Grocer spoke to promoters B.V.K. Raju and B.H. Rao about the store’s retailing philosophy and its plans for the future.

The Healthy Dairy Alternative For You And Family

Consumers nowadays are shifting towards healthier beverage options such as almond milk because of increasing health consciousness. Growing awareness about the health benefits of almond milk is making it one of the more popular dairy alternatives.

Manufacturers & Modern Trade: Joining Forces To Win Over Bharat

Marketing heads of leading Indian food and grocery brands and retailers engaged in a thought leadership session moderated by Kabir Gossain, Customer Director – Modern Trade, Unilever and Kamaldeep Singh, President, Food Business, Future Group. The debate centred on the rapid expansion of modern trade in tier 2 and 3 cities, the implications for food brands (from large brands to startups) and the evolving paradigms in the relationship between modern trade and these brands as they penetrate the hinterland.

CEOs 2020 Vision For The Grocery Sector

At the 12th edition of India Food Forum last month, CEOs of major grocery chains and leading retailers deliberated on the ways to prepare and face challenges such as the rapid rise in e-commerce and digital ecosystem management and come up with the right strategies for adapting to the needs of evolving customers.