For years, the “center store” of the supermarket has been considered as passé as the cans of fruit cocktail sold there, with consumers spending more time — and money — wandering the produce, meat, deli and bakery aisles.
But new research from SymphonyIRI reports that the center aisles are now grabbing some two-thirds of grocery dollars, or about $440 billion, and 70% of unit sales. “When you put all the aisles together, the center store is actually outperforming the perimeter,” Susan Viamari, editor of Times & Trends, SymphonyIRI Group, tells Marketing Daily.
Driving the change is consumer realization that these aisles hold solutions that are cheaper, yet not much of a sacrifice.
“A lot of the things that started as belt tightening in the early part of the recession have become habits,” she says. “And consumers aren’t finding it painful. Just as K-cups have become an answer to the coffee shop, some of the high-end, shelf-stable meals and meal components are bringing the restaurant into the home. This bent toward a new, smart way to save is really transcending many of the aisles.”
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