By Ellis Hawthorne2020-12-18T00:01:00+00:00
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Like high heels and sparkly outfits, make-up was tossed aside this year. The impact on the category wasn’t pretty. Locked-down Brits’ decision to go au naturel cost the cosmetics market £182.8m in the mults. Its three biggest names – Rimmel, Maybelline and L’Oréal – dropped a combined £74.3m alone.
That’s bad news for a market that was struggling in traditional retail before Covid-19, as star brands lost share to cheaper challengers.
The losses of the big names only intensified as the pandemic saw swathes of shoppers swap lipstick and contour powder for moisturiser and toner.
By Ronan Hegarty2020-12-18T00:01:00+00:00
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Pre-Covid, specialist vape shops were one of the fastest-growing areas of bricks and mortar retail. Then came the pandemic. Lockdown rules deemed the stores non-essential, and they were obliged to close for large swathes of 2020.
The restrictions on opening that arrived in March, and formed part of subsequent local and regional measures, clearly forced a major shift in the shopping habits of vapers.
As with many fmcg sectors, online operators were the biggest winners – but high street grocers capitalised on the shift, too. Relieved of the pressure of specialist outlets on their share, they’ve sold an extra £45.2m worth of vaping devices, an additional 16.2 million units.
By Daniel Selwood2020-12-18T00:01:00+00:00
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The 2021 World Beard & Moustache Championships have been postponed until 2023. That’s a shame, because next year could have seen a strong showing from the UK. It’s currently a nation of hirsute faces. The pandemic is why.
While men’s pre-virus attitude to being clean shaven was pretty lax, lockdown greatly strengthened that indifference – and hurt the shave market as a result, notes Ben Hanson, senior analyst at Nielsen.
“With Covid-19 shutting down offices and reducing time spent out of home, the male grooming category saw a significant and immediate impact,” he says.
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Can butters, spreads and margarine expect another golden year in 2021? Or are hopes for further growth likely to melt away?
As is stands, the category is in a position of strength. Its value has leapt by £128.1m (9.9%) this year, and it’s sold an extra 27.2 million kg thanks to the many millions of extra at-home eating occasions.
Those figures mark something of a turnaround for BSM, which stayed in value growth in 2019 only because of price hikes.
Arla, for one, seems optimistic that more growth is ahead. The dairy giant has seen its Lurpak brand add more value than the rest of the top five put together, with growth of £40.7m on volumes up 16.1%. Its stablemate Anchor performed solidly with £130m in sales as unit sales grew by 13%.