Rural American households spent more than twice as much on canning and freezing supplies, 47% more on automotive products, and 38% more on tobacco and accessories than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
“Plain Rural Living” households — a Nielsen Spectra lifestyle segment that includes households in small towns and rural areas with the lowest population densities — account for 21% of all American households.  These households represented 43% of canning/freezing supplies product dollar sales, 31% of automotive product dollar sales, and 29% of tobacco and …

For the past few years, we’ve seen the transition from random weight to pre-packaged, UPC-coded meat.  In 2009, as more retailers look for ways to cut costs, fresh meat will continue shift from the butcher to the shelf. 
Look for less meat to be cut in the store, and more UPC-coded meat to be packaged centrally and sold on the shelf. 
Retailers will need to decide whether they want to compete on price or rely on their butchers and deli counters to create differentiation and customization.
Read Nielsen’s complete 2009 Industry Outlook in …