Food And Beverage news and trends

KDP’s Ghost Acquisition and Coca-Cola’s AI Pivot to Personalized Ads Highlight Industry Strategies
Earnings // October 24, 2024

Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and The Coca-Cola Company are adapting to changing consumer preferences. KDP’s acquisition of Ghost underscores its strategy to expand into high-growth segments, particularly energy drinks. During KDP’s third-quarter earnings call Thursday (Oct. 24), CEO Tim Cofer noted the importance of innovation...

Lidl Refreshes Brand to Capture Discount Grocery Buyers
Retail // October 18, 2024

Lidl reportedly relaunched its brand to stand out among other budget grocers. The company — whose rivals in the United States include fellow German supermarket chain Aldi — introduced a new marketing campaign that includes the tagline “The Super-est Market,” Supermarket News reported Thursday (Oct....

Amazon Tests ‘New Concept’ Satellite Grocery Store Next to Whole Foods
Amazon Commerce // October 18, 2024

Amazon is expanding its grocery reach with a new type of store. The company opened a store called “Amazon Grocery” within the same Chicago building that houses a Whole Foods Market, another Amazon-owned company. “With this new concept, customers can shop their favorite natural and...

Instacart Appoints Ex-Uber Executive Anirban Kundu as Chief Technology Officer
Personnel // October 16, 2024

Instacart appointed former Uber executive Anirban Kundu as its new chief technology officer. In his new role, Kundu will lead Instacart’s technical team “as we further expand our position as the grocery industry’s leading technology company,” Instacart said in a Wednesday (Oct. 16) blog post....

Interviews & Exclusives
Retail Sales Preview: Will July’s Consumer Spending Momentum Continue?

September 16, 2024
On Tuesday (Sept. 17), we’ll find out if the July surge in consumer spending — as measured via unadjusted retail sales — has amounted to a blip or a trend. The monthly data from the Department of Commerce (this time for August) will offer a snapshot of how consumers are grappling with inflation. We’ll see […]

Amazon Counters Walmart’s Grocery Lead With Third-Party Delivery Play

September 06, 2024
As Amazon looks to shrink Walmart’s lead in food, the eCommerce giant is expanding its presence in third-party grocery delivery. Consumers in the Seattle area can now order same-day grocery...

Inflation Cools, but Paycheck-to-Paycheck Consumers Still Feel the Heat

September 02, 2024
The reality is that inflation is cooling. But perception, as they say, is reality. As captured in a PYMNTS Intelligence report in August, the reality is that the current level...

4 in 10 Independent Restaurants Use Real-Time Payments

August 15, 2024
The restaurant industry faces financial strain due to inflation and economic downturns, with sales growth projections for 2024 cut to 3.8% from earlier estimates. As establishments contend with cash flow...

Quick Reads
Visa Invests in Four African FinTech Startups From Accelerator Program

November 06, 2024
Visa is injecting fresh funding into four startups that graduated from the first batch of its Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program. The investments highlight Visa’s dedication to driving digital innovation within Africa, according to a Wednesday (Nov. 6) news release emailed to PYMNTS. In doing so, the payments giant aims to foster the development of […]

Lidl Refreshes Brand to Capture Discount Grocery Buyers

October 18, 2024
Lidl reportedly relaunched its brand to stand out among other budget grocers. The company — whose rivals in the United States include fellow German supermarket chain Aldi — introduced a...

Amazon Tests ‘New Concept’ Satellite Grocery Store Next to Whole Foods

October 18, 2024
Amazon is expanding its grocery reach with a new type of store. The company opened a store called “Amazon Grocery” within the same Chicago building that houses a Whole Foods...

Instacart Appoints Ex-Uber Executive Anirban Kundu as Chief Technology Officer

October 16, 2024
Instacart appointed former Uber executive Anirban Kundu as its new chief technology officer. In his new role, Kundu will lead Instacart’s technical team “as we further expand our position as...