Roughly 80% of all consumers report purchasing prepared meals at least once a month.
Prepared foods continue to present a major opportunity for retailers, including convenience stores. Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly visiting retailers specifically to buy prepared foods, according to “2017 Retailer Meal Solutions Consumer Trend Report,” released by Technomic, Chicago.
“[Retailer meal solutions] will continue to steal share from the fast food segment, however, the addition of seating areas, bars and expanded made-to-order offerings means retailers will also increasingly compete with sit-down restaurants,” says Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights. “Price, décor and ambiance will be key battlegrounds moving forward, as RMS operators increase efforts to become hangout destinations and increasingly offer higher-quality fare such as scratch-made pizzas and smoothie bars.”