Grocery & Specialty Food West Speaker Highlights

Where local meets global

Celebrating more than 25 years in the Western Canadian grocery industry, Grocery & Specialty Food West (GSFW) brought together key stakeholders from the western provinces and all across Canada to exhibit, network and do business. Key industry players drummed up excitement by sharing leading trends, demonstrations and best practices that affect both companies and consumers purchasing products off of grocery shelves.

Over the two-day conference and trade show, more than 2,000 attendees had a chance to network and learn from thought leaders on global trends focused on niche foods that are local, fresh, specialty, ethnic and organic.

Tony Chapman: Keynote Presentation

“The move in the marketplace from mass to my.”

Major Trends

• Meme’s mean the world to us
• Books have a huge impact on Food Trends – and their content is picked up by bloggers
• The ‘Wheat Belly and Grain Brain’  – sledgehammer for wheat based products
• A big fat surprise – celebrating fats in our diets
• Natural fats are an essential part of our diet
• Butter is at an all time high
• Coconut oil, fish and nuts are largely popular

• Increasingly important – food chain under attack and supporting local business
• Meat, grain and vegetables – and how we used to eat
• Locally grown and locally owned
• Arms Reach of Desire
• Unleashing My Inner Foodie
• Ethnic adventure: South African, Peruvian, Southeast Asia – Vietnamese, Authentic Ethnic, Mashups like TexMex, Butter Chicken, Lasagna

• Affordable Protein
• Insects begin with protein bars, a grasshopper has the same amount of protein as a chicken breast
• Beans
• Peas versus soy
• Be creative with lower cuts of meat!

• More and Less 
• Disposable income will not match the inflation in food
• More money is now spent in restaurants than in stores on groceries, why? Because it is more convenience and takes up less time
• Restaurants own convenience, grocery stores have to flight back!

• Brinner 
• Breakfast for dinner
• Waffles as a vessel

• Chasing Your Fountain of Youth 
• Artisan, organic
• Providence and food chains mean the world to us
• Independent grocers establish trust, build loyalty and move so much faster and more efficiently than chains

Max Valiquette: Keynote Presentation

“Trends with Benefits”

• The change of tomorrow, today – and what your organization can do to prepare
• Nothing is as bad for your business’s productivity as email
• Today’s consumers are asset light in all sectors, not asset heavy
• Millennials and their impact on their boomer parents
• Young people are driving commerce, work and home
• Convenience is the single massive driver of millennials
• Millennials are used to huge amounts of choices in the retails world
• Technological disruption on how we buy and consume
• Apps and 3D printing changing the way people shop
• We are going to see more food apps like “Hurrier”
• 3D printing will be the most transformative thing in every business
• The internet as a part of everything in our world

Craig Hermanson: Retail Panelist

• Owner and founder of Pomme Natural Market, as well as their director of operations
• Focuses on natural and organic
• Pomme has grown to three stores since 2014 – further expansion planned for the lower mainland and Vancouver Island

Joe Longo: Retail Panelist

• Chair of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, as well as the Chief Development Officer for Longo Brothers Fruit Markets
• Family run business started in 1956, has since grown to 28-stores in the Greater Toronto Area
• Longo’s stores feature stunning design and merchandising
• Renowned for its dedication to service, selection and quality, especially in fresh

Pete Luckett: Retail Panelist

• Luckett launched in Nova Scotia in 1992
• Pete’s is a multi-million dollar retail and wholesale operation with two locations in Nova Scotia
• The locations are open concept, with distinct destinations specializing in deli, produce, bakery, meats, fish and more

Nicole Fetterly: Workshop Session

• Nicole has worked as the deli and nutrition operations manager and continues to work developing Choices Markets’ private label products
• She has insight beyond nutrition into the natural foods business
• Shares tactics for alleviating the struggles of getting healthy, sustainable food on the table quickly
• Practical, evidence-based recommendations for customers

Robert Graybill: Workshop Session

• Robert leads the FMS team in meeting their goal of helping retailers to succeed through benchmarking
• Spent 9 years working with A&P and served various positions – Director of Pricing, Group Accounting Manager, Inventory Control Manager and store operations
• Worked for a local independent grocers in the Baltimore market
• Served as a speaker at the N.G.A Financial Symposium
• Taught at the IGA Coca-Cola Institutes Supermarket Management Program, which serves both domestic and international retailers

Nola Martin: Workshop Session

• Nola strategically guides shopper impact with retailers
• Works closely with food retailers at Maple Leaf Foods to create programs and strategies that tap into established and emerging trends, bring together insights and a deep knowledge of the retail environment
• Explores how the impact of changing demographics and eating behaviours will change the way shoppers buy the food they eat

Stewart Samuel: Workshop Session

• Program Director at IGD Canada, a food and consumer goods research organization that delivers commercial insights for grocery retailers and CPG vendors globally
• Runs IGD’s operations and research program for North America
• Expert on North American food retailer strategies and trends, and contributes to Retail Analysis, IGD’s online subscription service
• Works closely with retailers and vendors as part of IGD’s customized projects service

In closing, the series of speakers and panels served to highlight not just the latest and greatest in food and grocery but the trends and consumer motivations behind them. Our experts took complex consumer trends and broke them down into digestible, actionable pieces to bring back to their organizations and to help them be a part of the biggest piece of consumer pie in Canada. Independent grocers are increasingly vital in the lens of the Canadian consumer. Our panel of experts showcased every aspect of this and we are thrilled with the takeaways for our 2000+ attendees.

For more information on Grocery & Specialty Food West 2015, please visit their website.

Speaker presentations can be downloaded here.

DON’T MISS the premier grocery show in the fall, Grocery Innovations Canada, September 28-29, 2015, Toronto Congress Centre.

More info here. 

The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1962, which continues to be a collaborative community, equipping and enabling independent, franchised and specialty grocers for sustainable success. Representing over 4,000 grocery retailers, independents account for more than $13 billion of the grocery market share in Canada. CFIG provides numerous programs for operational excellence and fosters solid relationships among retailers and suppliers.

www.cfig.ca

For More Information:

Nancy Kwon

CFIG director of communications, marketing

Tel: 416 492-2311 X 225; Email: nkwon@cfig.ca

Kim Bowie

Jive Communications

Tel: 604-790-2301; Email: kim@jivecommunications.ca