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The Food Issue
2016
Grains
West
34
food trend compared with our American
counterparts. Online food purchases
currently account for about one per cent
of the total value of the grocery sector
here, compared to four per cent in the
United States.
“When it comes to food retailing,
you are still dealing with a highly
traditional sector, but it has really been
showing signs of transformation in
recent years,” Charlebois said. “We are
seeing companies hiring people from
outside the grocery business. They are
embracing changes and trying to follow
what consumers are looking for.”
While independent providers like
SPUD and The Organic Box have done
well in local markets so far, major retailers
DIGITAL
DIGEST
• Eighteen per cent of
Canadians say they ordered
food, beverages or groceries
online in 2012, up from 11 per
cent in 2010, according to
Statistics Canada
• “Home meal replacement”
products—prepared meals
sold through food retailers—
are a $2-billion-plus business
in Canada on an annual
basis, according to the NPD
Group
• A 2015 Nielsen poll of
30,000 people in 60
countries found that 25 per
cent of respondents were
already ordering groceries
online and 55 per cent were
willing to try it in the future
• Sustainable Produce Urban
Delivery
(SPUD.ca) currently
delivers grocery orders to
2,000 regular customers
in Edmonton and 4,000 in
Calgary
• The Organic Box currently
offers more than 2,000
grocery items, and delivered
to more than 12,000 families
in Edmonton and northern
Alberta in 2015
are making big moves into online
shopping by offering pick-up, delivery
or both. Loblaws, Sobeys and Save-On-
Foods are piloting online shopping and
delivery options in markets across the
country, and mega-retailer Wal-Mart
is making an aggressive push into the
market as well.
Pressure is also building from the
technology sector, where online retail
and delivery infrastructure has been
honed. Tech companies are now moving
into food delivery through services
like AmazonFresh, which delivers
grocery items; UberEATS, targeting
restaurant delivery; and online shopping
service Google Express, which started
delivering fresh groceries in select U.S.
PEAS IN A POD:
The Organic Box’s Edmonton staff work hard to fill and deliver the orders of
thousands of loyal customers each year. Photos: SPUD (Top) and The Organic Box.