Forbes – Walmart Says Ozempic Could Be Impacting Food Sales: ‘Slight Pullback In Overall Basket’

by absoluteunitVolcker

I wonder if these drugs become popular enough, could they have a bigger impact on big food and beverage chains DPZ, QSR, MCD, PEP, KO, etc.?

www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/04/walmart-exec-reportedly-says-ozempic-could-be-impacting-food-sales-slight-pullback-in-overall-basket/?sh=2906bc3d66a7

• Walmart is studying changes in sales patterns by looking at anonymized shopper data and comparing that of people who take a weight loss drug like Ozempic to people who don’t, but Furner said it’s too soon to draw conclusions.
• The company is seeing “a slight pullback in overall basket” when looking at the consumer data, though, for people who take Ozempic, Wegovy or other popular weight-loss drugs, Furner told Bloomberg.
• Furner said the pullback has been “just less units, slightly less calories,” Bloomberg reported.
• Companies like Walmart are working to take stock of shopper trends for people on Ozempic as the weight-loss drug is only expected to continue its rise in popularity: Morgan Stanley is estimating that 24 million people—or 7% of the U.S. population—could be taking GLP-1 drugs by 2035.
• In its September report, Morgan Stanley said the popularity of these drugs will likely have a stronger impact on grocery stores, while big box markets like Walmart and Target that sell “many product categories along with food will be better insulated.”

Walmart U.S. chief executive John Furner said in an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday that the company has seen “a slight change” in food purchasing habits of people taking Ozempic and other weight loss drugs compared to people who aren’t—as impacts of the popular medication seep into the corporate world.