News and Trends

  Namnews, 17th December 2020, Vegan products are set to dominate UK shopper baskets in 2021, but supermarkets are expected to prioritise new and disruptive brands in this category. Meanwhile, listings for low alcohol products at supermarkets increased by 30% in the last 12 months, sparking an upwards trend in healthy alternatives in the new year. This according to data from analysts at Edge by Ascential’s e-commerce analytics SaaS platform, Digital Shelf. They revealed that in 2020, chilled and frozen vegetarian and vegan ranges experienced modest growth of 3% as supermarkets sought to keep their ranges lean amid the pandemic. However, growth in the category was primarily led by smaller manufacturers and new disruptors, with 15% more brands available to shoppers in the category than in November last year. Meat-free brand Naked Glory, launched in 2019, has seen the most growth, increasing ranges across several major UK supermarkets by 200%, followed by Squeaky Bean (+166.7%) and Th...

  bakeryinfo.co.uk Source: Roberts Bakery Roberts Bakery has launched a monthly subscription service with a host of ‘healthy’ snacks. Subscribers can choose from three different sizes of snack box: Starter Snacker with eight snacks, Classic Snacker with 16, and Pro Snacker with 24. Roberts is also offering new products to try for between £12 and £29 a month. The Cheshire-based bakery, which is offering new additions from its snacking range, has partnered with national delivery service DPD to provide free next-day delivery, direct to consumers’ doors. The line-up features: Raspberry & Chia Pangel, comprising a fusion of soft pancake and bagel. Chocolate Orange Brookie, made up of Brazilian orange oil, soft brioche bun and a swirl of cookie. Cranberry & Coconut Porridge Loaves, with each mini loaf featuring fresh fruit pieces. Each snack contains 250 calories or less and is individually wrapped. “A box full of home-delivered goodies can make your day, or even a we...

  www.cga.co.uk   The UK’s hospitality sector has suffered lost sales of more than £53bn in 2020 , with more losses to come from a collapse of Christmas trading—but a COVID-19 vaccine rollout provides grounds for cautious optimism in 2021. Those are among the messages from ‘Survival to Revival’, the eighth edition of the Future Shock series of reports from CGA and UKHospitality. It provides the definitive picture of hospitality’s rollercoaster 2020, and sets out the challenges and opportunities facing the industry in 2021. Research for the report, drawing on CGA’s market-leading suite of business and consumer sources, shows the seismic impacts of the pandemic and lockdown on UK hospitality, including: A £53.3bn year-on-year drop in sales between the start of April and the end of September Falling consumer confidence , with 78% of British adults concerned about the long-term financial implications of the pandemic Hesitant business confidence, with 27% of leaders of mul...

  qsrmedia.co.uk We look back at the highs and lows of the UK multi-site restaurant industry these past twelve months. This year, Britain’s quick service and fast casual restaurant industry has been largely defined by how it is looking to survive and, in some cases, thrive amidst the series of challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. All that and more on QSR Media UK ’s Year In Review. Navigating sets of restrictions COVID-19, considered by many in the industry as the “great accelerator”, became a much more grim reality for the UK's foodservice industry when the government ordered all pubs, cafes and restaurants to close last March, with players that had delivery and takeaway capabilities being the ones allowed to operate. This came on top of the lingering uncertainty about Brexit that is due to be completed by year-end. Months later, lockdown rules were eased and the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme by the government was established to boost businesses and consumer ...

  bakeryinfo.co.uk Source: Délifrance Bakery supplier D é lifrance has launched the Brownie Swirl to tap into the hybrid trend. The sweet treat combines French puff pastry with “one of North America’s most popular dessert classics”, it said.  Part of its A Taste Of range, the viennoiserie hybrid will join 12 mini cheeseburgers, NY Cheesecake, and Grilly Focaccia. The new product has been developed to provide a “fluffy melt in the mouth” texture and thin, crisp layering.  The launch follows Délifrance’s latest bakery report, Prove It: a viennoiserie focus , which reveals that 70% of consumers agree that taste/flavour is their top consideration when buying a pastry, with 28% willing to buy more if there was a wider choice of flavours available. “It’s clear that the love of hybrid products is not slowing down any time soon,” said Stephanie Brillouet, marketing director for Northern Europe and North America at Délifrance. “From the cronut to the cruffin, croissant hybri...

  www.foodnavigator.com Consumers flocking to the frozen aisles has been one of the more remarkable trends to have emerged from the pandemic. In the three months to September, for example, sales of frozen foods in the UK rose by 13.6%, or £221 million, according to Kantar. Will they stay there if a COVID vaccine returns the world to normal by spring? Clive Black, an equity analyst at Shore Capital, believes the renaissance of the frozen category will continue. He told FoodNavigator the crisis will produce a permanent shift in many consumer behaviours, regardless of whether there’s a successful vaccine.    First off are the question marks surrounding the vaccine in the first place. Earlier this week, Pfizer/BioNTech announced a vaccine that is 90% effective in stopping the coronavirus. Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chief executive, described the dramatic breakthrough in the race to find a vaccine as “a great day for science and humanity”. ​ Scientists in the UK, which has ordere...

 Namnews,  4th November 2020 Marks & Spencer has posted its first loss in 94 years as a publicly listed company after the coronavirus crisis decimated sales in its clothing and homeware division. The retailer made a pre-tax loss of £87.6m in the six months to 26 September, compared to a profit of £158.8m in the same period last year. Group revenue slid 15.8% to £4.09bn. As previously flagged by the business, the first full lockdown and subsequent social distancing measures took their toll on its Clothing & Home unit which posted a loss of £107.5m. This reflected a sales decline 40.8% over the half-year which comprised of a fall of 61.5% in the first quarter and 21.3% in the second. As well as the impact from store closures, the group also pointed to a drop in demand for formalwear and outerwear as people stayed at home and social gatherings were cancelled. One of the few bright spots was M&S’ food business which performed relatively well and saw profits climb 19% t...

  www.retaildetail.eu The largest Aldi in the world opens in the German Ruhr area. The XXL shop covers an area of around 2,000 square metres, twice as large as the average. Two stores in one Saturday in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, Aldi Süd's largest branch to date will open its doors. The supermarket - or rather hypermarket - has almost 2,000 square metres of sales space, which is about twice as large as an average discounter's store. The product range remains the familiar one, but above all there is significantly more space. The store is the result of the amalgamation of two properties: the former Aldi branch in the Mannesmannallee - which has existed since 1993 - and the adjoining property, which increased sales space by some 300 square metres. After the conversions, the discount supermarket now covers a total area of 1,940 square metres. Herb garden and baking ovens The expansion is made possible by a new, flexible concept for the layout of the supermarkets, which makes ...

A good visit to this store on Friday. A new look Nisa, opened one week ago opposite Stamford College. The dedicated food-to-go counter is a key addition and undoubtedly takes the Nisa proposition forward. Access to the Co-op range also helps drive range, quality and value credentials, not least in chilled ranges and BWS. The overall look and feel of the store impressed, supported by a black core colour scheme helping the products themselves to shine. Some strong wider range development, not least around local meats and pastries , local bakery and locally sourced cakes & sweet treats. Two self-checkouts installed to support core till point. It’s still early days with the food-to-go counter offer, and the key test will be this week as students return to the college after half-term, but with a good menu selection at affordable price points it should be well-placed to succeed.   Source: Gavin Rothwell Daily Update 2nd Nov 2020

www.scottishgrocer.co.uk Convenience is big business The full ACS Local Shop Report is available for download at www.acs.org.uk CONVENIENCE stores generated more than £44 billion in sales in the last year, according to ACS’s Local Shop Report for 2020. The report found that c-stores continue to be a major sector in the UK economy, with 46,955 stores employing 412,000 staff and a gross value added (GVA) tax contribution in excess of £10.1bn. Wales continues to have the most c-stores per head in the UK, with one shop per 1.058 people, closely followed by Scotland at one store per 1,082. The report also revealed that retailers haven’t been afraid to invest in their businesses, with convenience retailers estimated to have invested over £585 million in their stores. This report also offered some analysis of how lockdown has affected the convenience channel. It found that two thirds of retailers reported an increase in sales over the period. It also revealed that the convenience chan...