HyperCity Retail’s premium food retail format GourmetCity has made it to British grocery retail research specialist IGD International’s prestigious ‘Ten to Watch 2009’ list. This is the 5th year of this series with 40 retailers previously featured, and is the first entry for an Indian retailer.
‘Ten to Watch’ is IGD’s annual series, which identifies innovative and exciting approaches from retailers around the world. Retailers are selected by IGD’s team of market experts and show a combination of current or future growth potential, either in sales/profit terms or market presence; proposition, format excellence, growth strategy or other success factors; and having reached a fascinating juncture in their development or doing the ordinary and basics extremely well.
“GourmetCity’s rationale for inclusion included a premium world food focus, cosmopolitan and fashionable positioning, and quality proposition and food-to-go strength,” author of the report, IGD’s senior business analyst Jonathan Gunz, told IndiaRetailing.
Also featuring in the list are: Aldi Süd (an arm of the global discount retailer Aldi) from Germany; Chez Jean, the newly launched French convenience concept from Casino and Relay; Dia, Carrefour’s discount arm, with an emerging and mature market focus; Edeka, Germany’s largest retailer and a national-focused co-operative; Marketside, Wal-Mart’s new US neighbourhood format, launched in October 2008; McDonalds, the world’s largest foodservice operator; Pro’s Ranch Markets, US family-owned chain targeting local Hispanic population; Simply Market, Auchan’s converted supermarket format present in France, Italy, Spain, Poland; and The Co-operative, the world’s largest consumer cooperative and fifth largest retail group in the UK.
“Many of the formats featured in the Ten to Watch 2009 are known for their low prices and strong value positioning. Sustainability and health initiatives are increasingly being embraced by discounter and foodservice operators e.g. Dia and McDonalds. Ready meals and meal solutions are a key component of the convenience offering of several Ten to Watch 2009 retailers,” Gunz said.
— Nupur Chakraborty
