Segment: Retail

Posts Archive

20 Extravagant Foods in Times of Restraint

Just as comfort food is used to bring joy, curb anxiety and feed the soul, could extravagance do the same? We’ve found many examples of expensive or exclusive experiences via food, even while households are feeling food inflation. Here are some ways people are using premium food as a reward in times of restraint.

Food’s Role in Healing (or Celebrating) After Divorce

From “Divorce Chicken” recipes to break-up party spreads, marriage endings are creating new relationships with food. Here’s a collection of what we’re seeing around the growing trend of separation-sustenance and how food or beverage brands can help feed the healing—or the relief.

Get Inspired by the World of Culinary Tourism

There’s big opportunity in the pursuit of unique, immersive eating and drinking experiences: i.e., culinary tourism. Here are some of our top picks from the U.S. and around the world, giving you a look at where to draw inspiration for your own business.

The Overseas Brands & Products Succeeding in the U.S.

While the U.S. once held a monopoly on innovative ideas, overseas chains are moving on missed opportunity in restaurants, grocery aisles, liquor stores, and even retail. Here, we highlight some noteworthy brands and suggest ways to position yourself for success.

Nourishing the Mental Health of Your Consumers

From burnout to loneliness, nearly half of consumers cite mental health as a top issue. In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, we’re sharing ideas for both our industry and our personal lives—like sensorial experiences, functional ingredients and finding joy in cooking something weird!

The Foods and Trends Behind the Year of the Horse

February marks the start of the Year of the Fire Horse, defining 2026 as a year of action, energy and movement, where the overall spirit is about blazing a trail and taking bold risks. Let’s look at how food-oriented brands are participating in the festivities.

Getting Inspired by Mainland Hawaiian Fare

This month, we’re offering an island escape, sharing buzz on the restaurant concepts, chefs, cookbooks and flavors of Hawaii, especially those found on the mainland. Learn about proteins, cocktails, snacks, sauces and spice blends that could inspire your product pipeline—or home kitchen.

A Look into Responsible Food Packaging

This month, we revisit responsible packaging, and the demand created by new legislation, as well as controversy surrounding recycling. Take inspiration from recent innovations in the U.S. and overseas and consider our four recommendations to focus efforts.

The Powerful Growth of Asian Grocery in America

We discuss the rise, significance and wide appeal of Asian grocery, as well as key players and formats. And inspired by social media, we shop nearby locations and “share our haul.”

Expressions of Culture Via Food & Beverage

Attending restaurant pop-ups, posting pictures of what we create or consume, taking on taste challenges, binge watching “Taste the Nation”…all are common ways current culture is expressing itself through food and beverage. This month, we searched far and wide for more disruptive examples.

14 Examples of Retail Theater

The term “retail theater” has become synonymous with “in-store experience”. We subscribe to a more pure, undiluted definition – one that holds the term to a higher standard and should be reserved for engagements that meet more of the criteria for live theater. In our opinion, retail theater is rare, but we’ve located 14 examples across the globe that truly deliver.

2 Areas Where Tradition Is Being Upheld

What if resurrecting the past had less to do with novelty and more to do with preserving culture? What if the motivations were purer…say, saving something from extinction? That is precisely what we are seeing. The attempt to preserve “old world traditions” lest they be forgotten.

10 Pop-Up Experiences From 2023

Creating exclusive experiences is no easy task. Let’s explore a range of recent pop-up experiences, to see how they leverage everything from pop culture, to takeovers, and unconventional retail spaces to drive brand engagement and test new product ideas.