Dive Brief:

• CVS Pharmacy is bringing a broadened variety of frozen foods and good-for-you snacks to its stores as part of a grocery refresh that includes dozens of items the retailer has not previously carried, the pharmacy chain announced Tuesday.
• The expansion includes frozen products from brands like Beyond Meat, Healthy Choice and Bird's Eye as well as snacks from suppliers including LesserEvil, SkinnyDipped and Soley.
• ​CVS is boosting its selection of grocery items as the retailer looks to attract business customers who have become more attuned to eating at home during the pandemic.

Dive Insight:

In announcing the expansion of its grocery selection, CVS pointed to data from a poll it commissioned in March that showed 74% of American adults have changed their snack or meal patterns during the pandemic.

Two thirds of participants in the online survey, which drew responses from 2,045 people 18 or older between March 16 and 18, also reported that they are snacking at home more often now than before the public health crisis began, CVS said. In addition, 52% of respondents indicated that they are choosing better-for-you snacks and meal items.

In addition to boosting its existing assortment of meals and snacks, CVS, which operates more than 9,900 locations in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, is also looking to generate sales by offering items it has not sold before. The retailer said the expanded assortment of more than 100 frozen items now available at many of its locations includes 50 products that are entirely new to its shelves. The new items include meatballs and burgers from Beyond Meat and Bird’s Eye Steamfresh Frozen Broccoli Florets.

CVS also said its expanded selection of more than 140 better-for-you snack items, which it plans to start carrying in May, will include more than 60 products the retailer has not sold before. The new items include LesserEvil Organic No Cheese Cheesiness Popcorn, Quinn Paleo Friendly Grain Free Pretzel Chips, Solely Organic Pineapple Fruit Jerky and SkinnyDipped Lemon Bliss Almonds.

The move by CVS to enhance its assortment of food and snack items follows its decision last summer to begin selling grocery and personal care items from direct-to-consumer merchant Public Goods, an online-focused retailer that decided to make the jump to the brick-and-mortar realm in partnership with the pharmacy chain.