Comments on: Supermarkets Become Innovative But More Restrictive

By: wisey

wisey — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:37:00 +0000

you know that home brands have more preservatives, more chemicals and less nutrients than there more expensive counterparts?

I did my own analysis a couple of weeks ago and was quite shocked.

By: Nathan Bush

Nathan Bush — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:14:00 +0000

@Stan & Matt – thanks for the OS background. Maybe I'm giving the Australian supermarkets too much credit for being innovative?

@j-phull & Daniel – I'm leaning towards Daniel here. It would be a good alternative to the frozen meals/fast food and be available at a time when people don't want to think (who wants to hang around a supermarket after work). On the other side, we don't want Jamie Oliver coming to Australia because no one can cook a home meal. I don't think it is the aversion to cooking which is the problem. I think we need to make the shopping experience more enjoyable and inspirational so that it is not a chore.

By: Daniel Oyston

Daniel Oyston — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:14:00 +0000

@j-phull I agree, it breads laziness and I myself love preparing a meal on a Sunday arvo/evening a with a few drinks.

However, the reality is that a lot of people have gone the other way. With the cost of food etc they are turning more and more to junk food.

Pre-packaged, healthy meals, while not as good as home cooking, is certainly better than fast food.

By: j-phull

j-phull — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:50:00 +0000

Re: waiting to see packed lunches. As much as i can see the genius behind this idea, not having them isn’t such a bad idea. Pre-prepared meals mean people a) become lazy and b) forget the basic necessities of life; like cooking.

A home cooked meal trumps pre-packaged any day.

By: Daniel Oyston

Daniel Oyston — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:49:00 +0000

The thing I am still waiting to see here is Australia (which is seen in the UK) is real integration of own brand products into decent ready or semi-ready meals.

If they get that right then they would make more money, busy people would buy them and they could use their own ingredients into the production. This not only applies to dinner but also the lunch crowd. Tescos et al stock a great range of healthy, ready to go sandwiches and great prices.

By: Matt Granfield

Matt Granfield — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Stan Lee pipped me at the post – I was just going to say, the idea is nothing new in Europe, the UK and the USA. Australian supermarkets were too scared to bite the hand that fed them in the past; they didn’t want to compete with the other FMCG brands because they couldn’t. Now that they can establish their own supply chains, import directly from a wider choice of manufacturers overseas, and establish relationships with Australian producers, they have nothing to lose. It’ll be interesting to see how the big brands compete. I’m tipping research and niche marketing will grow exponentially. Not to mention the re-surgence of suburban markets as people opt to get back to their roots and buy their food from real people instead of faceless corporations.

By: Stan Lee

Stan Lee — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:38:00 +0000

This was pioneered in the UK. Home brands had to be as good as regular brands. Here in Oz they were always a cheap alternative. Now they’re a quality alternative. Soon there may be no alternative.