The Retail Rundown: Holiday Features in Full Display

In the final stretch to Thanksgiving, turkey ads dominate protein advertisements this week with 29 percent, up from 11.8 percent the week prior and surpassing pork's 26.4 percent. Seafood ads come in at 20.2 percent, followed by beef at 16.4 percent. Chicken takes 6 percent, while eggs still have less than one percent of retail buying opportunities.

Fresh whole turkeys account for half of all turkey promotions, with frozen turkeys making up 40.5 percent. While turkeys take center stage, the holiday season also lifts demand for cold-weather comfort foods and convenient...

Each Thanksgiving Dinner Requires a National Effort

As friends and family sit down for a Thanksgiving dinner, very few are aware that the feast on their table is a culmination of efforts of farmers from every corner of the United States. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the production of the ingredients that go into a classic Thanksgiving dinner, detailing which states produce the most commodities and the production value of those items. The Market Intel provides context to AFBF’s annual Thanksgiving dinner cost survey, which found the average cost of this year’s classic...

PODCAST: Agri-Food for Thought Ep 17 - Thanksgiving Turkey Prices Cheaper in 2024

Jamie chats with Turkey market analyst, Matt Busardo, on the 2024 Thanksgiving cost profile. 

PERDUE® Unveils the Chiclucken, the Ultimate Thanksgiving Feast for Chicken Lovers

Step aside turkeys. This Thanksgiving, chicken is the poultry of choice for those looking for something more memorable. PERDUE®, the number-one fresh chicken brand in the U.S., is introducing a new Thanksgiving recipe – the Chiclucken – that tests the limits of how many types of chicken can be enjoyed within a single holiday dish.

The Chiclucken features five layers of tender, juicy PERDUE chicken and pushes the limits of culinary arts. You may not remember the last holiday dish you had... 

The Retail Rundown: Turkey Takes the Spotlight

According to Circana data, fresh whole turkeys were featured at an average discounted price of $1.48 per pound last week, up from $1.27 per pound during the same period last year.

The most popular turkey sizes, 10–15 and 16–24 pounds, averaged $1.34 per pound, compared to $1.00–$1.10 per pound last year. These prices reflect pre-promotion rates and do not account for additional discounts or free turkey offers.

Whole turkeys are often used as loss leaders to increase holiday store...

Kroger Reveals Customer Thanksgiving Favorites and Grocery Shopping Habits in Time for The Holidays

In preparation for Thanksgiving, The Kroger Co. surveyed customers to see how they plan to shop and what they plan to eat during the holidays this year.

"Thanksgiving is such a special time of year and we take pride in knowing exactly what is important to our customers during this holiday season," said Tom Duncan, Vice President, Head of Marketing at Kroger. "No matter how they choose to celebrate, we're happy to provide our customers with value on the items they need...

Kroger's Freshgiving Prices are Lower than Everyday Low 

The Kroger Co. today shared its zero-compromise Freshgiving meal offering customers a holiday basket that includes all the staples for less than $4.85 per person—even more affordable than the retailer's turkey day bundle last year. Complete with pumpkin pie, turkey at the center of the plate and plenty of fresh sides, this feast is sure to please.

This season, Kroger is once again offering customers an affordable meal with zero-compromise on value, convenience or quality.

"As families gather together to give thanks...

Circana Reports Nearly 80% of Thanksgiving Meals Are Homemade, as Consumers Embrace Traditions

Circana™, a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior, today released its annual Thanksgiving Outlook, providing key insights into projected consumer purchasing behaviors and attitudes for 2024. This year’s analysis highlights the enduring popularity of Thanksgiving traditions, providing actionable insights to help manufacturers, retailers, and marketers develop merchandising and promotional strategies to engage consumers and drive growth throughout the Thanksgiving season.

The week prior to and the week of Thanksgiving are essential for driving sales, though some...

Expana's 2024 Thanksgiving Dinner Index Dips by 3.3%

Expana’s Thanksgiving Dinner Index, which measures price fluctuations across key food commodities that make up a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, fell by 3.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) in October 2024.

This year’s Thanksgiving Index paints a nuanced picture of the holiday meal. While some ingredients are more affordable this season compared to a year ago, others remain costly due to supply chain and production issues...

The Retail Rundown: This Year's Thanksgiving Dinner May Cost Less 

This week’s protein promotions spotlight seafood, which makes up 33.1 percent of all ads, with pork following at 25.6 percent and beef at 24.3 percent. Chicken features come in at 13 percent, while turkey ads saw a small increase to 3.8 percent, up from 3.3 percent last week but below the 5 percent seen two weeks prior.

Frozen turkeys make up 27 percent of all turkey ads, up 25.7 percent last week, with prices ranging between $2.79 and $5.00 discounted last week.

According to the Expana Thanksgiving Dinner Index 2024...

The Retail Rundown: Holiday Countdown Rapidly Winds Down

With Thanksgiving just three weeks away, the holiday rush is fueling retail traffic as shoppers stock up on essentials. This week, turkey promotions account for 3.3 percent of all protein ads, down from 5 percent the previous week. The number of grocery chains featuring turkeys also declined, with 39 chains participating, compared to 49 chains a week earlier.

Despite fewer promotions, fresh whole turkey sales rose week-over-week, reaching $1.3 million last week, up from $909,368 the week prior, according to Circana...

Thanksgiving Side Dish Showdown: What Do Americans Want to Ban from the Buffet

A New Survey Reveals the Dishes You Can Cut from the Menu to Save Money this Holiday Season.

Thanksgiving is America’s favorite non-denominational holiday. It’s a festive occasion marked by feasts, football, family…and occasional feuding. Tensions may run exceptionally high at the grown-ups’ table this election year, so Savings.com suggests an alternate arena to settle more playful disputes.

White meat or dark? Stuffing or spuds? Should we even call it Turkey Day? Keep conversation light with these collegial controversies and... 

The Retail Rundown: Late-Season Push for Grilling Cuts

As October ends, beef and seafood promotions are neck and neck, each occupying about 25 percent of total advertising space. During the final week of "Pork-tober, pork features account for 20.8 percent of buying opportunities, closely followed by chicken at 20.6 percent.

Though the shift from grilling cuts to roasts has been in motion for a few weeks, a forecast of record warmth in parts of the central and eastern U.S. this week offers a last chance for backyard cooking before winter sets in.

This could spur late-season promotions...

New Butterball Togetherness Report Provides Insight on Thanksgiving Plans

Butterball, the best known and most loved* brand of turkey in the U.S., today announced the findings of the Butterball Togetherness Report: 2024 Thanksgiving Outlook, which reveals the Thanksgiving plans of hosts and attendees alike.

The holiday report reveals that 86% of consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with others and an anticipated average celebration size of nine people. And turkey reigns supreme, as 87% of hosts plan to serve turkey this year. It's also consumers' favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal (51%), followed by stuffing (44%), pie (32%) and potatoes (27%)...

The Retail Rundown: Tuning in to Turkey

Retail promotions for seafood continue to dominate the protein category this week, capturing nearly a third of ad circular space (32 percent). Beef and pork follow, taking up 23 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively. Chicken is up slightly from the previous week at 16 percent. Egg ads held steady at about 3 percent.

Several items were featured at lower prices compared to 2023 last week, with chicken leg quarters averaging $1.55 per pound, 5 cents cheaper than last year. Fresh pork loin prices were down by 2 percent...

Walmart Sets the Table Early With a Thanksgiving Meal for Less Than $7 per Person

Today Walmart officially launched its holiday meal, bringing customers incredible savings on mealtime favorites, earlier and at an even lower price than last year. And to help spread more joy during the season of giving, Walmart is offering customers the opportunity to gift a meal directly to loved ones anywhere in the country and, new this year, donate an entire meal to their local Salvation Army unit.

As food prices remain top of mind, more customers want to begin saving earlier...

ALDI Commits to Thanksgiving Prices Lower Than 2019, Feeding 10 People for Less than $47

This holiday season, ALDI is offering its lowest-priced Thanksgiving basket in five years – a full meal for 10 people at less than $47.* With reports showing grocery prices are up 50% across the industry on hundreds of items compared to 2019,** shoppers will get welcome relief at ALDI on their favorite Thanksgiving fixings.

Throughout the Thanksgiving season, holiday hosts can shop ALDI for all the fresh ingredients and award-winning products they need to assemble...

The Retail Rundown: Thanksgiving Turkey Retail Prices Reported Higher Despite Wholesale Drop

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, Urner Barry is looking back at how this year’s retail Thanksgiving sales compared to recent years. 

According to Circana data, retail turkey prices on both a discounted and non-discounted basis have consistently trended higher in the past five years. Generally, distribution has also seen an uptrend in recent years. 

Distribution is a measure that reports the distribution of discounted and non-discounted items. It takes into account the number of Universal Product Codes (UPCs) selling within a given aggregate...