Survey findings from FMI, the Food Industry Association, determined 95 percent of food retailers with e-commerce options experienced online sales increases in 2020 due to pandemic-related changes in consumer shopping behaviors.
The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2021 report detailed while consumer demand for groceries increased by half over last year, eight in 10 retailers surveyed noted difficulties attracting and retaining employees is negatively impacting business.
“The pandemic transformed almost every aspect of the food retail industry — from the way consumers shop for groceries and consume their meals to how food is grown, produced and transported to supermarket shelves, to our ability to staff our stores and serve our communities,” Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI, said. “Throughout the past year and a half, the food retail industry has been adapting to meet the shifting needs of the communities they serve. This year’s Speaks report outlines the resilience and transformation of the food retail industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic and examines the proactive strategies and investments retailers have made to adapt to the changing food retail landscape.”
Per the FMI, the findings, garnered from feedback from over 38,000 food retail stores, also revealed ongoing global supply chain issues generated via the pandemic continue to persist for food retailers in 2021 as 42 percent of survey respondents declared supply chain disruptions continue to hurt their businesses.