The Internet giant “Amazon” is known for its market power and quirky deals. About a year ago, Amazon bought the food retailer Whole Foods Market and turned the ready meals market upside down. As a result of the takeover, the share prices of the remaining supermarket chains in the USA fell. To regain market share, many retailers in the food industry are relying on vegan dishes.
In the USA, the market for online meal subscriptions is a growing trend. So far, Amazon only sells its cooking boxes in Seattle, in addition to ready meals from “Takeout Kid” and “Chef’d”.
As a result of the acquisition of Whole Foods Market, Amazon Prime members will receive 10% off their purchases in all branches of the supermarket chain. Amazon’s dominant presence is prompting smaller companies to become more active, in order to retain customers on the one hand and to try to win new ones on the other.
One company that has suffered heavy losses as a result of the takeover is the cookbox food company “Blue Apron”. Due to Amazon’s decision to offer cooking boxes in the future, many of Blue Apron’s investors withdrew. The German cookbox mail-order company “HelloFresh” is also facing a challenge. Many of the Berlin-based company’s customers are in the USA.
Vegan as solution?
As is the case almost everywhere in the world, animal-free diets are on the rise in the USA. To remain competitive, many retailers are now relying on increasing their vegan product ranges. Various companies are therefore offering a delivery service for vegan dishes. One of these companies is the US food supplier “Purple Carrot”. The 100% vegan company received prominent support from American football star Tom Brady, who has created his own food box in collaboration with Purple Carrot. The purely plant-based TB-12 cooking box has a high protein content and appeals to a wide range of customers. CEO Andy Levitt says, “We are vegan food for non-vegans.”
The market of cooking boxes is developing .
