News and Trends

Household spending on take-home groceries hit a record high this Christmas at £460 on average, according to our latest data.  Overall take-home sales at the grocers rose by 2.1% over the four weeks to 29 December compared with last year. It was a solid Christmas at the supermarkets with sales surpassing £13 billion during the four weeks of December for the first time ever showing people were clearly in the mood to celebrate and spend.  However, despite the festive cheer, grocery price inflation has ticked up to 3.7%, its highest level since March 2024. In contrast to reports of disappointing footfall across the rest of the high street, it was a very different story in the world of grocery.  The average household made nearly 17 separate shopping trips this December, delivering the busiest month for the retailers since the pre-lockdown rush in March 2020.  As anticipated, Monday 23 December was the most popular shopping day of the year, with sales a whopping 30% higher...

In the fast-evolving world of food, both large-scale manufacturers and artisanal producers face the constant challenge of keeping up with shifting consumer preferences. That's why, at Taste Tomorrow, we conduct thorough, always-on analyses to provide ongoing support and inspiration to the food industry through invaluable consumer insights. In this article, we're excited to showcase three flavor profiles that epitomize the current hypes and are poised to ignite innovation. 1. Premiumization by elevated flavors Classic flavors are being reimagined with high-end alternatives  Consumers are on a constant quest for extraordinary taste experiences, so we spot a shift where well-known flavors such as the classic ‘coffee’ and humble ‘orange’ make way for more distinct options such as ‘Espresso Arabica’ or ‘calamansi’, a citrus fruit from the Philippines. These  sophisticated flavor options unite the contradictory longing for both unique tastes and trusted options  people know and...

  Shoppers adjusting to rising grocery inflation UK Grocery price inflation has hit a record high of 17.1% which is having a significant effect on the way Brits shop.  Kantar₁ report that UK households face an additional £811 on their annual shopping bills if they don’t make changes to their shopping behaviour, which has prompted some major shifts in the market. Many consumers are making the switch to Own Label to save money – sales of Own Label are +13.2% in February compared to Branded growth of +4.2%.  Many are switching stores to the Discounters – Aldi and Lidl are once again the fastest growing retailers with +26.7% and 25.4% respectively.  More concerning is that many are simply buying less – grocery volumes are in decline as shoppers seek to offset rising costs. Challenges for the UK Bread sector Inevitably the UK Bread market faces significant challenges in the face of these inflationary pressures. Whilst Mintel₂ report that bread buying is almost universal i...

Last week M&S launched Magic Coffee™. Bringing the famous Australian coffee to the UK for the first time, M&S is hoping to launch the next biggest trend to hit the UK coffee market since the Flat White. What is Magic Coffee™? Magic Coffee™ originated in Melbourne, Australia, and gets its name from possessing an apparent ‘magic’ coffee-to-milk ratio. Magic Coffee™ uses ristretto rather than espresso, meaning the taste is bold, but not bitter. Source: M&S About the M&S launch Following days of teaser posts across social media, the Magic Coffee™ was launched into 330 M&S Cafes across the country for customers to drink in or takeaway. It is also available in 18 of M&S’ newest coffee vending machines in Foodhalls. To guarantee a successful launch, over 1,000 M&S baristas have been training secretly for months to make the coffee, ensuring that customers’ first tastes of the coffee are exactly as should be. M&S trademarked the term ‘Magic Coffee’ last year, so ...

 

“Moving forward, we anticipate the convenience trend to impact the brownie category. While gluten-free and low-carb claims are still high on consumers’ minds, they are not causing consumers to skip the brownies. Instead it is inconvenient for busy consumers to buy a large pan of brownies that might not be easy to take and consume on the go. Consumers think it is quicker to grab a donut, muffin or even a pre-sliced cake. There’s a big opportunity for bakers to provide convenient, bite-sized brownies to capture more sales from on-the-go consumers.” - JoAnn Rupp, global market insights manager, Corbion. “We expect the brownie category to continue to move in two paths. On the one hand, brownies are becoming more premium and indulgent as decadent toppings and inclusions are added, elevating the product and making it truly irresistible. On the other, there is a clear shift toward better-for-you indulgences. From creating smaller portions with minis or thins or ...

Health Trends in the UK’s Bakery Market Today, the UK bakery market is one of the ten largest globally. As reported by the Euromonitor, the average annual increase in the volume of bakery sales in the UK for the period 2016-2018 amounted to 2.7%, retail sales value in 2018 almost reached £ 7 billion. Using information from the upcoming Vimes Consulting’s ‘UK Bakery Market Report 2019’ and other sources, we would like to share some thoughts with regards to the UK’s bakery market trends. What is healthy? While the overall focus on ‘healthy eating’ in the UK has undoubtedly grown the understanding of what ‘healthy’ is, not easy to pinpoint. TV, Media, internet, food companies, government advertising campaigns all have contributed to the public’s shifting perception of what ‘good food’ is. According to Vimes Consulting 2019 ‘UK Market Healthy Snacks Report’, Instagram and YouTube are now some of the most influential channels especially amongs...