World Perspectives

Food Inflation and the Food Service Sector

September retail sales rose slightly more than expected and the underlying details of the report were solid. Sales rose 0.4 percent in September versus a consensus expected rise of 0.3 percent, while revisions to the prior months’ activity pushed the overall gain to 0.5 percent. The monthly increase was broad-based with ten out of thirteen major sales categories increasing, and the top category was food service, with the BLS data for sales at “eating and drinking places” up 1 percent. That was the largest increase for the category so far in 2024.  Sales were $96.4 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in September; that was $1 billion higher than August’s upward-revised sales volume of $95.4 billion. Over the last year, sales in this...

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From WPI Consulting

Weighing in on strategic realignment

WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.

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