Bumble Bee Seafoods Suited for Snacking or Meals

When it comes to filling their baskets, shoppers are looking for healthy, convenient, and tasty options. But with rising prices throughout the store, grocery shoppers need affordable, versatile products.

Luckily, shoppers can find all that and more with Bumble Bee Seafoods, a new Independent Grocers Alliance Red Oval partner that carries the No. 1 selling albacore tuna in the country and has the broadest portfolio of shelf stable seafood offerings, from albacore to oysters. The seafood brand is also devoted to consumers and the planet, focusing on offering the highest quality seafoods while using best-in-class sustainable practices.

We spoke with Bumble Bee Seafoods Vice President of Regional Grocery/Small Format Alicia Keeble to learn about seasonal performance, shopper trends, and how they help independent retailers stay competitive.

Do your products perform better in particular seasons? 

We have a wide-ranging portfolio of products that covers all seasons of the year. Our canned and pouch tuna sell really well from the start of Lent through October. Sardine sales tend to pick up in the warmer months and during hunting season. Specialty products including crab, clams and shrimp have huge lifts during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Shrimp also lifts during the summer salad months.

What can our retailers do to capture those sales? 

Retailers who promote the right products during key selling seasons will help grab impulse purchases. Recipes are key, as so many of these products are ingredient-based. Retailers can find recipes on our website and share them with shoppers, which will also help to bring sales in the slower months. 

Bumble Bee Seafood works with new and classic recipes.

What product trends are you seeing in this category right now?

One trend is the need for “hyper-convenience.” Ready-to-eat meals and snacks are relevant to the consumer who’s busy and on the go. Another trend is “global-inspired flavors.” We’re consistently innovating in ways to address both of these trends.

What shopper trends are you seeing in the category, and do you expect those to change in the next year?

Shoppers today have adopted online shopping as a norm, so reaching them digitally in the pre-shop phase is more important than ever. Shoppers are also looking for value as they are experiencing the pain of increasing inflation. We’re committed to continuing to deliver high-quality, affordable foods that are not only an excellent source of high-quality protein but also offer nutrients like omega-3, B12, niacin, and selenium.

How are you addressing supply chain and inflation issues right now?

For supply chain, we are looking to carry the maximum weeks of supply of hand in our warehouse(s) to minimize out of stocks and cuts. If there are inventory shortages on an item, Bumble Bee has a strict forecasting and allocation process in place to ensure that one customer is not able to over-order at the expense of any other.

For inflation, the good news is that tuna is one of the most affordable and highest levels of protein in a can/pouch that is available. We help to meet the need of the consumer who doesn’t have a lot to spend on a shopping trip by providing them a low-cost protein which could be used for lunch, dinner, and snacks during the day.

What benefits will this partnership afford our independent retailers?

Bumble Bee is a very strong brand nationally and a very popular market basket item. Front page tuna events will bring consumers into the store. Providing a meal solution (or two) will ensure that customer purchases additional products while during the shopping trip.

Do you have any best practices or resources you can share with our retailers to drive sales of your products?

Consumers often need recipe inspiration when they are shopping, so displaying our products off shelf, alongside both fresh and shelf stable complementary categories that inspire amazing meals at home is a great tactic.

How can our independent retailers engage with Bumble Bee and best let shoppers know they carry your products?

Through the use of Bumble Bee-provided POS materials. We also have multiple display vehicles, which are both current and in development to help with incremental sales support. If the retailer has a health-focused section of their flyer or app, Bumble Bee is the perfect fit—inexpensive, versatile, and yummy!