...."More people eating at home
"A combination of factors from rising inflation to surging omicron cases are prompting households to eat at home more, once again meaning grocery stores are being inundated with shoppers.
"Grocery sales climbed more than 8% in December, according to national retail sales tracker Mastercard SpendingPulse. Stores are still restocking from that surge and have been struggling to keep shelves fully stocked in several categories since the beginning of this year, according to data firm IRI’s consumer packaged goods supply index.
“ 'We’re seeing a lot of restocking and replenishment going on,” said Jessica Dankert, vice president of supply chain for Retail Leaders Industry Association. The heavy shopping season has come at a particularly difficult time for coming out of the holiday period, when families traditionally cook more at home anyway.
"Widespread storms and the increased hesitancy about dining out because of the omicron surge have contributed to more demand at grocers.
"Also, in some cities, restaurants and other food service establishments had to close temporarily due to coronavirus outbreaks among workers, which sent even more families to dine at home in December.
No comments:
Post a Comment