Report: Foodies Open to Supermarket Shopping

Where do savvy, discerning foodies willing to spend big bucks on gourmet consumables shop for groceries? The answer may surprise you, reports a DSN Retailing Today article.

Fifty-four percent of consumers get their gourmet edibles from supermarkets, according to The Hartman Group. It seems as if what consumers buy is more important than where they buy it, which puts just about all food retailers into play.

"Gourmet foods are no longer the sole domain of specialty channels," the Hartman Group study concluded. "Gourmet is just as comfortable on the shelves of the traditional supermarket."

Gourmet food is becoming more mainstream with three-quarters of those surveyed saying they buy gourmet products. While the majority of consumers buy their gourmet items off supermarket shelves, 14 percent of consumers say they shop specialty grocers such as Wild Oats for gourmet foods while few — 3 percent — report shopping for fancy edibles from specialty stores such as Williams-Sonoma or, still fewer, from Internet retailers.

The Hartman Group has identified several trends foodies are looking for:

• Fancy cuts of meat including shanks (veal or lamb), short ribs, hangar steak, tri-tip and skirt steak.
• Fresh cooking methods such as curing, braising, poaching, smoking and, of course, grilling.
• Jargon that uses terms like artisanal, regional, fresh, seasonal, cured, procured, heirloom, hand-crafted, small batch and single estate.
• Imports ranging from Marcona almonds, Spanish/Basque cheeses and regional Italian dried pastas to Spanish olive oil, truffle oils and specialty salts.

The Hartman Group emphasizes that because of their willingness to indulge in upscale foods, beverages and dining experiences, foodies are more likely to pay a premium for what they view as new and vibrant sensory experiences.