According to The Compass Group, the average person today spends between 46 and 50 hours per week at work and U.S. unemployment is at its lowest since 1969 at just 3.7 percent. Couple these numbers with a significant evolution in the design of the workplace — with cubicles giving way to open office plans and the rise of collaborative co-working spaces — and the break room suddenly becomes a tantalizing proposition for CPG food and beverage brands.
As a multinational foodservice provider, The Compass Group has been keeping on top of these changes. In this clip from BevNET Live Winter 2018, Compass SVP of marketing Alicia LeBeouf discusses the opportunity beverage companies have to seize a “captive audience” of workers via vending machines, snack box programs, and the break room.
“More consumers are at work, so [there is] an opportunity for these brands to really drive some engagement with employees because more people are working and more people are in the audience,” LeBeouf said. “People are at work, so whatever SKUs, products, brands are right in front of them are the ones they have to choose from. So why wouldn’t you want to spotlight your brand?”
In the video, LeBeouf also breaks down the mechanics of how the foodservice channel operates, explains how office accounts can serve as retail incubators, and shares advice on how to manage price point differences when selling in multiple channels.