Technomic: Retailer Prepared Food Programs Gain Ground on Restaurants

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February 15, 2011

Consumers are sourcing prepared meals from a wider range of retailer’s foodservice operations than they were two years ago, most often at the expense of restaurants, according to Technomic research.

Importantly, traditional supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers have been able to grow their share of the food-away-from-home market as they expand their private label foodservice platforms and build upon consumer desire for convenience, quality and variety of offerings in retail locations.

“Retailers benefit from the fact that consumers are already visiting them for other purchases,” said Darren Tristano, EVP of Technomic, a Chicago-based foodservice consultancy, “If retailers can offer a foodservice option that rivals that of restaurants in terms of quality, freshness and variety, they can build on the advantage they inherently enjoy when it comes to convenience.”

Technomic’s new “Retailer Meal Solutions (RMS) Consumer Trend Report “was designed to help restaurant operators, manufacturers and retailers stay on top of evolving consumer attitudes and preferences with regard to retailer meal solutions.

The following were other interesting findings:

• Health is an important factor in the RMS purchasing decision, and seems to be of greater importance for RMS occasions than for restaurant meals. About 40 percent of consumers said they usually consider nutrition when purchasing prepared foods, compared to only about 25 percent who said they do so at restaurants.
• Kid appeal stands out as the primary concept attribute that consumers think RMS programs lack compared to limited-service and full-service restaurants.
• Forty percent of consumers who visit mass merchandisers and convenience stores for RMS purchases, do so at least once a week.

Read These Related Articles:

• Fresh & Easy Launches New Healthy Prepared Food Line
• Kroger's New and Remodeled Units Offer Expanded Prepared Foods
• Walgreens Confirms Chilled Foods Test this Fall
• Waitrose Targets Desk Jockeys with New Lunchtime Store Brands Line
• Wal-Mart Relaunches the Marketside Web Site

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