Food & Beverage — Retailers Face Challenges as Consumers Demand More Value

Food & Beverage · 2026-05-08

TODAY'S SIGNAL — Three developments converge around a single theme: the consumer squeeze is reshaping Food & Beverage from shelf to C-suite. Alvarez & Marsal's finding that shoppers are now switching entire retailers—not just brands—marks an escalation in trade-down behavior that threatens incumbent grocers and the branded manufacturers who depend on them. Against that backdrop, Chef Boyardee's…