FreshDirect Sees 46% Bump From Pandemic Back-to-School Sales

The pandemic has brought about a back-to-school season unlike any other. FreshDirect this week reported a 46% increase in year-over-year sales for the first week of September as children go back to school and families expect to continue to prepare more meals at home.

Some of the products seeing increased sales include tortillas, specialty frozen pizzas and on-the-go foods such as burritos, all of which were up more than 100% year over year, the New York-based online retailer said. Ground turkey and plant-based foods were up more than 80% over the previous year. However, the biggest increase was in FreshDirect’s in-house prepared kitchen appetizers, which were up more than 300%.

FreshDirect said it has also has updated its “meal hacks,” or selection of meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner that change each week. The meal hacks are meant to ease meal planning for families as they prepare for children to learn remotely full time from home or as part of hybrid school plan.

“We created our meal planning solutions to provide stress-free options for families who are looking to save time without sacrificing quality and taste,” said David McInerney, co-founder and CEO of FreshDirect. “As a dad and former chef, I understand firsthand how families now need to provide more meals on the table, which can add stress during an already uncertain time. Our meal solutions allow families to put fresh, high-quality food on the table with added ease.”

Meal hack options include Rotisserie chicken four ways, marinated meats with 4-minute meal sides and a Mediterranean plate that features kofta sticks, pita bread and deli sides.