?"Speciality foods have moved from being regarded as niche products to now sit on the edge of mainstream food and drink. When it eventually goes mainstream it will be because the supermarkets have got their heads round it, but I don't think this will happen overnight. There is still a mountain to climb to get people to think about eating anything other than cheap food. At the moment it is just chipping away at a bloody big iceberg. I think it will take more than two years and fewer than ten for speciality foods to become properly mainstream - depending on what Tesco does. If that supermarket gets behind it, that will change the market."
Rob Ward Co-founder, On-Ward
?"Food is an ever-changing environment, and we have a number of challenges to deal with. We train our staff in extensive product knowledge, and we still send our buying teams to the markets to get the very best produce, which may have been in the fields or seas only hours before. The market is forever changing, and competitors are always upping the ante. As such, the food hall is a constantly evolving animal, with new ranges, new concepts and new ideas constantly being developed - a good example of this being Harrods 102."
André Dang Press and product manager, Harrods food halls
?"Whole Foods Market's arrival will be a catalyst for further development in the market that is already proactive in response to consumer demand for high-quality, fresh, healthy food. Consumer trends are driving change in the strategies of domestic retailers, and the arrival of Whole Foods Market is likely to accentuate this."
Joanne Denney-Finch Chief executive, IGD
?"Only 49,000 new households have been brought into the Continental cheese market in the past year compared with 700,000 new shoppers last year. A decline in the volume of Continental cheese bought per shopping trip has fuelled this decline."
Louise Bailey Analyst, TNS Worldpanel
?"British Food Fortnight is a fun marketing technique but we are using it as a catalyst for commercial opportunities all year round. In the past two years we have provided 24,000 shops, pubs and restaurants with advice and we hope that retailers that tap into the market will continue after the fortnight has finished. We want retailers to stock products for commercial reasons and not just because they are locally produced.
Alexia Robinson Event organiser, BFF
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