The Pick List

Laura and Julia are joined by Asia Walker, regional marketing manager for Alliance Group NZ. They chat about how grocery brands can appeal to younger shoppers, trade disruption in the face of Covid and Brexit, Pret moving into takeaway dinners and lockdown 2.0 trends.

Plus, they discuss why video games could be the next retail frontier.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘Christmas grocery delivery slots are full – but it’s not the only channel for shoppers’ | The Grocer

‘Brands struggling to get a handle on woke capitalism’ | The Times

‘Felixstowe Port in 'chaos' as Christmas and Brexit loom’ | BBC News

‘Pret a Manger breaks into takeaway dinner market’ | The Grocer

‘Why video games are the next retail frontier’ | Modern Retail

‘6 opportunities for brands to tap into lockdown 2.0’ | NAM News

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Laura and Julia are joined by Bruce Drinkwater, chairman and founder of branding consultancy StormBrands. They chat about McPlant, the new plant-based range from McDonald’s, Nestlé’s acquisition of Mindful Chef and the boom in recipe boxes and Aldi’s expansion of its click and collect trial.

Plus, they discuss an innovative vertical farming trial that involves growing animal feed in vertical systems, and the demise of the supermarket deli counter.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘Aldi UK to ramp-up click and collect trial’ | Reuters

‘McDonald’s unveils McPlant line, which includes meatless patty co-created by Beyond Meat’ | CNBC

‘Independent shops hit out at high street chains trading during lockdown’ | The Guardian

‘Nestlé buys Mindful Chef to bulk up direct-to-consumer portfolio’ | The Grocer

‘This vertical farm is growing food—but it’s for cows’ | Fast Company

‘Sainsbury’s to permanently close in-store counters and 420 Argos stores’ | The Grocer

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This week, Laura and Julia are joined by Rod Addy, editor of Food Manufacture. They discuss Burger King’s eye-catching ad campaign calling on shoppers to eat at McDonald’s, Walmart’s decision to stop using inventory robots and what shopping lists reveal about supermarket buying habits.

Plus, they chat about US election-themed cocktails (piña colada is a favourite) and why chocolate sales are soaring.

Articles discussed in this episode: 

‘Burger King is asking people to eat at McDonald’s during lockdown’ | Manchester Evening News

‘The secret life of shopping lists’ | LinkedIn

‘Walmart drops inventory robots from its stores’ | BBC

‘Five classic American cocktails to drink your way through election day’ | The Guardian

‘Reinforcing food waste or fighting it?’ | Sifted

‘Chocolate sales soar as UK shoppers comfort eat at home amid Covid’ | The Guardian

Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

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It’s a rare solo episode for Laura and Julia this week. They chat about lab-grown meat and how soon it’s likely to be commercially viable, restrictions on supermarkets in Wales and Asda’s sustainable store trial.

Plus, they discuss the rise of Twitch as a marketing platform for brands and the latest food trend predictions for 2021.

Articles discussed in this episode: 

‘Lab-grown meat is scaling like the internet’ | The Spoon

‘Grocers in Wales have “discretion” over ban on selling non-essential items’ | Retail Gazette

‘Are ‘kidfluencers’ making our kids fat?’ | The New York Times

‘How significant is Asda’s sustainable store trial in Middleton?’ | The Grocer

‘Twitch emerges as rising platform for beauty brands’ | Glossy

‘Top five global trends that will shape the food industry in 2021’ | Businesswire

Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

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Laura and Julia are joined by Sophie Throup, head of agriculture, fisheries and sustainable sourcing at Morrisons.

They chat about how supermarkets are preparing for this year’s Christmas trading period, why ‘online associate’ could be the retail job of the future and an innovative ‘wet farming’ trial that aims to protect peat and produce some nice gin in the process.

Plus, they talk about the rise of influencer culture in food and grocery and why more and more Brits are developing a serious taste for takeaways – including at breakfast.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘Planting under way on ‘wet farming’ trial to protect peat in climate fight’ | Express and Star

‘Online associate is the retail job of the future’ | Bloomberg

‘Jingling tills won’t solve a tricky midwinter for supermarkets’ | The Sunday Times

‘Takeaways surge during pandemic’ | The Times

‘Innova identifies top 10 food and beverage trends to accelerate innovation in 2021’ | PR Newswire

‘Does naming a thing help you understand it?’ | The Economist

‘I’m sick of influencers asking for free cake’ | BBC

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Julia and Laura are joined by Huw Llewellyn-Waters, director at MBS Group. They discuss diversity and inclusion in food and grocery, whether automated stores really are about to go mainstream and Octopus Ventures' growing focus on consumer businesses. 

Plus, they chat about an intriguing clothes recycling initiative by H&M and celebrate two Co-op employees' recognition in the birthday honours.

Articles discussed in this episode: 

‘Two Co-op employees recognised in birthday honours for services during pandemic’ | The Grocer

‘Automated stores are heading for the high street’ | The Sunday Times

‘Karen Betts: the diplomat with a passion for whisky’ | The Grocer

‘Octopus Ventures to focus more on consumer startups’ | Sifted

‘Flies lead the way to a greener future’ | Financial Times

‘H&M to launch high-tech “Looop” system instore which will shred old clothes and create new ones in real time’ | Charged

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This week, Julia and Laura are joined by Mary Johnson, market access manager at Meat & Livestock Australia. They chat about UK-EU trade talks and the implications for British and Australian sheepmeat producers, what’s next for UK supermarkets in light of the sale of Asda as well an interesting new partnership that will allow Danone North America to capture the environmental impact of its ingredients.

Plus, they talk about Tesco’s eye-catching new target to increase plant-based meat sales by 300% and M&S’s decision to cut soya out of its milk production to fight deforestation.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘UK landowners warn of lamb surplus after no-deal Brexit’ | Politico

‘I saved my pub money on lockdown to build a mighty salmon empire’ | Wired

‘Welcome to the supermarket of the future’ | The Sunday Times

‘M&S cuts soya from production of milk to curb deforestation’ | The Guardian

‘Danone North America Implements Latis To Determine Ingredient Sustainability’ | The Spoon

‘Tesco pledges 300% plant-based sales hike by 2025 in sustainability drive’ | The Grocer

Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

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Laura and Julia are joined by Josie Morris, MD of packaging company Woolcool.

They chat about Christmas food trends and the rise of ‘Mini-mas’, as predicted by M&S; a French startup that’s trying to revolutionise workplace snacking; and why US retailers have started putting together ‘pandemic pallets’ to prepare for coming Covid waves.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘Five trends that will shape Christmas 2020 according to Marks & Spencer’ | The Grocer

‘Totem: A new twist in the food delivery space’ | Sifted

‘How can brands and retailers utilise the reimagined vending machine’ | The Grocer

‘Second Covid-19 wave could be 'knockout punch' for UK high street’ | The Guardian

‘Back British Farming campaign builds as trade talks continue’ | Farmers Weekly

‘Martha Stewart sees high potential for Boomer CBD opportunity’ | Glossy

'Pandemic Pallets filled with stockpiled items are reportedly gaining popularity at grocery stores ahead of the winter months’ | Business Insider

You can sign up to the webinar on plant-based that Julia is hosting here.

To find out more about Digital Shelf Cast, the new podcast on ecommerce Julia is hosting, click here.

Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

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Julia and Laura are joined by Ged Futter of The Retail Mind. Ged’s a former Asda buyer who now works with suppliers to help them get the most out of their negotiations and relationships with retailers.

They discuss supermarket ‘air rights’, adding theatre to stores with vertical farming and a pioneering initiative involving chefs running school kitchens.

Plus, they chat about the race to redesign sugar and Amazon’s bid to go premium with its invitation-only, high-end fashion portal.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘Vertical farming firm Infarm raises $170m in funding round’ | FoodBev Media

‘Asda bidder has an eye on reaching for the sky’ | The Times

‘John Lewis and Waitrose to roll out joint loyalty scheme’ | The Grocer

John Lewis boss Sharon White knowingly kills off slogan | The Sunday Times

‘The restaurant chefs transforming school meals | The Observer’

‘The race to redesign sugar’ | New Yorker

‘Amazon launches Luxury Stores to separate the hoi polloi from the haute couture’

Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

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The Pick List is back for season 2! This week, Laura and Julia are joined by Murray King, a dairy entrepreneur from New Zealand and self-confessed ‘farmer who is easily bored’.

They discuss new research on Gen Z’s attitudes to lab-grown meat, PepsiCo’s new Driftwell drink, which promises to aid sleep and relaxation, and an innovative ingredients initiative looking to kick-start a new Māori-led export sector. (To learn more about the Te Taiau approach to land management and the environment, also check out this video: https://youtu.be/EV9OmshOF0c)

Plus, they chat about how a new generation of smart fridges can help in the fight against food waste – and why fresh oranges are having a moment.

Articles discussed in this episode:

‘Bioactives initiative creates export sector opportunity’ | New Zealand Food Technology News

‘PepsiCo wants to help the caffeinated masses get better sleep with its new relaxation drink’ | Fast Company

‘PepsiCo to launch drink to aid sleep as consumers struggle with stress’ | CNBC

‘7 ways the pandemic has changed how we shop for food’ | New York Times

‘Gen Z not ready to eat lab-grown meat’ | Food Navigator

‘Future foods are not made of plants — they are made of air’ | Sifted

‘The consumer food waste innovation report’ | The Spoon

Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.