The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers, has issued a statement regarding the increase in production and promotion of craft-like beers by large, non-craft breweries: An American craft brewer is defined as small and independent. Their annual production is six million barrels of beer or less, and…
DetailsDollar General is planning to add cigarettes and other tobacco products to the product mix at the majority of its U.S. stores by the middle of 2013. The company, with 10,000 retail locations nationwide, cited “competitive pressures” and a perceived customer demand as the reasons behind this move. The rollout follows on the heels of…
DetailsThe Midwest drought, the “pink slime” controversy, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were the most influential food stories for consumers in 2012, according to a survey by Hunter Public Relations. The firm’s annual Food News Study, conducted by Digital Research, Inc., polled 1,000 Americans about their perceptions on the year’s top food stories and how…
DetailsWhile the economic downturn has affected consumer spending across many sectors, craft and craft-style beers are defying recessionary trends with an impressive upward trajectory. The latest research by Mintel on the craft beer market in the United States shows that sales of craft beer nearly doubled between 2007 and 2012, increasing from $5.7 billion in…
DetailsThe power of unions has sharply declined, with its share of the workforce falling to its lowest point in 97 years, the New York Times reports. Union membership only accounts for 11.3% of the workforce in 2012, a drop from 11.8% the year before. Unionization registered a lower percentage only in 1916 (11.2%). The U.S.…
DetailsRespondents to a recently conducted survey of tobacco retailer and wholesaler contacts representing more than 45,000 U.S. convenience stores revealed that the competitive environment improved during fourth-quarter 2012, with fewer respondents indicating a competitive environment versus the third quarter. The survey also showed: Total cigarette industry volumes should be down about 3% during the fourth…
DetailsAccording to executives from Deloitte Consulting, the dollar channel will continue to post strong growth, competing with traditional retail for both consumers and suppliers, Supermarket News reports. The results are part of a recent Deloitte consumers/industry study on the dollar channel, which hinted at the high stakes involved. “There’s a significant prize here in the…
DetailsThe U.S. convenience store count increased to a record 149,220 stores as of December 31, 2012, a 0.7% increase (1,094 stores) from the year prior, according to the 2013 NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. The growth of convenience stores selling motor fuels was nearly triple the overall growth in the industry, as fuels retailers added…
DetailsTarget announced earlier last week that it is expanding its fresh grocery concept to the Detroit area. The news comes as Target is remodeling its stores across the country, allocating approximately 10,000 square feet to fresh food, along with dry and frozen offerings. As part of its Detroit remodel, Target will renovate beauty, home, shoe,…
DetailsSo where are gasoline prices heading this year? The year 2013 started just like it did in 2012—gas prices were at a national average of $3.30 per gallon, setting a record high for the start of the year. But that doesn’t mean that this year will unfold like last year, in which we experienced two…
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