Mental health oriented messaging is quickly becoming table stakes for retailers that cater to next gen consumers. Seventy-one percent of Gen Z consumers like when brands make mental health a part of their marketing, according to the American Psychological Association. Will Gen Z consumers become more or less interested in positive mental health messaging in the coming years?

In 2020, Schnucks opened EatWell, A Natural Food Store by Schnucks in Columbia, MO, with a focus on natural, organic, local and specialty products. Last week, the company opened a mini-Schnucks Express next door.  Does Schnucks Express, featuring conventional food favorites, complement Schnucks’ EatWell concept?

These days, products on the grocery shelves and items on menus in fast food and fast casual restaurants usually have some sort of health label. However, a new study finds that most customers do not pay much attention to them. Is there a better, more effective way for food health labeling to be done?

Bonobos co-founder and former CEO Andy Dunn opened up about his bipolar disorder diagnosis, exploring the inherent challenges as well as how it fueled his entrepreneurial spirit. Does it make sense that the same traits that make someone well-suited to entrepreneurship make that person vulnerable to mental health crises?

L.L.Bean is taking a vacation from social media. The retailer on Monday hit pause on making any social media posts for the month and left a “Gone fishin’ – See you on June 1” message on its Instagram page. What do you think of L.L.Bean’s decision to hit pause on its social media posts for the month of May?

Shoppers can find advice on selling floors on what running shoes to wear, how to fix a leaky faucet and what to take for an upset stomach. Nutritional advice from grocers? Not so much. Kroger wants to change that. Why aren’t dietitians or other nutritional experts widely accessible at grocery stores dispensing nutrition advice?

Walmart has decided to ditch selling cigarettes in some of its U.S. stores and reconfigure its front end space in those locations to make room for more self-checkouts and products including candy and grab-and-go foods. Do you expect Walmart to phase out most, if not all, of its cigarette sales over the next five years?

Sephora recently began selling vibrators and lubricants online, following similar moves last year by Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Saks.com as part of an emerging “sexual wellness” trend. Has this trend opened up a big opportunity for department stores and beauty chains as well as a bigger one for mass and drug store chains?

Persistent disruptions in supply chains, new perspectives on worker welfare and safety, a renewed focus on food insecurity and climate change concerns will all play a role in driving food trends in 2022, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC). Which food trends do you see emerging or accelerating in 2022?

Saks.com has launched an online shop focused on wellness as health consciousness rises amid the pandemic. Has the wellness opportunity for luxury department stores been amplified by the pandemic or was it always there?

As we move further into the second holiday season during the pandemic, consumers are reevaluating priorities for the future amid both emerging and sustained stressors. That doesn’t mean that new habits are suddenly going to disappear at Christmas. Do you see consumer attitudes about group gatherings, high prices and health aligning with actual behavior in 2022?

A new survey finds that more than half of consumers consider it to be important to shop specific brands in the produce department versus non-branded products, led by two-thirds of Millennials and Gen Z respondents believing so. Do you see more positives than negatives in produce departments shifting toward brands, whether store or third-party versions?

The Bank of America (BofA) has identified five “megatrends” — some accelerated by the pandemic — representing tailwinds advancing sports apparel and footwear growth. Do you expect sportswear growth to outpace overall apparel and footwear categories in the years ahead?

Hy-Vee announced that it is partnering with Johnson Fitness & Wellness, the largest specialty fitness retailer in the U.S., to open in-store fitness equipment showrooms in select locations. Do fitness equipment showrooms complement the Hy-Vee shopping experience or is it a stretch?

Americans are dealing with an ongoing obesity crisis and surveys continually show the majority want to lose weight. Can grocers help now that they offer increased online access? Why don’t grocers offer more advice and online tools that can help shoppers with weight management?

Walgreens announced on Monday the launch of its new myWalgreens Credit Card program, which features two “industry-first retail health and wellness credit cards.”  Are the financial benefits or the consumer data derived from credit card usage linked to loyalty programs of greater value to retailers?

A new study finds that people are at least “complicit” in responsibility for the rising levels of obesity since the late 1980s onwards as they’ve “re-worked, misinterpreted or selectively deployed” advice around healthy eating. Why hasn’t greater access to nutritional advice and programs around healthy eating over the last four decades led to healthier diets?

Pinterest has become the first major social network to ban all advertisements with weight loss language and imagery, including ads that idealize or denigrate certain body types, as the platform joins a broader body-positivity movement. Is Pinterest’s move to ban all advertisements with weight loss language and imagery on point or an overreaction?

A study says that more than four out of five of us have changed food habits during the pandemic. Food service companies are responding to these changes with new service levels, offerings and formats. Do you think restaurants and other foodservice providers have adapted well to changes brought about as a result of the pandemic?

As the novel coronavirus pandemic got underway last March, the plant-based food space grew significantly according to a new report. To what extent did the circumstances of the pandemic contribute to the purchasing of plant-based CPG products?

Whole Foods Market announced a partnership with meditation platform Headspace to help customers reprioritize their physical and mental well-being “by tapping into positive moods associated with certain foods.” What do you think of retailers and brands offering meditation content and mindfulness tips to consumers?

New food ideas and health & wellness both rank highest as concepts that would increase consumers’ visits to the mall, according to an ongoing study from Cushman & Wakefield and WD Partners.  Has the pandemic changed what may be necessary to revive traffic at malls in the years ahead?

In normal times, sales data from the past year would identify new opportunities for innovation. What happens when almost every supermarket product saw record growth simply for being in stock?  In what ways did the pandemic muddle the traditional product development process?

CVS recently announced the rollout of a medical alert system to meet senior customers’ healthcare needs in their homes. Do you think CVS and other retail pharmacies will succeed with in home tech services?

Convenience stores are go-to spots for snacks in many neighborhoods, but a recent study shows that offering unhealthier fare is having a negative impact on the health of the communities they serve — in particular on kids. Is making money on the sale of healthier foods a bigger challenge for convenience stores than grocers?

Just over half of shoppers buying groceries online find it either challenging or extremely challenging to make sure a product meets their diet and wellness goals, according to recent research. Is finding nutrition and other information about food items still much easier in-store than online?

Health and wellness is a broad opportunity embraced by everyone from CVS to Lululemon and Whole Foods. Petco wants in on the action. Is Petco’s positioning as a health and wellness retailer spot-on or only confusing to consumers?

Many older consumers — albeit for safety reasons — are at last discovering and helping drive the shift to online spending, digital engagement and omnichannel adventures. . Do the findings cited in the article match your experience of how various generations are coping with COVID-19?

Amazon.com last week introduced Halo, a combination fitness tracker, app and subscription service, taking on Fitbit, Apple Watch and others while possibly building on Amazon’s ambitions in the healthcare space. Why do you think Amazon is moving into the fitness tracker space?

Walmart Wellness Live, a three-day online health and wellness event, will kick off on Friday with the goal of providing customers with simple ways to improve their lives through better nutrition, exercise and mental health activities. Are American consumers at this time looking for more health content online from retailers and brands?

The stay-at-home economy has supported strong trends toward home cooking and home improvement projects, but it has also more surprisingly led to a surge in sales in outdoor gear. What factors do you see driving interest in outdoor categories during the pandemic?

Raley’s is introducing its Something Extra Health service, “a new feature of the company’s loyalty program designed to help interested customers on their personal wellness journeys.” What do you think of Raley’s new initiative and the potential for more store tours and personalized nutrition counseling?

New research of global consumers found that half believe the way they live their lives will be significantly changed for the long-term as a result of the virus disrupting the worlds they knew before. Do you think that a large percentage of consumers will have their purchasing behavior shaped for the long-term as a result of living through the COVID-19 pandemic?

Lululemon Athletica has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mirror, an in-home fitness startup that sells a wall-mounted device that streams live and pre-recorded classes. Do you expect other athletic wear and athleisure brands to expand their efforts in the at-home fitness technology market?

Americans snacked their way through COVID-19 lockdowns as idle time, boredom and family togetherness hit all-time highs. What do you see as the obvious and less obvious factors driving the comfort food resurgence amid the pandemic and are they likely to remain when it’s over?

The spotlight on health from COVID-19 is expected by some to take the health and wellness movement to another level. Do you expect the pandemic to elevate the health and wellness trend in America?

As consumers shelter-in-place, some beauty brands have refocused their messaging to mental health and wellness topics. Do you see an opportunity for retailers and brands to use mental health, wellness and related content to better connect with consumers at the present time?

Convenience store retailers are heading into 2020 looking for brighter times ahead following a solid 2019. A survey of c-store owners by NACS found that 74 percent saw sales increase last year, with only seven percent reporting declines. Where do you see the convenience store business headed in 2020 and beyond?

According to Explorado Market co-founder Rob Benson, traditional grocers stocking keto products are unable to keep up with the demand from customers. Do you think that dietary trends such as ketogenic eating can support their own specialty grocery stores in select markets or perhaps even on a broader scale?

Walgreens announced earlier this week that it was working with Jenny Craig to bring its health and weight loss management services to 100 stores in 20 states across the country beginning in January. Do you think Walgreens is on the right track working with third-parties rather than offering its own in-house health and wellness services?

For the fifth straight year, Whole Foods Market has come out with its top 10 list of most anticipated and innovative food trends for the coming year. Which 2020 food trends on Whole Foods’ list offer the biggest opportunity for food retailers?

Walmart announced yesterday plans to launch several healthcare pilots around the U.S. beginning on Jan. 1. The programs being tested are designed to help the retailer cut healthcare costs for it and its employees while delivering better care in the process. Do you think Walmart is on the right track with its healthcare pilot programs?

Integrated sections, in-store signage and informed staff are three ways sales of better-for-you products can be maximized inside grocery stores. Should the in-store merchandising and selling of better-for-you foods in grocery stores differ from conventional foods?

Whole Foods has been among the retail industry leaders when it comes to introducing plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. But CEO John Mackey is not a fan of meatless meat. Does Mr. Mackey’s assessment of the nutritional value of plant-based meat alternatives undermine Whole Foods’s strategy to sell these products?

CVS is going national with its CarePass subscription program, which offers free delivery on prescription medicines, over-the-counter remedies and other products with no minimum order, for an annual fee of $48 or $5 a month. Do you expect the results from CVS’ test of CarePass to be replicated on a national level?

Entrepreneurs are praised as the lifeblood of innovation, but the stress and anxiety makes them prone to mental health conditions, according to numerous studies. What health advice would you give to retail entrepreneurs under constant pressure?

Lululemon last week opened its largest store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Does Lululemon’s new Chicago flagship appear to bring the brand’s experience and philosophy to life?

A mom-and-pop grocer in New Hampshire is making it a better deal for customers on government assistance to buy organic. Should other local, or even national, grocers consider incentivizing healthier choices among people on government aid through this method?

Best Buy announced that it has added connected home exercise devices to bestbuy.com and that it plans to display and sell the products in more than 100 stores by the end of the year. Do you expect Best Buy to be successful with its move into connected fitness equipment?

The Beverly Hills City Council has approved an ordinance that will prohibit the sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes beginning in 2021. Do you think cities and towns outside of California are likely to pass tobacco ban ordinances similar Beverly Hills?