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KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW • JULY 2019 • www.kitchenwarenews.com 10 Snackers Thinking Globally , Snacking Frequently BY ROBIN MATHER Two giant forces – the "snackification trend" in which consumers are trading meals for multiple snacks, and the grow- ing global snack market, which extends into every eating occasion and crosses na- tional borders – have crashed into one an- other, and retailers will need to understand what that means, says Jared Koerten, a Senior Analyst at Euromonitor International. Globally, Koerten says, $16 billion has shifted from staple foods to snacks, and snacks have shown $191 billion in ab- solute growth. "Snackable cheese shows consumer interest all over the world," he says. "Meanwhile, the chilled lunch kit segment has exploded in the last year. That's adult snacking," not adults buying snacks for kids. Whether in U.S. or the global snack market, "sugar is in decline. That means ice cream, sweet biscuits (cookies, in the U.S.), and confection sales are slowing." At the same time, he says, interest in sa- vory snacks is rising. That includes veg- etable- and pulse-based snacks, popped snacks and meat snacks. "Interest in super foods and ancient grains is also ris- ing." Many of those snacks are increasingly made from locally-sourced ingredients, and Koerten notes that nearly two-thirds of consumers globally are "driven by eth- ical concerns." Clean label "has become a global priority. Organic and free-from have been leading the way, but dairy-free has been on fire,'" he says. Additionally, fortification – whether, it's with caffeine, collagen, botanicals or ginseng – has been rising in global demand. Snack innovators cater to these con- sumers. Those innovators also understand the texture preferences their consumers have. "Texture – or mouthfeel – is showing up in the chocolate and bakery trends. An example of that would be Nestlé's cookie layer crunch candy bar," Koerten says. But texture is especially important to cus- tomers seeking savory snacks, he says. Shifts in Channels While pundit after pundit has been saying that e-commerce is the wave of the future, Koerten says the issue is more complex than online versus brick-and-mortar. "Online ordering, click-and-collect and third-party delivery are all on the rise," he says, but each of those relies on a brick- and-mortar store. Still, those online solutions pose their own problems for retailers. "All of those mean less exposure to new products, if consumers aren't physically in the store," he says, so clever retailers will figure out a way to help their customers get to those new products. Those customers also minimize their time in the store. "They're shopping the perimeter because they're time-pressed." They'll use the self-checkout, but "the fu- ture is automated stores and scan-and-go stores, like Amazon Go," to cater to their customers' need to get in and out of the store quickly. Bloomberg, the business news service, has reported that Amazon plans to open as many as 3,000 such stores by 2021, although Amazon has de- clined comment. Sometimes customers make a meal en- tirely out of snacks, or blend snacks with meal kits, Koerten says. He suggests pair- ing them in the retail setting – putting clean-label crackers and hummus near the meal kits, for example – and adding signage that suggests complementary products. KN This beautiful herbs design tea towel from Mierco Fine European Linens new "Green" collection is a traditional over-sized European 20-inch by 28-inch tea towel in 100 percent cotton, woven jacquard. It's perfect as an add-on gift in gourmet kitchenware shops. See it in Pavilion 1 at Las Vegas Market, email info@mierco.com or visit www.mierco.com. KN Herbs Tea Towel from Mierco Fine European Linens Christopher Banning Joins Meyer Meyer Corporation, U.S. has hired Christo- pher Banning to be its new Managing Direc- tor, effective June 1. He is now responsible for all sales, marketing, and operational depart- ments for the U.S. and all Latin American countries and reports to Stanley Cheng, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We're very pleased to welcome Chris to our organiza- tion," said Vincent Cheng, Meyer Group Chief Operating Offi- cer. "Highly skilled and experienced in all facets of sales, marketing, and business management within the U.S. housewares industry, Chris possesses all the credentials we were seeking for this leader- ship role. We're certain that Chris will be in- strumental in leading Meyer towards a new and invigorating era of growth that will pos- itively impact our company and our business partners." Before joining Meyer, Banning's 30-year ca- reer in consumer prod- ucts and the housewares industry included roles in global sales, marketing, and e- commerce, leading business strategy to drive revenue, profit, online presence, brand equity, and market share. He was most re- cently at InterDesign, Inc., the world's largest privately held designer and marketer of house- wares for the bath, kitchen and storage areas of the home. Ban- ning will be relocating from Ohio to the California Bay Area. California-based Meyer Corporation, U.S., is one of the largest cookware companies in America. Brands sold by Meyer Corporation U.S. include Anolon ® , Circulon ® , Farber- ware ® , Hestan Commercial, Hestan NanoBond™, Hestan Cue ™ , Ruffoni ® , Bon- Jour ® , Rachael Ray ® , Ayesha ™ , Paula Deen ® , SilverStone and Lock & Lock. KN deb&bill by Burbenz LLC is bringing to Atlanta a table top line that's an ex- quisite interpretation of artwork by William Dalton Manning. Table linens are made of the highest quality linen from India and include a table runner (6 feet by 9 feet), square place mats, square dinner napkins and cocktail napkins in three design collections: allure, crossroads and elevation. The color palette in- cludes white, ivory and natural linen. The line also includes solid brass napkin rings in two designs, celestial or braid, and in four finishes: soft brass, satin nickel, gun metal, aged bronze.Additional vibrant color options will be coming along in July. You can see samples in the High Design area of Building 2 at The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. KN

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