So, we don’t know if you have heard the rumors at the water cooler, but supposedly the center aisles of the grocery store are dying. Well, Nielsen is putting those rumors to rest with their center store analysis. They say that while the perimeter of the grocery store is seeing increases in sales, the center of the store is proving to be the key to overall growth.
Numbers Don’t Lie at The Center of The Store
The 4 main categories of the center of the store are grocery, frozen, dairy, and alcohol.
“For the 52 weeks ending Aug. 22, 2015, the center of store accounted for $709.4 billion in sales across the U.S., up $56.7 billion from 2011. What were the key growth categories? Grocery, dairy and frozen posted combined annual growth rate increases of 2.4%, 2.8% and 0.8%, respectively.” – Nielsen
See the products expanding and contracting in the interactive infographic created by Nielsen a the link below.
Salty snacks saw the biggest growth last year. Surprisingly, candy is also growing fast. But the health and nutrition trend has caused some losers in the space. Cereals are declining fast with 70% of parents saying that their kids asked for something different for breakfast.
Product Packaging Influences Children
According to Nielsen, 53% of parents believe that their children have been influenced by product packaging at some point in the center of the grocery store. 43% of parents said it has something to do with the characters (Frozen, Toucan Sam, etc.) on the packaging. 35% of parents said the point of purchase displays influence their purchases and children’s decisions.
Nielsen Methodology
Harris Poll® of 1,009 U.S. parents with at least one child under 18 in the household was surveyed online between Aug. 5, 2015, and Aug. 12, 2015, using the Harris Poll ParentQuery Omnibus.
Blog Post Inspired by Nielsen: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2015/debunking-the-myth-of-the-declining-center-store.html
