Ideas worth stealing

This article appeared in the July/August issue of Canadian Grocer

AN APP TO FIGHT FOOD WASTE

There’s an app for everything, including selling surplus groceries. Flashfood is a free mobile app that allows grocers to sell “perfectly good” food nearing its expiry date at a deep discount. App users can view and purchase the food from their mobile device and pick it up at the store on the same day. The idea is a win-win: consumers get cheaper groceries and retailers have another chance to sell food that would otherwise be thrown away and end up in a land fill. In Ontario, Farm Boy and Longo’s are testing the app at certain locations with Sobeys also reported to be interested.

SUPERMARKET SUPPER CLUBS

U.K. grocer Waitrose is upping its grocerant game with the launch of a series of supper clubs. Described by the retailer as “next-level in-store dining,” supper clubs were held at the new Haywards Heath location this spring. Over eight evenings, the in-store café was turned into a full- service restaurant where diners enjoyed a three-course meal prepared by chefs from Waitrose cooking schools.

FRESH STORIES

French supermarket Les Magasins U has come up with a novel way to show consumers exactly where its fish comes from while reinforcing its freshness. The retailer recently launched La Route du Frais (Fresh Stories), which uses Snapchat to chronicle the journey of its fish from the time it’s caught at sea to when it arrives in store. Snapcodes on the fish labels allow shoppers to access the video via a mobile device. In typical Snapchat fashion, the video disappears after 24 hours. According to TBWA\Paris, which developed the campaign, Fresh Stories not only helps Les Magasins U show consumers the freshness of its product, but it shows the transparency of its supply chain and how it works with local businesses.