Celebrating 125 years of service to grocery retailers, California Grocers Association is recognised as a leading resource in government and industry relations for grocery retail. Grocery stores are a huge part of our communities and can easily be impacted by legislative changes every year.

In the latest episode of Digital Grocer, hosts Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst are joined by Doug Scholz, Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at California Grocers Association. Advocating for a state with over 39 million people, California Grocers Association works at the state level to actively engage elected officials. Our trio discusses the scope of new laws impacting grocery retail every year and how California Grocers Association is at the forefront of taking action to support grocery businesses, especially smaller retailers who are unlikely to have their voices heard by state legislators.

Tune in to the full episode now! And don’t miss Sylvain and Mark in Palm Springs for the California Grocers Association Strategic Conference from September 24-26, 2023.

Learn more at https://digitalgrocer.com/

Listen on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/digital-grocer-podcast/id1385167503

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Digital Grocer hosts Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst are back for season 6!

In this first show of the season, the duo discusses the latest research findings from Mercatus’ grocery eCommerce forecast, published in partnership with Brick Meets Click. They reveal how the grocery eCommerce forecast will impact grocery retailers’ ability to retain customer loyalty.

The show features Joel Percy, Regional Director at Eagle Eye, and formerly Director of Loyalty Marketing at Loblaw Companies Limited, who shares his thoughts on key elements defining grocery retail loyalty today. Throughout the segment, Sylvain and Joel discuss how retailers can bring value to their customers through Eagle Eye’s promotional platform, personalizing the customer experience to meet modern shoppers’ expectations, and the factors that retailers should consider when looking for a promotional platform.

Learn more at https://digitalgrocer.com/

Listen on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/digital-grocer-podcast/id1385167503

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0F69PEWiu0WbHiHpoJnOZu

Listen on iHeart - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-digital-grocer-podcast-84279013/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The beards are back with Between2Beards tales from the road.

This time Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst are on the west coast and travelled out to Coquitlam, BC to visit a brand new Save-On-Foods location that recently opened September 1 2022. Come along as they check out the new grocery store design and layout, and the 16,000 sqft on site MFC that will fulfill online orders come November 2022. (Thanks to Jamie and the store staff for a great tour!)

The Digital Grocer hosts compare this store model to ones they’ve seen in the US, and how they think hybrid store and MFCs models could be the future of regional grocery.

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Coming off a 3 part series exploring recent macro economic grocery trends, hosts Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst, are joined by Michael Davidson, President and CEO, Buehler's Fresh Foods. 

On this podcast episode, Sylvain, Mike and Mark discuss how regional retailers are handling the changes in the grocery industry, while competing against larger, national grocery retailers and mass merchandisers.

Some of the key topics covered include: what regional retailers are doing to minimize the inflation impact on customers, how grocers are dealing with labor shortages, the shifting consumer preferences with the grocery industry due to inflation, the current economic climate and how retailers might adjust their plans for 2023. Further the trio discuss the possibility of a recession in 2023 and the major challenges needing to be overcome by grocers. Finally, they end the episode with a great segment on what grocery retailers do to encourage consumers to stay loyal in the current economic environment.

The conversation is informative and provides insights into how regional grocers are responding to challenges like inflation and possible recession.  So, listen in now!

Learn more at https://digitalgrocer.com/

Listen on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/digital-grocer-podcast/id1385167503

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0F69PEWiu0WbHiHpoJnOZu

Listen on iHeart - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-digital-grocer-podcast-84279013/

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Welcome to part 3 in a three part Digital Grocer podcast series discussing the macro economic trends influencing the grocery industry. 

In part 1, Mark and Sylvain were joined by Zac Wilson, Director of eCommerce at Raley's Supermarkets to discuss geopolitical challenges, rising interest rates, and how the pandemic has evolved consumer expectations.

In part 2, they were joined by John Lucot, retired President and COO of Giant Eagle, where they discussed grocery inflation, the impacts on retailers and how to respond.

In this episode, Sylvain and Mark are joined by Claire Fan, an economist from the office of the CEO of Royal Bank of Canada to discuss the discuss the Canadian and U.S. economy and how current events are  affecting grocery consumers, as well as what is happening from a geo-political perspective and how that will impact the economy and grocers in general.

Some of the interesting and valuable topics covered in this episode include: current macro state and trends with the Canadian and U.S. economy, how inflation is surging globally and what that means for grocers, how consumers are responding to the economic situation and the impact on consumer spending, strategies that grocery retailers are implementing to combat inflation and economic challenges, how the Russia and Ukraine war will impact North American consumers. And finally, what grocers should expect from the economy going into 2023, and advice for business leaders and how they can respond and adjust their plans for the future.

This episode provides valuable insights for anyone interested in learning more about the current state of the economy and its impact on the grocery industry. So, listen in now!

Learn more at https://digitalgrocer.com/

Listen on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/digital-grocer-podcast/id1385167503

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0F69PEWiu0WbHiHpoJnOZu

Listen on iHeart - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-digital-grocer-podcast-84279013/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we are diving deep into Part 2 of a 3 part series where expert grocery ecommerce hosts, Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst, discuss the effects of grocery inflation on retailers and what is happening behind the scenes in terms of merchandising and operations.  

In Part 1: Grocery eCommerce: Post-pandemic insights and strategy, the hosts were joined by Zac Wilson, the Director of eCommerce at Raley's Supermarkets, where they discussed what has occurred coming out of the Pandemic, how Rayley’s responded, the early impacts of inflation and how it is effecting ecommerce, and how that has affected grocery delivery and pickup. 

In this episode, Sylvain and Mark are joined by John Lucot, retired President and Chief Operating Officer of Giant Eagle where the conversation centers around how can retailers respond to grocery inflation, how CPG expectations and consumer behaviors are changing due to inflation, whether or not inflation benefits grocery retailers, and how retailers should prepare to go from inflation to potential recession. The episode details strong advice for grocery retailers today that are dealing with the current market circumstances.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone operating a grocery business. 

Learn more at https://digitalgrocer.com/

Listen on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/digital-grocer-podcast/id1385167503

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0F69PEWiu0WbHiHpoJnOZu

Listen on iHeart - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-digital-grocer-podcast-84279013/

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Grocery eCommerce: Post-pandemic insights and strategy with Zac Wilson, Raley's Supermarkets

Mark and Sylvain are joined by Zac Wilson, Director of eCommerce at Raley's Supermarkets. Throughout the episode, they discuss: Geopolitical challenges, the Federal reserve raising the interest rates, the shift in how the pandemic has evolved how consumers experience and interact with grocery ecommerce, changing consumer expectations and demand in post-pandemic environment, how inflation has impacted basket sizes, and overall changes in customer grocery fulfillment preferences. 

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In this episode of the Digital Grocer, Instacart’s IPO is on the table and there is much speculation as to its strategy and who would consider acquiring the grocery delivery platform.

This week’s guest is Rick Watson of the Watson Weekly podcast and also CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting. Instacart’s current position in the grocery retail space, its platform strategy, company valuation, and potential IPO scenarios are discussed. The headwinds that Instacart must overcome, such as high costs, competition from Amazon, and the need to invest in new technologies, are analyzed. Instacart’s competitive advantage, key partnerships, and growth plans are also discussed. Instacart’s IPO will be a major test for the company and will likely have a significant impact on the grocery industry.

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Instacart is an online grocery platform that many people have been wondering about when it comes to the company’s long-awaited IPO, and what this will mean to the industry. Hear why we know the IPO is around the corner, despite what Instacart has said recently.

In this latest episode of the Digital Grocer podcast, Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst discuss some first-hand information they have about Instacart’s upcoming filing.

Online grocery sales numbers for March 2022, as well as latest insights into consumer preferences also are discussed. Online delivery has definitely gained a larger share of the eGrocery market due to convenience being the key driver behind consumers’ growing adoption of this channel but how long will this last?

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Sylvain Perrier and Mark Fairhurst are back for Season 5 of Digital Grocer! In Episode 1, David Bishop joins them as they all become secret shoppers and explore how Amazon Fresh uses convenience as a key selling point. While reviewing several store experiences, the team examines the grab-and go technology and how Amazon prices its products in-store versus online. Lastly, the they talk in depth about the Amazon Fresh strategy to build up their grocery retail business by looking into what makes them stand-out against traditional food industry players. Don’t miss all of this and more in this first episode of the Digital Grocer podcast new season.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.