Tomorrow's Bites with Andrés and Sjacco Supermarkets Changed Everything. But How Will Future Supermarkets Look Like? - Around The Table with Andrés & Sjacco
May 28, 2025
Discover how supermarkets have transformed from clerk-served shops to self-service giants. Learn about the impacts of post-war growth and the sneaky techniques used to manipulate consumer choices. Explore the rise of private labels and what that means for food entrepreneurs. Delve into the future of shopping with AI, gamification, and hyper-personalized experiences. Finally, check out the People's Food Co-op, a revolutionary model promoting fairness and community in grocery retail.
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Personal Memory: Supermarket As 'Food Cabinet'
- Andrés grew up living above a supermarket and calls it 'the food cabinet' for quick runs.
- He contrasts that with his grandmother who shopped at local markets and rarely used supermarkets.
Self-Service Sparked The Supermarket Revolution
- Supermarkets introduced self-service and volume-based pricing that made food much cheaper and reshaped shopping habits.
- Michael J. Cullen's King Kullen (1930) scaled this model rapidly during economic hardship and changed retail forever.
Technology And Policy Drove Supermarket Spread
- Post-war recovery, cars and home refrigeration accelerated supermarket growth across Europe.
- These structural changes made large-volume, low-price retail almost impossible for small grocers to match.