How Ahold Delhaize USA Finds the Latest Innovations in Wine, Beer & Spirits
ECRM featured Jonas De Maere, PhD, alongside category managers from Ahold Delhaize USA, discussing how one of the country’s largest grocery retailers discovers emerging trends in wine, beer, and spirits.
About the Feature
Jonas and his team attended ECRM’s On & Off Premise Adult Beverage Session to scout innovations across alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. In this 5-minute video, he shares how Ahold Delhaize USA approaches category management across its four Eastern U.S. banners — Hannaford Supermarkets, Stop & Shop, Giant Food, and Food Lion — each serving distinct regional consumer profiles.
Key Insights
Regional consumers are not the same “Northeast consumers are more sophisticated and open to try new things, while mid-Atlantic to the Southeast shoppers are more traditional, looking for established value.”
Innovation is happening in RTD and alcohol-free Ready-to-drink products and non-alcoholic adult beverages stood out as the most active areas of new product development at the session.
Advice to suppliers Before pitching, research each banner’s market dynamics and align your story with the regional consumer trends that banner serves.