Canning and freezing supplies, seasonal merchandise, and various types of dry goods experienced the largest percentage increases in dollar sales during the first 10 months of 2009, according to a recent “top 10” list from The Nielsen Company that revealed the economy’s impact on various consumer packaged goods (CPG) purchasing trends.
The difficult economic situation spurred more Americans to can and freeze their own food and to rely on lower-cost dry vs. fresh ingredients to bake from scratch and stretch their household budgets. Canning and? freezing supplies saw nearly 28% dollar growth through October 2009 vs. the same period in 2008. Seasonal general merchandise experienced 16% growth, while dry vegetables & grains grew 14% and flour grew 11%.
In terms of the CPG growth by unit volume, canning and freezing supplies again experienced the most growth, at 11%. Fresh meat, frozen novelties, cheese, vitamins and wine also made the list:
Nielsen also recently released its list of top 5 predictions for CPG shopping habits in 201o, which foretell more consolidation and competition among US grocery retailers. According to Nielsen, US consumers will continue to show restraint and look for value pricing while shopping for CPG products, while grocery consolidation will intensify and assortment wars will escalate.
