Report: Latest

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Augmented retail: how supermarkets are evolving the shop floor

As shoppers move online, real-world stores are finding themselves with floor space to fill. Following the example of major players like Tesco, retailers are providing services to complement their existing offerings and enhance their core business.

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Missing the train to stay at the station: how travel hubs are evolving

Once seen as merely a place to catch trains, UK stations are now taking advantage of their heavy footfall, offering quality food and leisure facilities that have begun to attract even non-travellers to these travel hubs.

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Why moderate is the new cool

Individual freedoms are at the heart of Western society, but with economies reeling from greedy bankers, healthcare costs rising, and citizens outraged over media ethics, a new aspiration of control and responsibility has emerged.

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Natural Mindset

People want to get closer to nature mentally and physically, embracing all that’s perceived to be pure and wholesome.

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Everywhere shopping: Click & Collect delivers

With informed shoppers demanding more choice and less hassle, new imperatives are emerging for retailers. Many are fragmenting into access points or experiential hubs in order to offer the best of online, offline and mobile.

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G&T moments: influencing conservative cultures

Spreading ideas beyond early adopters to a risk-averse majority is a key challenge for innovators. An unlikely love story between the conservative Spanish and an English cocktail shows how brands can help ideas travel from the sidelines to the mainstream.

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The rise and rise of cookery lessons

Lessons in food and cookery are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. This is part of a trend driven by a number of factors, including a growing interest in food, a widespread desire for natural produce, and a demand for expert advice.

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Luxury dining in Moscow

Moscow has the highest proportion of billionaire residents in the world, and the emergence of new wealth has changed the city’s consumption habits. These changes can be seen in attitudes towards the city's luxury restaurants.

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Secret menus

Foodie blogs have carried whispers of off-menu dishes for years, but interest in these secret items is becoming more mainstream. What position should brands assume when dealing with mythical menus?

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Why every supermarket is fighting the price war

Consumers remain on edge as unemployment in the US is at a high level and incomes remain flat, but food and petrol prices are an increasing chunk of their budgets. How have supermarkets adjusted to price-conscious consumers?

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Immigrants and identity

Globalisation has resulted in the drawing together of various diverse and disparate cultures, even as people themselves move further apart. But territory and country of origin are still defining aspects of an individual’s identity.

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Truth in pictures

Images can have an extraordinarily powerful, long-lasting impact. A dramatic example of this is a recent advertising campaign in New York, which virtually shamed consumers into eating and drinking more healthily.

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Casual dining in India: an interview with Arvind Singhal

India's food service segment is showing annual growth rates of between 20% and 25%. Arvind Singhal – whose firm conducted the research – looks beyond the numbers to the cultural and economic drivers behind this surge in casual dining.

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Wine and millennials

Young wine drinkers account for a significant proportion of wine consumption in the UK, but seem to lack engagement with or knowledge of the topic. There's a big gap in the UK market for some savvy brand positioning, concludes Ella Majava.

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Brazil's Go Faster market

While much of the West is on a Go Slow from information overload, Brazil is a country defined by its relentless energy. Luciana Stein identifies opportunities for brands who can help lift flagging consumers.

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Kawaii kappe: Japanese farming’s youthful new look

Beyond hobby farming on city allotments, Japan's young people are returning to agriculture as a viable career choice, spurred on by cool cultural products, a stagnant job market and smart government initiatives.

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The proof’s in the pudding: how functional foods are evolving

Private sector interest in functional foods has soared as consumers take more responsibility for their own health. The new breed of products bridges the lucrative gap between food and pharma, with a focus on optimised health and wellness.

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Food culture in Latin America

Ed Stocker hones in on mid-market food culture in Mexico City and Buenos Aires. Despite the wealth of establishments on offer, diners have limited choices – but this is starting to change with influence from the US.

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A welcome break? Motorway food in the UK

Driven by the Slow macrotrend, the UK’s ‘motorway mindset’ is shifting. We explore the French approach to roadside dining and map out opportunities for smartphones in changing the market.

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How Jagermeister got in with Spain’s hipsters

The recent success of Jagermeister in Spain is a beautiful story. It's a tale of sex, alcohol and rock and roll – or, if you prefer, a for once decent use of brand ambassadors to win over a hostile market.