Consumers may be changing the way they shop, but retailers are changing the way they build stores. In this issue, Greg Madison explores the surprising return of neighborhood grocery and why smaller-format locations are becoming a strategic priority for some of retail’s largest operators.
Elsewhere, the Food Trade News news team examines a question many shoppers continue asking: If inflation is cooling, why do groceries still seem so expensive? We also unpack Connecticut’s newly enacted dynamic pricing law, a measure that could influence similar legislation in other states.
And Executive Editor Alexander Wissel reports from Orlando, where this year’s IDDBA show drew thousands of industry professionals and offered a powerful reminder of the innovation, energy, and resilience driving fresh foods.
Connecticut Becomes 2nd State to Restrict Dynamic Pricing
Connecticut has become the second state in the nation to enact legislation restricting the use of consumer data to establish customized retail prices, adding momentum to a growing debate over so-called “dynamic” or “surveillance” pricing in grocery and other retail sectors.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed the measure into law on June 5. The move comes at a time of increasing controversy over the practice; retailers are pouring billions into “smart” pricing capabilities and labor and consumer groups are growing more vocal in their pushback.
The news team has more on the Nutmeg State’s new law and what it means for the wider industry…
ICYMI: A Very Successful 2026 IDDBA Show
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) show in Orlando this week was an impressive reminder of both the scale and resilience of the fresh food industry.
More than 10,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibitors gathered to showcase products, ideas, and solutions across dairy, deli, bakery, foodservice, and prepared foods.
But beyond the products themselves, the event offered something equally valuable: a real-time snapshot of where one of grocery’s most important sectors is headed.
Executive Editor Alexander Wissel talks about what he saw on the floor at the show…
What Economic Worries? Loyalty Spending Climbs No Matter What
Retailers don’t spend upwards of $5.6 billion dollars a year building loyalty programs because loyalty gives them a warm, fuzzy feeling. Rather, it’s because loyalty has become the de facto operating system of modern retail.
The data and insights a quality loyalty program can generate are worth the big investments, no matter the economic climate.
Greg Madison has more on this digital gold rush…
Why Grocery Prices “Feel” High, Even if Inflation Isn’t
The May inflation print from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed energy, not food, was the big driver of price increases last month. While higher fuel costs will certainly work their way into food prices, there’s a psychological phenomenon at work among consumers that blurs the issue.
The news team has more on this…
The Return of Neighborhood Grocery
Smaller shops are returning to big-city Northeast neighborhoods… but it’s not mom ‘n pop. Rather, one of the most valuable companies on the planet (you know the one) is deploying small-footprint locations to try and capture a certain kind of shopper on a certain kind of trip.
Others are getting in on the act as small, neighborhood grocery makes a renewed comeback.
