Convenience Store Industry Sees Future in Food
“More than ever, I truly believe that food is our future,” said NACS 2015-16 Chairman Jack Kofdarali during his speech at this year’s NACS Show general session. NACS is the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing.
But, he cautioned that while all signs are pointing toward food as the industry’s future, it won’t happen without work.
“We’re going to have to fight for customers in an already crowded marketplace,” said Kofdarali, who also serves as President of Corona, California-based J&T Management Inc., which operates convenience stores in Southern California. “We’re also going to have to tell our story and correct misperceptions about our offer. And we’re going to have to address an increasingly long list of regulations that stand in our way—whether related to food or our other products.”
He said that it is eye-opening to travel from California to the East Coast—and Europe—and see so many retailers executing at a very high level with food. “Their focus is not just on food made fast, but on food that is really good—both in taste and in quality,” said Kofdarali. “And here’s the most important thing: It’s making them money.”
Kofdarali shared regional breakout data from the NACS State of the Industry Report of 2015 Data that showed how high prepared food sales also push the sales of other items higher. “Prepared foods is bringing in more customers, and retailers are selling more food and other items,” he said.
So, online pharmacies are supplying the medicine as cheap as the half price of the branded 50mg viagra sale. But this go for the gold attitude surely discount levitra purchase make you pay much higher then what you earn. The brand viagra cheap mouthsofthesouth.com Mascot: This child provides the much needed comic relief amidst the family’s adversities which diverts their attention, albeit temporarily, from the depressing matters. side effects of cialis In addition to being a Healthy Aphrodisiac and a secret to Beautiful Skin The World’s Strongest Acai is also the world’s strongest antioxidant. “Over the past few years, especially during my time as NACS chairman, I have seen the future of retail,” said Kofdarali, citing excellence in merchandising and branding, new concepts and fresh ideas. “But that future also isn’t guaranteed—even if we have the smartest business plans and the best execution—because there is one other element that affects our business—and that is regulation.”
Kofdarali shared a few examples of regulations in his home state of California, from potential tobacco bans to warning labels on bottled water or fuel dispensers, to a litany of fuel-related regulations.
But, he warned, what’s happening in California is not happening in isolation. He said that just as weather patterns move west to east, so do regulations—especially those emitting from California.
The NACS Show is the premier event of the year for the convenience and fuel retailing industry. More than 20,000 attendees from 60-plus countries are at the 2016 NACS Show in Atlanta, which features four days of general sessions, more than 60 education sessions and more than 1,200 exhibiting companies in a nearly 410,000 net-square-foot expo. For the most up-to-date news and information on the event, go to nacsshow.com.
International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) Stages Largest Event in its History
The 2016 International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE)—the most comprehensive event in the western hemisphere for the grain-based food industry—recently wrapped up its largest show to date at the Las Vegas Convention Center with more than 1,000 exhibitors—340 new to IBIE and a 28 percent increase over 2013—in more than 700,000 square feet of exhibit space. Attendance also continued its upward trend with more than 23,000 registered attendees—a nine percent increase over 2013 and an astounding 65 percent increase over the last decade.
Much of the growth has come from international markets with attendees hailing from more than 100 countries and making up 30 percent of the total attendance.
“The quality and depth of IBIE’s attendees, exhibitors and education sessions was incredible,” said Michael J. Cornelis, Chair of IBIE. “IBIE is continually evolving and growing to meet the needs of baking industry professionals, as well as the trends in the industry, and this year we saw a record-breaking show with the largest show floor, number of exhibitors, innovation showcase and education program in IBIE’s history.”
A host of thought-provoking new and returning features created an even more engaging experience for attendees and exhibitors; highlights included:
- The Innovation Showcase—15 percent larger than its inaugural run in 2013—was prominently featured in the Central Lobby for attendees to shop and see what’s new before entering the Expo Hall. In addition, the Innovation Spotlight Theater, located in IBIE’s new Idea LAB on the show floor, provided a forum for exhibitors to conduct live presentations of their top innovations.
- New to the show were Fresh Take Talks, presented by Grain Foods Foundation, a series of brief, informative presentations featuring influential thought leaders sharing perspectives on consumer, nutrition and industry trends.
- The American Cake Decorating Demo Theater and The ONE Demonstration Theater by Revent featured free daily demos by celebrity chefs and big-name cooking pros showing off their skills and latest techniques.
- An expanded educational program—with 90+ sessions designed for professionals of all levels and backgrounds—highlighted the latest techniques and proven strategies for streamlining wholesale operations, improving product quality and increasing profits. More than 20 new seminars focused on the most relevant issues facing the industry today, featuring expanded content for upper management. The enhanced educational program was popular with attendees, as many sessions sold out.
- This year’s speakers were well-known subject matter experts, including retail insights thought leader and former Nielsen Vice President Todd Hale, American Bakers Association’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations Lee Sanders, as well as business moguls who run the largest bakeries in the world, including Bimbo Bakeries’ Senior Vice President of Operations Ramon Rivera.
- The education program began with RPIA’s Business of Baking for Beginners seminar and the Tortilla Industry Association’s two-day Technical Conference, which addressed operation skills, safety regulations, quality control, plant efficiency and best practices for the baking industry’s fastest growing market segment.
- Seminars at IBIE 2016 were organized into targeted tracks: AIB Technical, Retail, Bread Bakers Guild of America, International, Management, Sales & Marketing, Ingredients & Processes, Food Safety & Sanitation, and Retail Hands-on (Cake & Pastry Decorating). Sessions were held daily from 8:00 a.m. to noon and in the evening to give attendees plenty of time to explore the latest innovations exhibited on the expo floor.
- Popular returning features included: B.E.S.T. (Becoming Environmentally Sustainable Together) in Baking Program, The Great American Pie Festival, RBA’s 15th Annual Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Creative Decorating Competition and PMQ Pizza Village.
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Also new to the show was the Satin Ice Live Challenge competition, which brought together six teams of three professional decorators, including one Satin Ice Artist of Excellence, to construct and decorate a fairytale-themed cake on the show floor in only six hours. The winning team included Satin Ice Artist of Excellence Jörg Amsler, Jaime VanderWoude of Eagan Hy-Vee in Minnesota and Erika Youngdahl of Jerry’s Foods in Edina, Minnesota, with VanderWoude and Youngdahl representing the upper Midwest Bakery Association. Winners were awarded a trip to the America’s Cake Fair hosted by Satin Ice in Orlando.
USDA Announces Plans to Purchase Surplus Cheese, Releases New Report Showing Trans-Pacific Partnership Would Create Growth for Dairy Industry
Following an October 11 roundtable discussion with dairy producers near La Crosse, Wisconsin, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering to purchase $20 million of cheddar cheese to reduce a private cheese surplus that has reached record levels, while assisting food banks and other food assistance recipients.
While USDA projects dairy prices to increase throughout the rest of the year, many factors including low world market prices, increased milk supplies and inventories, and slower demand have contributed to a sluggish marketplace for dairy producers and caused dairy revenues to drop 35 percent over the past two years. Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935 authorizes USDA to purchase surplus food to benefit food banks and families in need through its nutrition assistance programs.
“America’s farming families are being called on to demonstrate their world-famous resourcefulness and resilience in the face of this current market downturn, and USDA is making use of every tool that we have to help them,” said Vilsack. “For dairy farmers, this has included $11.2 million in payments in August through the Dairy Margin Protection Program, in addition to the surplus purchase offers. While our analysis predicts the market will improve for these hardworking men and women, reducing the surplus can give them extra reassurance while also filling demand at food banks and other organizations that help our nation’s families in need. Farmers at other points in the supply chain are also receiving a boost with over $7 billion in Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage payments for the 2015 crop year, which by design kick in when times are tough. As always, we continue to watch market conditions and will explore opportunities for further assistance in the coming months. For producers challenged by weather, disease and falling revenue, we will continue to ensure the availability of a strong safety net to keep them farming or ranching.”
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A solicitation will be issued shortly, and cheese deliveries to food banks and other food assistance recipients are expected to occur beginning in March 2017.
Also at the roundtable, Vilsack shared details of a new report by the USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, which shows continued growth of the U.S. dairy sector is largely contingent on trade and that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could create an additional $150 to $300 million in annual U.S. dairy exports. Free trade agreements have contributed to the growth in U.S. dairy exports and helped to address tariff and nontariff barriers that disadvantage U.S. products in overseas markets. U.S. dairy exports to free trade agreement partners grew from $690 million in the year prior to each agreement’s entry into force to $2.8 billion in 2015, driven by lower trade barriers and increased U.S. competitiveness. For more information on TPP, visit www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trans-pacific-partnership-tpp.
