As shoppers head out to make their last sweep before Thanksgiving dinner, grocery stores are betting that they aren’t looking for stuff to cook but stuff to eat.
Supermarkets are showcasing more upscale prepared meals this holiday season – not just precooked turkeys but also prime rib and sides such as pear salad and maple pumpkin mousse – as part of broad store overhauls that give ready-to-eat food more room and a brighter spotlight.
For at least a decade, grocers have been expanding their array of rotisserie chickens, single-serve lasagna slices and other prepared food for time-pressed shoppers. But the efforts have accelerated so much that major grocers such as Safeway and the Associated Food Stores cooperative are tearing up their layouts and redesigning stores so they have more space for fresh foods. Some are even squeezing canned food and cooking staples onto fewer shelves in the middle of the store. At no time will the strategy shift be more evident than the holiday season.
Wegmans Food Markets, a 69-store chain based in Rochester, N.Y., has expanded its prepared-foods menu this year to include a complete prime-rib dinner and side dishes that feature shallots and butternut squash. The grocery chain says it expects prepared-dinner sales to triple this year from 2001.
Whole Foods Market this Thanksgiving is supplementing traditional turkey with a raw, vegetarian Thanksgiving meal that includes nut-based meat substitutes and a kale salad.
Safeway is selling a new rotisserie turkey this holiday season, as well as “single- serve” pumpkin and apple pies aimed at reaching smaller households.
Having struggled to increase its sales and profits, Safeway has staked its turnaround on so-called lifestyle stores with higher-end delis and fancier produce.
The trend is being driven by a familiar name: Wal-Mart. The redesign is meant, in part, to differentiate traditional grocers from discount competitors that have taken a huge chunk of the grocery-shopping business. At the same time, supermarkets are trying to adapt to a fundamental shift in eating behavior: Families are cooking less and relying on prepared foods more.
