By Kevin White2020-12-18T00:01:00+00:00
Source: Unsplash
Brits might be divided over Brexit and coronavirus rules, but they are united in their love of cheese. Driven by an increase in scratch cooking and a resurgence in homemade sarnies, consumers spent a quarter of a billion pounds more on cheddar and the like this year. That saw the category’s value sales climb by 10.4% to a record-breaking £2.7bn.
Cheese was near-ubiquitous in shoppers’ baskets – and in their kitchens. A poll in July of 1,053 people by the Speciality Cheesemakers Association found that 25% used cheese when cooking once a week, with 28% using it twice a week, 15% three times a week, and 11% four to six times a week.
Shoppers have sought to recreate their favourite pub and restaurant grub at home this year, and frozen has benefited
Freezers will deliver the Covid-19 vaccine. And they’ve been crucial during the pandemic too, as housebound Brits stocked up and sought to recreate out-of-home eating at home. Volume sales of frozen chips and other potato products are up 9.3%. Fish has added 7.5%. Pizza’s unit sales are 8.2% bigger than last year. And pastries topped the lot, up 12.3% (albeit from a smaller base).
Indeed, a Nielsen survey found 11.8% of households had stockpiled frozen savoury goods, making it the third most panic-bought sector. And frozen chips were the biggest winner, with McCain’s offsetting a proportion of the lost sales from its foodservice business with big gains for its Gastro Chips and Skin On Fries in particular.
The shutdown of coffee shops hasn’t been a bad thing for flavoured milk
The milk market is being shaken up. In the past year, sales have surged by £113.3m on volumes up 1.6%. But own label, which accounts for nearly two thirds of market value, hasn’t cashed in at all. Sales have slipped 0.6% in value and 0.3% in volume. Brands, meanwhile, have passed the £1bn mark for the first time, with growth of £123.7m.
There are a number of factors at play here. These numbers do not include Aldi and Lidl, which rely far more heavily on own label. Even so, this does not explain supermarket own label’s three-point decline in market value share to 64.3% in a year. So what is going on?
By Daniel Woolfson2020-12-18T00:01:00+00:00
Brits bought an extra 382.6 million litres of lager, ale and cider this year
It’s been a stellar year for Stella Artois. An extra 287.9 million litres of the UK’s favourite lager passed through tills as Covid-19 hit Britain, adding just under £105m to its value. That’s the largest gain of any non-tobacco brand – ahead of huge names such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Stella’s not alone in its soaring success. Other big-name lagers are some of the highest-grossing brands in this entire Top Products report.
Take the £92m gains made by San Miguel, distributed by Carlsberg in the UK. Combine this with the fact Carlsberg’s core pilsner has achieved growth of £17.8m, and the once-beleaguered supplier is in a healthier position than it’s been in some years.
By Maddie Maynard2020-12-18T00:01:00+00:00
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Soap makers must be rubbing their hands together with glee. For Covid-19 and the resulting passion for hand washing has helped add £77.8m across bar and liquid formats. That’s an extra 42.1 million bottles of liquid soap, and an additional 9.6 million bars. It’s a sharp contrast to the falling sales of last year.
In terms of brands, the biggest winners were those with eco credentials, says Nielsen analyst Iulia Preda. “Brands capitalising not only on their health and hygiene properties but also sustainability have seen the most success this year.” She cites leading name Carex, whose antibacterial claims and range of refills helped it gain £35.4m.