Specialty Food Stores
Companies in this industry sell products such as meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, candy, and gourmet foods from physical retail locations, often specializing in a single product category. No major companies dominate the industry.
Sales of specialty foods have been increasing worldwide as demand for ethnic foods has continued to grow. In part, the increase comes from immigrant consumers seeking out foods from their own cultures. In the US, it is expected that the buying power of the Latinx population will reach $2.6 trillion by 2025, which is higher than the gross domestic product of non-Latino countries, according to Insider Intelligence.
The US specialty food store industry includes about 22,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $20 billion. Specialty food sales grew nearly 10% from in 2021, according to Specialty Food Association (SFA), reported by Food Engineering. By channel, retail food stores account for about 75% of all specialty food sales in the US, according to SFA's Today's Specialty Food Consumer Research.
The industry includes meat markets, seafood markets, fruit and vegetable markets, baked goods stores (but not retail bakeries), candy and nut stores, and gourmet food stores. Grocery stores and supermarkets, along with superstores and warehouse clubs that sell food, are covered in separate industry profiles.
Competitive Landscape
Consumer spending and tastes drive demand. The profitability of individual companies depends on effective merchandising and the ability to generate store traffic. Large companies can offer a wide selection of products and have advantages in purchasing, distribution, and marketing. Small companies can compete effectively by offering locally sourced and specialty products, providing superior service, or serving a local market. The US industry is highly fragmented: the 50 largest companies account for less than 20% of sales.
Competition includes traditional grocery and natural food stores, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, and online retailers. Specialty food stores also compete with restaurants and other venues serving high-quality prepared food.
Specialty food stores also compete with their own suppliers, who increasingly are embracing e-commerce as a way to sell directly to consumers. Grocery retail sales represent 12% of e-commerce sales, according to USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). As in other retail categories, online purchasing of specialty foods is growing and resulting in slower year-over-year growth for retail and food service channels, according to Mintel. Online sales are also among the fastest-growing channels for importers.
Products, Operations & Technology
Major products sold by specialty food stores include fresh meat and poultry accounting for about 30% of sales, fresh fruits and vegetables for about 20%,
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Sales & Marketing
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Finance & Regulation
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Regional & International Issues
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Human Resources
Also includes the following chapters:
Quarterly Industry Update
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Industry Indicators
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Business Challenges
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Trends and Opportunities
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Call Preparation Questions
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Financial Information
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Industry Forecast
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Industry Websites
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Glossary of Acronyms