Trolley-trimmers - supermarket suppliers target more cost-conscious shoppers
Thursday, 9 March 2023
Savings – whether it’s money for their strapped shoppers, or the planet – was top of mind among the country’s supermarkets and their suppliers as they gathered in Hamilton this week.
The FoodStuffs Expo 2023 gathered up to 4000 people across two days - a mix of more than 350 Kiwi brands showing their wares, and the Pak’nSave and New World operators who sell them, checking out what Kiwi shoppers would likely be putting in their trolleys in coming months.
Redefinifing the old cost-cutting trick of buying in bulk was the target of Waikato-based Prolife Foods with The Care Filleries to cater to consumer demand around ‘conscious consumption’.
Customers can pick as much or as little of staple pantry dried goods, striking the old staple of bulk buying, said Aaron Begbie, marketing manager at Prolife.
“It is re-imagining what that bulk experience was.”
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The idea is an extension of the Nut Mix station already found in Pak’nSavesupermarkets and cost conscious shoppers were the target.
“Probably the most relevant thing to come across, especially for the coming year, is the consumers are going to start a price crunch.”
Category development manager Krish McCalman said they came up with recipes for a family of four in $15.
“We are trying to offer good value and not pay for products you are not going to use.”
Meanwhile, saving the planet was also the selling point of Soulfresh’s new brand, Not Soda.
For every product of the no-sugar fizzy drink they sell, two plastic bottles are taken out of the ocean.
Brand manager Neal Hayes said they worked in partnership with Clean Seas in Indonesia and so far have picked out two short of a million bottles since October.
The century-old MG New Zealand Fresh Produce Group ran an auction for Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne flood relief.
The group’s general manager of key accounts, Jerry Prendergast said at least one or two weather events last year had hit nearly every region.
“First Pukekohe’s big rain and then cyclone Gabrielle.
“A lot of those events then caused problems with gaps in planting.”
Prendergast said consumers had to become agile and creative with the alternative produce.
“Pumpkins and potatoes are a great alternative to kumara, and kumara are going to be very short for the coming year.”
On the innovation side, Mobico technology ShopnGo would help shoppers on a budget to know their running total before they get to the checkout.
Managing director Aldas Palubinskas said money and time were two things people wanted to save while doing their grocery shopping.
Ten Pak’nSave stores in lower North Island already use the device and plans were underway to put it in different supermarkets across the country.
“Shoppers on a budget are often anxious because they don’t want to be at the checkout and realise they don't have enough money.
“This allows you to keep a running total.
“The other holistic thing is people give the device to their kids, which is a fun way of teaching them about buying under budget.”
Social supermarkets that already have five locations, were likely to reach 20–25 sites across the North Island, including Hamilton and Rotorua.
Jess Howe, programme manager North Island, said “there is a lot of need now, and it is going to continue”.
At the expo, Foodstuffs North Island, announced a plan to help growers and partners to rebuild after Cyclone Gabrielle.
The plan includes a commitment of $250,000 in the form of targeted assistance for affected regions and an offer of early payment to affected suppliers to help with immediate cash flow.
Chris Quin, Chief Executive of Foodstuffs North Island said the plan aimed to provide immediate relief and longer-term support to help growers and partners get back on their feet.