In last week’s 150th anniversary commemorative issue, we looked back at the seismic changes that transformed this industry, and how The Grocer has adapted and evolved in covering them.

And there’s a nostalgic tinge to our cover story this week, as we examine the continuing retro-inspired product relaunches, and kick off a campaign to Bring Back a Brand.

But it would be irresponsible, in our 150th year, if we rested on our laurels, while ignoring the fast-moving nature of today’s media scene. And so we kick off, this week, a number of new initiatives that form a blueprint for The Grocer’s future.

The first is a new website. We’ve made it easier and more intuitive to use, introduced new interactive elements, and improved the look and feel. And there are further rollouts imminent that will optimise the site for iPads and mobile phone use, and bring social media interaction to the fore.

We’ve also united the website with the magazine. This has involved a simultaneous redesign of The Grocer, but the latest evolution of the magazine is so much more than a fresh lick of paint. We’ve increased our analysis section, with extra focus on prices; there’s more comment and opinion; and, as well as retaining our incomparable news coverage, we’ve added new pages devoted to technology news and, on the product news side, entertainment, health & beauty, toys and speciality food and drink.

And that’s not all. We’re launching The Grocer’s New Product Awards, a brand-new set of awards to recognise and reward innovation in fmcg. It comes at a challenging time for NPD: this week alone, several initiatives have either been scrapped or gone back to the drawing board. So we want to do everything we can to support innovation, and we hope our robust twin-stage methodology will help gain awardwinning products valuable recognition from customers and consumers alike.

This week is just the start, however. There are more initiatives to come. The Grocer is looking forward to 2012. The Grocer is looking forward.

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