Making Luxury Affordable

“Luxury” – The very word sounds lavish. And consumers through the ages have been on a quest to attain products that only a few can afford. What has been true through the course of human civilization is still true today: People want the premium products both because they are the best, but also because they are recognized by their peers as being highly valued.

Sara Lee Coffee & Tea is the leading supplier of coffee and tea products to the foodservice industry, The company provides recognized brands, customer-specific solutions and value-added services. Its vision is to be recognized in the industry as the "Coffee Authority," and the company fulfills this vision by offering some of the finest coffee solutions and systems available today. How does NPD’s sales and marketing information factor in to this equation? We spoke with Sara Lee Coffee & Tea Director of Customer/Segment Marketing, MaryJo MacSwain, to find out.

In a recent query of The NPD Group’s team of Industry Experts, a common theme emerged – when sales of certain big-ticket items are on the down-turn, money can still be made in the accessories and add-ons side of the retail continuum.

SalesTrac Weekly is a short-term tracking service to evaluate same-store trends for the chain and restaurant industry in several countries in Europe, as well as in the United States. Participating chains send their previous week‘s data, based on same-store sales and number of tickets sold. Subscribers to SalesTrac Weekly receive fifty-two weekly reports and four quarterly reports, including  comments on the weekly market situation.

You don’t have to go to South Beach or Scarsdale to see that fad diets are more popular than ever with American consumers. Whether they prefer cabbage soup or grapefruit or eat only what the Russian Air Force eats, NPD now has an in-depth report called the Dieting Monitor to help those in the food and beverage industry understand how their products and menus can cater to the growing population of dieters.

The NPD Group Reports on Low-Carb's Impact on America's Diet

Despite all of the attention on low-carbs in this country, The NPD Group's new Report on Carbohydrate Consumption Patterns finds Americans still have a very healthy appetite for carbs.

NPD PriceLab: Retail's "Missing Link" for CD Pricing Information

NPD Music, a division of The NPD Group, today announced the launch of PriceLab, the first comprehensive source for music pricing information and insights.