March 2014

Wages and health care coverage commanded a greater share of retailers' attention in 2013, as the Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces opened, spurring companies to rearrange staffing schedules and benefits.

Questions facing grocers and other CPG retailers in 2013 ranged from the eternal–How big should my store be? What should I sell?–to the distinctly modern–How do I protect against cyber-theft? How do I welcome cyber-shoppers?

Ask Michael Forhez, CSC consumer & retail practice director, about the current state of collaboration, and he starts with a simple statement: "As an industry, we say that we are committed to 'thinking and breathing' the consumer, but are we really?"

The retail marketplace is in a state of flux. Open any newspaper or click on any financial newsfeed, and you are likely to find information pertaining to mergers, acquisitions and changes aplenty in the retail landscape.

Looking back on 2013, it wasn't the best of times, but it wasn't the worst of times, either. From a government shutdown to the election of a new pope, the twelve months on the calendar had their fair share of events that made headlines.

Regional tastes and cultural differences have dictated in the past where multinational food manufacturers and retailers aimed to grow, with many companies purposely overlooking markets deemed too foreign.

There is no question that recent innovations in technology have had a measurable impact on food retail as we know it.

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Report special issue of Retail Leader.

An annual report focuses on the state of the business for the past year. It also projects the primary events, and critical issues, impacting the industry for the next year.