News and Trends

T hroughout the pandemic we having been tracking consumer behaviour through our Future Food Trend Tracker on a monthly basis so we can share actionable trends and insights with you. March was an exciting month for the hospitality sector as it geared up for outdoor dining re-opening on April 12th. Our Future Food Trend report recorded eagerness among consumers, who expressed excitement to be able to visit venues again. Detailed below are the 6 key insights from the latest report: 1. Sustainability is becoming more important to consumers; from food sourcing, to food wastage and food packaging. This most likely is heightened by recent media coverage, but is a topic the hospitality sector needs to be not only responsive to but be sector leaders in. 2. The pandemic appears to have alerted attentions to 'local produce, local people', most likely due to concerns of viruses remaining on materials and a desire to support local businesses. As such we have recorded heightened awareness ...

Food shopping behaviors around the world have undergone significant changes since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019. With uncertainty around how long lockdowns would last, many consumers flocked to grocery stores and markets to stock up on food and drinks early in the pandemic. There were also dramatic shifts in the types of food people purchased and many around the world say they increased their consumption of fresh fruit/vegetables, dairy items, and junk food.    In a recent global report, YouGov investigated the changes in consumers’ food shopping and consumption patterns in 17 countries around the world.  YouGov’s International FMCG/CPG Report 2021  highlights the major food shopping trends this year, quantifying the shift to online transactions, and laying bare the pandemic’s impact on grocery shopping routines. The paper also explores pandemic-related changes in food, alcohol and cosmetic purchases and uncovers consumer attitudes both to shopping locally and sho...

Namnews, 29th April 2021 New research for Waitrose has shown that there has been a sharp rise in shoppers turning to organic food and drink during the pandemic. A quarter of those questioned increased the number of organic items in their shopping basket or bought organic produce for the first time over the past 12 months. The OnePoll study also revealed that 61% of people would like to buy more organic products in future. Top of the list of reasons for buying more organic food and drink was a concern about the environment and climate change, cited by 39%, closely followed by concerns about food standards, and a renewed interest in cooking, both cited by 36%. A third of respondents said reconnecting with nature and wildlife had also influenced their shopping habits. The retailer said the growing interest and demand for organic food and drink had been reflected in sales of its Waitrose Duchy Organic range. Sales of the range, which this month revealed a new look, are up over 10 % compare...

 The Grocer,  By  Lyndsey Cambridge 29 April 2021 4 Source: AF Blakemore AF Blakemore said the issue was particularly acute in the Midlands Shelves at UK convenience stores are being left empty as wholesalers struggle to cope with an escalating driver shortage. Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore has been forced to introduce caps on the amount of products retailers are able to order as the lack of drivers has resulted in fewer wagons on the roads and therefore less space to transport goods between its depot and shops. The Grocer understands products are also being returned to its Midlands Willenhall DC as the available drivers are running out of hours they are allowed to work. It comes as the relaxation to driver hours, which was implemented in 2020, came to an end on 31 March. An independent Spar retailer supplied by the wholesaler said: “Our shops look horrendous. We needed 40-50 cases of Foster’s last weekend and we received three. Three bags of charcoal were all we were...

Bakery is a competitive business with players of all sizes vying for a slice of the action. Following the publication of  British Baker ’s Bakery Market Report 2021   which offers a look at the top 75 players in the out of home space, we’ve taken a look at some of the up-and-coming bakeries looking to make a name for themselves on the UK scene. Here are a handful of names that could appear on the Bakery Market Report in the coming years:   Cinnabon Cinnamon bun specialist Cinnabon is making a major play for the UK market meaning it is likely to find its way onto next year’s Bakery Market Report. “We have plans to open 15 stores by the end of the year,” explains Mohammed Bhika, group communications manager for forecourt giant EG Group which  struck a deal with the bakery chain in late 2020 . However, he admits store openings may take longer than expected due to the pandemic. For now, Cinnabon operates a central kitchen in Blackburn where dough is produced from scratch...

britishbaker.co.uk The UK’s major supermarkets utilise a variety of methods for in-store bakery operations, with scratch baking, bake-off and thaw-and-serve options in use. This was recently thrust into the spotlight again after  Asda announced plans to shake-up its model . Here,  British Baker  explores how other major retailers operate their in-store bakeries (ISBs):   Asda Asda operates a level of scratch baking across 341 of its stores, however this is soon to change as part of its recently announced shake-up. Instead, it proposes a move to an ambient model which would see a centralised bakery deliver pre-baked goods to stores daily. It said no ISBs would be closed as part of the move and consultations are underway with 1,200 affected bakery staff but Asda insists redundancy is ‘the last option’ The supermarket was shortlisted in the Supermarket Bakery Business of the Year category at the 2019 and 2020 Baking Industry Awards and took home the title in 2018. In th...

27th April 2021 Patrick Mitchell-Fox Senior Retail Analyst @RetailAnalysis The latest release from Kantar, tracking the performance of GB grocery retail over the 12 weeks to 18 April 2021, shows that sector growth slowed to 5.7%, as sales met the tougher comparatives of the early pandemic in 2020 and non-essential retail and the out-of-home sectors began to open from 12 April, beginning the resumption of a more normal competitive retail landscape.  However, Kantar indicates that over the most recent four weeks growth had again picked up to 6.5%. Online growth slower as shoppers return to stores Though online retailer, Ocado was substantially still the fastest growing operator in the period, its performance dropped back to 27.5% (from 33.9% in March). However, the ongoing significant elevation of online shopping is amply demonstrated by the fact that on a two-year basis Ocado has grew by 52.2% over the 12 weeks. Footfall data shows that the number of shopping trips has grown by 4% i...

Namnews, 28th April 2021 Less than one-in-ten forecourt shoppers cite fuel as the main reason for their visit. This is according to research for the new Lumina Intelligence Forecourt Market Report 2021, which highlights how the pandemic and travel restrictions has reinforced the importance of the convenience store offering within petrol stations. The report found that the key missions that drove shoppers to forecourts last year were: planned top-up (26%), food-to-go (16%), newsagent (11%), distress top-up (9%). With over a quarter of forecourt shoppers on a planned top-up mission, the report identifies the most popular categories purchased on this visit as bakery (45%), chilled foods – excl. milk (44%), fresh fruit and veg (35%), and tinned or packaged grocery (32%). The study also found that that, versus the total convenience average, on average forecourt shoppers visit 3 times per week (+0.6), purchase 3.7 items per visit (+0.2) and spend £15.18 (+£3.77). Meanwhile, forecourt shopper...

Nicola Knight Senior Analyst - Food-To-Go   @RetailAnalysis The UK food and drink market will be worth £195.4bn in 2021, we forecast. In our latest research, we examine how retail and foodservice shares will evolve and the impact on retail of foodservice reopening. Here’s a summary of key findings from the Eating In vs Dining Out report. This year, with the government's reopening roadmap on track, the big question for retailers is “ what will be the impact of foodservice reopening? ” In our latest  Eating In vs Dining Out  report, in collaboration with foodservice consultant Peter Backman, we forecast the size of the UK food and drink market in 2021 and examine how retail and foodservice shares will evolve. The report also looks at what will drive foodservice recovery, and what this means for retail, with a quarter-by-quarter analysis to help business in both sectors plan for the year ahead. Here’s a summary of our findings.  Retail Analysis subscribers can read the ...