Covid- 19 and reversion to the mean

Where there’s tremendous challenge, there’s great opportunity. As companies navigate the new realities of life with the novel corona virus, food retail companies have seen a boon in revenues. Partly due to stay-at- home orders that forced us back to the kitchen and out of our usual local watering holes (Black Sheep Tavern, Bantum Pub and LadyBird Mess Hall are a couple of my ATL favorites). Restaurant dining/ food service etc. first surpassed Grocery sales back in 2015 and the trend continued up until March (year of our Lord) 2020. The grocery business has been the resilient backstop in the world of retail but how sustainable is it? And how long should they expect their unusually high volume to continue? It’s sure to be a forecasting nightmare for both sides of the aisle (food service and grocery) as no one truly knows when we’ll come out the other end of this pandemic. But, uncertainty doesn’t mean companies should place their head in the sand and wait for this to pass. As a Business Manager, now is the time to engage clients and identify opportunities for the inevitable “reversion to the mean”. Successful meetings and planning now will provide an on- ramp to drive sales volume as the pendulum swings back in the food service/ hospitality direction.