News and Trends

Retailers suffered a market share decline in food-to-go compared to foodservice operators during the pandemic but should recover strongly, says the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD). The IGD expects retailers overall share of the food-to-go market to reduce to 21% in 2021 from 24% in 2019. But this will gradually increase to 23% by 2026 as momentum starts to return to retail food-to-go. Nicola Knight, senior analyst for food-to-go and author of the forecasts, said: “In 2021, retailers have faced increased competition from foodservice operators who adapted quickly to changing consumer habits and demands. “And, due to the decrease in demand and shift in shopping habits, retailers reallocated space to other categories. “While larger stores have benefitted from consolidated shopping missions, smaller stores have experienced a greater dip in sales but, conversely, are likely to recover more quickly as some pre-pandemic behaviours return.” Overall the IGD believes food-to-go market sho...

Namnews, 23rd July 2021 New research suggests consumers around the globe are drinking coffee with a conscience. According to data from the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), nearly half (48%) of all new coffee product launches in 2020 carried an ethical or environmental claim, close to double the number from almost a decade ago (2012) when just one in four (25%) coffee launches were sustainable. Pods/capsules – which account for a quarter of (24%) of global coffee innovation – are the category’s most controversial format because of the amount of landfill waste they create. Only two in five pods (39%) globally carry a recyclable claim. Currently, one in ten pods/capsules uses a biodegradable claim (11%) and/or a compostable claim(10%). Overall, when it comes to sustainability, coffee fares well compared to the total food and drink market where just 35% of new product launches carry a sustainable claim in Europe – in comparison to 64% of coffee launches in the region. Jonny Fors...

Namnews, 23rd July 2021 Retail sales in the UK resumed their post-lockdown recovery in June after a surprise fall in May. With a boost from food and drink shopping for the Euro 2020 football championship, sales volumes increased by 0.5% month-on-month and were up 9.5% when compared with pre-pandemic levels in February 2020. The largest contribution to growth in June was from food shops where sales rose by 4.2% as consumers stocked up on snacks and booze to watch the games. Supermarket sales had dropped in May as shoppers chose to eat out after some Covid restrictions were lifted in the hospitality sector. However, non-food stores reported a month-on-month decline of 1.7%, driven by falls in furniture and clothing stores. People continued to shop online more compared to before the pandemic. However, the amount they spent fell by 4.7% and the overall proportion of retail spending online slipped to 26.7% from 28.4% in May – the fourth consecutive monthly fall. The total retail sales figur...

Namnews, 23rd July 2021 Waitrose and Shell are growing their partnership by more than doubling the number of forecourt stores where the supermarket’s food is available and installing hundreds of electric vehicle charging points in Waitrose car parks. The number of Shell forecourt shops selling Waitrose food and drink will increase from 57 to 125 by 2025. The offer includes sandwiches, snacks, ready meals, gifts, and alcohol. Meanwhile, 800 Shell electric vehicle charging points will be rolled out to 100 Waitrose sites over the next four years. The first Shell Recharge unit at a Waitrose store will launch earlier next year and follows similar moves by other supermarket chains looking to attract customers by offering charging facilities for use whilst they shop. “This is great news for EV drivers across the UK, knowing they can easily, quickly and reliably charge up at Shell charge points while shopping at Waitrose,” said Shell UK retail General Manager Bernadette Williamson. The expande...

Sainsbury’s has unilaterally decided to close down its wholesale business and therefore stop supplying the SimplyFresh group with Sainsbury-labelled products. SimplyFresh announced this morning that as a result of Sainsbury’s decision it no longer has an ongoing agreement with the supermarket as a supplier. Sainsbury’s said that if SimplyFresh wished it could continue to receive a supply for the next 12 months. A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “As part of our plan to put food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s, we are simplifying our business so we can focus on what matters most to our customers – lower prices, exciting new products and convenient ways to shop. “To deliver our plan we must prioritise what we do. We have just started talking to our retail partners and colleagues about what this means for the future of wholesale and it will be a gradual process. “We know these conversations may cause uncertainty for our partners and colleagues and we are committing to supporting them.” The ar...

Lidl's new pledge follows previous moves to promote healthy eating, including the removal of cartoon characters from its own brand cereal ranges in 2020. //  Lidl pledges to increase sales of healthy and healthier products to at least 85% of total sales by 2025 //  Discounter invests in Get Fresh initiative to add 100 new fresh food products to stores //  Lidl sets additional target to increase the sale of fresh fruit and veg by 35% by 2026 Lidl has announced a new health pledge that will see it increase sales of healthy and healthier products to at least 85 per cent of total sales over the next four years. The British arm of the German discount grocer said its new Healthy Eating Pledge would be based on tonnage volume, and that the target will be achieved by 2025. Lidl said its specialist nutrition teams have developed a bespoke nutrient profiling system (NPS) based on Public Health England’s nutrient criteria for front-of-pack traffic light labelling, focusing on fat, s...

  Seeded bread pioneer Burgen has launched two new loaves in its Sprouted Grains range – Soya & Linseed and Oat & Quinoa – sold in sustainably sourced recyclable packaging, an ‘environment-first’ move away from the standard plastic bread bag. The launch of the new loaves is a response to increasing consumer demand for plant-based options that are positive choices for the environment and offer added health benefits, but do not compromise on taste. Burgen’s Sprouted Grains range uses one quarter sprouted wholegrain flour. When a grain sprouts, changes take place that impact how the grain behaves when milled and used as a flour. These changes also make the grains attractive to the healthy-eating crowd, offering a source of fibre, protein and vitamins B12 and D. “Our delicious new Burgen Sprouted Grain loaves are designed to deliver in response to the demand for healthier bread that’s good for you and better for the planet,” ​ said Peda Alabi, Burgen brand owner. “These new loa...

  Bertinet Bakery is launching a category-first softer ‘sandwich-friendly’ sliced clean sourdough nationally across Sainsbury’s, as part of the retailer’s Future Brands Programme. Following a successful launch into Waitrose a couple of years ago and Ocado earlier this year, the brand is rolling its new next generation White, Malted Wheat and Seeded Sliced loaves in 500g formats across Sainsbury’s stores in the UK. “The success we have seen in Waitrose and Ocado and now launching into JS makes us all very proud and is aligned with our vison of making clean healthy sourdough breads more widely accessible and consumed by more people, not only foodies and early adopters,” ​ said Dear Arbel, MD of Bertinet Bakery. The new Bertinet Bakery sliced sourdough loaves are crafted using revolutionary new baking methods, with just flour, water and sea salt to ensure premium taste and a clean label. The brand has optimised the sourdough fermentation process to naturally enhance the prebiotics ben...

Namnews, 12th July 2021 New research reveals that, even during lockdown, British couples enjoyed three food-based dates per month. After sixteen months of intermittent lockdown, the study by bakery brand St Pierre suggests that food is still at the heart of the nation, with interesting insights for retail and foodservice sectors. Two thirds of British consumers believe that a first date should always include food, but the rise of street food experiences in the UK means that 27% are heading to food markets and a quarter (25%) choose to romance their partners at a food festival. The research, which was carried out during UK lockdown, signals a positive return to business for many of the nation’s restaurants but has also been developed to help retailers with merchandising solutions. Paul Baker, founder of St Pierre comment: “We are all aware of how popular meal kits and food delivery services have become over the past few months. In fact, 86% of us enjoyed food together ‘virtually’ in som...

Namnews, 12th July 2021 Amazon has hired long-serving Tesco executive Tony Hoggett to run its physical stores as it expands further into the grocery sector. Tony Hoggett Hoggett started his career at Tesco as a 16-year-old trolley boy. Over three decades he rose to become CEO Asia and then Group Chief Operating Officer, before starting his latest role in April this year as Group Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer. He will join Amazon in January 2022 as Senior VP of Physical Stores, reporting to Dave Clark, Chief Executive of its worldwide consumer business. “It was a big decision to move on from Tesco but after meeting members of the Amazon leadership team and hearing the ambitions for the business and physical stores, I know it’s a journey and an opportunity that I want to be part of,” said Hoggett, who will work from the online retailer’s headquarters in Seattle. The move comes amid recent speculation that Amazon may enter the race to acquire Morrisons, with who it has a product...

Co-op has opened a new-look convenience store in the heart of West London following a £2.1m investment which will support up to 50 jobs in the local community. The group’s third on-the-go store in London, showcases Co-op’s first coffee counter featuring its own Ever Ground Coffee, with the addition of two Ever Ground coffee machines in the main store. The new 2,168 sq. ft store on Baker Street runs on 100% renewable electricity, opening between 7am-11pm seven days a week. The Ever Ground brand offers 100% Fairtrade products, including Fairtrade coffee, Fairtrade hot chocolate, Fairtrade sugar, and Fairtrade Co-op 99 tea. The counter will also serve a range of hot food and instore bakery items. Jenna Thomas, Co-op coffee buyer said: “We’re really looking forward to bringing the new concept store and coffee counter to Baker Street. With its fantastic location within the station, we will offer ease, speed, quality and convenience for commuting consumers in the city. Fairtrade is centr...

St Pierre research has found that 46% of Brits have opted for a breakfast or brunch date. Pic: St Pierre These are some of the insights into research conducted by European bakery expert St Pierre to find out how 16 months of intermittent lockdown has impacted the sector. St Pierre is part of the international market leader’s portfolio that also include the Baker Street and Paul Hollywood brands. The company provides bakery products to the global retail and wholesale markets as well as the hospitality industry and online to the UK, USA and Europe, sold in more than 35,000 stores worldwide.  Key insight for retail and foodservice The research – carried out during UK lockdown – signals a positive return to business for many of the nation’s restaurants but has also been developed to help retailers with merchandising solutions. “We are all aware of how popular meal kits and food delivery services have become over the past few months. In fact, 86% of us enjoyed food together ‘virtually’ ...

Namnews, 9th July 2021 Global warehouse club giant Costco has posted another set of robust sales figures despite lapping big increases at the start of the pandemic a year ago. With shopper numbers increasing as restrictions eased in key markets, the retailer’s total sales jumped 16.9% to $18.92bn over the five weeks ended 4 July. However, comparable sales growth (excl. the impact of fuel and currency fluctuations) slowed to 7.9% compared to the 14.7% rise the month before. Costco did highlight that June month had one fewer shopping day versus last year, due to the calendar shift of Memorial Day. This negatively impacted sales by approximately one and one-half to two percent. Comparable sales increased by 7.8% in its US business and were up 8.9% in Canada. Sales in its international division climbed 6.8%, whilst growth in the group’s e-commerce unit slowed again to 18% having almost doubling during the peak of the pandemic. Costco currently operates 810 warehouses, including 559 in the ...

Namnews, 9th July 2021 A.F. Blakemore’s retail division has relaunched its store in Bala, Wales under the SPAR Market fascia following a complete refurbishment. Launched in 2017, the SPAR Market format (see below) is designed for larger convenience stores, with a focus on fresh foods catering for customers on ‘making a meal’ or ‘grab and eat’ missions. The improved selection of products across fresh, frozen and grocery categories includes food from a range of local suppliers. The food-on-the-go offer includes a new Daily Deli hot service counter offering ready-to-eat food from breakfast through to the evening. The store also features a self-serve Philpotts coffee machine, Tango Ice Blast frozen slush machine, and F’real shakes and smoothies bar. And for people looking for more sustainable shopping solutions, the store features a SPAR Natural refill station for dried goods. Blakemore Retail Managing Director Matt Teague commented: “SPAR Market is an exciting new format for Blakemore Ret...

© Squeaky Bean British plant-based food brand  Squeaky Bean  has asked 2000 employed Brits about their lunchtime habits in a new survey. The results show that a quarter of people want to eat more plant-based foods at lunchtime. A very similar proportion, 24%, have cut down their meat consumption since the beginning of the pandemic, and in London this figure rises to 42%. 11% of people said that all their lunches are already meat-free. However, many people were less open to trying vegan lunches, with 23% saying they would rather skip lunch altogether than eat a meal without animal products. Most of these cited taste as the main reason, with others concerned about cost and nutrition. The survey also found that an increasing number of people (9%) no longer take a lunch break, or spend it at their desk (24%). The average length of lunch breaks is now just 30 minutes and 15 seconds, and as a result, most people prefer quick-to-prepare meals such as sandwiches and salads. ©Squeaky B...