COVER STORY
What percentage of sales do you expect online grocery to contribute in 2026?
Do you plan to bolster your health & wellness positioning in 2026?
Food retailers
All respondents
Food retailers
Yes
59%
No
41%
20% 1-5% 30% 6-10% 21% More than 10% 29% Don’t offer online grocery
24% 1-5% 38% 6-10% 28% More than 10% 10% Don’t offer online grocery
Targeting growth in health and wellness In addition to prepared foods, private-label and digital initiatives, retailers are also eying growth in their health and wellness efforts in 2026, the survey found. Fifty-nine percent of retailers said they plan to boost their health and wellness positioning, about the same percentage as a year ago. Among those investing in driving increased sales of health and wellness cate - gories, 65% said they plan to grow or update their assortments, and 59% said they plan to introduce new products such as plant-based alternatives and CBD items. About four-in-10 retailers (41%) said they plan to use nutrition/ shelf tags to boost health and wellness sales. One new strategy that emerged in the most-recent survey was the use of a fee- or subscription-based wellness program, which was cited by 24% of retailers as an initiative to boost health and wellness sales. No retail - ers said they planned such programs on last year’s survey when asked for their 2025 plans in these categories. One retailer also commented that they planned to drive health and wellness sales by integrating health into their loyalty app, while another cited aggressive pricing as a tool to drive health and wellness category sales. The most recent survey also included some new questions about the impact of GLP-1 medications, which have soared in popularity as a weight-loss solution and are reportedly leading consumers to reduce their purchases of some grocery items. On the other hand, their popularity is also driving increased sales for retailers with pharmacies. More than half of retailer respondents (55%) said GLP-1 drugs have had an impact on their bottom line in the past year, including 7% who said the impact has been significant.
What are your plans for private-label in 2026?
All respondents
Food retailers
50% Add private-label offerings 5% Reduce private-label offerings 45% Stay the same
55% Add private-label offerings 10% Reduce private-label offerings 34% Stay the same
How much of an impact have GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic had on your bottom line and profitability in the past year?
All respondents
Food retailers
11% Significant impact 45% Slight impact 44% No impact
7% Significant impact 48% Slight impact 45% No impact
18 SUPERMARKETNEWS.COM WINTER 2026
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