CPG, Retail Leaders Express “Sense of Urgency” to Address Common Industry Challenges
Finding solutions to rising energy and commodity costs was among the challenges discussed in May during the Joint GMA Industry Affairs Council (IAC) and FMI Industry Relations Council (IRC) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two councils – which represent the senior-most leadership teams in the industry affairs practices of both associations – agreed that more collaboration was needed in the areas of food, fuel and sustainability. The combined group is creating a new framework to enable industry leaders to quickly mobilize and address common challenges, including interchange fees, shopper health and wellness and long-term health care costs.

Led by GMA's IAC Chairman Rick Wolford , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Del Monte Foods Company and FMI’s IRC Chairman Fred Morganthall, President, Harris Teeter, Inc., both councils serve directly under the board of directors of their respective associations and are composed of presidents and other senior-level executives from CPG and retail companies.

Unsaleables Committee Meeting Focuses on 2008 Study, Second Harvest Program
Industry leaders in the unsaleables sector addressed emerging issues – including minimum shelf life shipping guidelines and the handling of discontinued items in the retail supply chain – at the June meeting of the GMA/FMI Joint Industry Unsaleables Leadership Team in Chicago. Led by new committee co-chair Gene Schachte of HJ Heinz, the group discussed unsaleables challenges and heard from Deloitte Consulting on the 2008 Joint Industry Unsaleables Study, which will be released to the broader industry at the Joint Industry Unsaleables Management Conference in September.

Also at the committee meeting, America’s Second Harvest presented on a expanding program the non-profit is implementing that involves picking up perishable and non-perishable products from the retail store level; the program is currently active in 2,800 retail stores.

The next committee meeting will take place in September in conjunction with the Joint Industry Unsaleables Management Conference.

New White Paper Explores Survival Strategies for Operating in a Volatile Marketplace
With rising fuel costs driving spikes in commodity prices, food manufacturers are scrambling to understand how the prices hikes will affect consumption, product mix and company survival, according to a new white paper by industry veteran David Donnan. The white paper provides strategies on how to operate in today’s uncertain marketplace, where changes in the geopolitical balance are affecting consumption habits. Donnan says leaders in all industries must be prepared for the unexpected with a “survival kit” of actions, including understanding your core organization, keeping a “shopping list” for key assets, expanding your customer focus and securing your supply chain. “While increased volatility makes strategic planning more relevant than ever, most companies continue to approach planning as more of a bureaucracy or budgeting exercise – removed from these real-time decisions,” says Donnan. “What's truly needed now from strategic planning is strategic intelligence and superior response.” For a copy of the white paper contact Troy Beeler or David Donnan.

SmartRevenue is committed to helping consumer goods companies enhance shopper engagement at the point of truth -- the store shelf.

Revenue Growth Depends on Exceeding Shopper Needs

Grocery marketing has come a long way from the big brand dominance of decades past, with today's marketers operating via multiple retail channels, dozens of marketing vehicles and a more savvy, information-rich consumer. A new position paper by SmartRevenue examines the benefits of using "Shopper-Centric" knowledge to build models of the most effective

ways to deliver what shoppers want, when and where they want it. The model looks at the shopping trip as the confluence of all promotional activity, starting from the home and/or workplace and leading to the store shelf and the POS. SmartRevenue's paper explores how marketers can move beyond existing demand creation paradigms and begin converting data into competitively useful insights and shopper-centric strategies to increase conversion at the customer, category and brand levels. Click here for the full report.

www.SmartRevenue.com

GMA’s Industry Affairs Review has teamed up with consumer research firm NPD Group to provide readers with a monthly snapshot of consumer trends and eating patterns. Check out the latest research in this space each month and visit www.npd.com for more market research.