The giant supermarket chains put enormous pressure on the original high street greengrocer, butcher and baker. Suddenly, every grocery item and more was under one roof. Shoppers gradually opted for convenience and smaller shops struggled. Ironically, there are signs of a reversal because these big names realised that they could open smaller community stores that could create a market with those who did not want to go to do a large weekly shop. So many of the original shops have long since closed sadly.Tesco and Sainsbury have been at the forefront and Lidl and Aldi which have been eating into the market share of such ‘giants’ also seem to be climbing on board. There is a relatively new element as well; food sold online, and everyone knows the impact the Internet is making. With e-commerce growing relentlessly, is there another retail war going on?

London Battle Ground

London is a huge market place and this is the first battle ground for the new convenience store war.It seems that Aldi and Lidl are busy buying up property for this expansion. They have both been able to dent the market share of the big chains and this is further evidence of their determination to continue to do so.

Convenience

Companies offering another even more convenient service hate those operating online with delivery to the door. They include companies that will actually deliver fresh meat to order. Companies dealing online have recognised the need to explain their services on their websites to build up consumer trust. That includes the origin of all products, ordering, payment and delivery service. If consumers are looking for halal lamb for example, then they might like to try a company out to see the quality on offer. It is almost like going back to the specialist butcher service where consumers had a relationship with the local butcher and developed dialogue so that they could order specific things whenever they wished.

Openness

One of the troubling things in the food industry is the stories that seem to emerge on a regular basis suggesting that the industry is more concerned with profit than with reassuring consumers about ingredients, especially the levels of sugar, salt and preservatives. Other stories condemn how vague the word ‘meat’ can be when consumers want to know exactly what they are buying and subsequently consuming. Those that specialise in meat products online understand the need to build up consumer trust simply because of the impersonal element of buying online. It means that just as the friendly local butcher was happy to answer any questions good online suppliers will do the same. The meat counter in supermarkets is likely to become less busy as the market evolves in the future.