Ugo Foods launches festive Dell'Ugo Pasta

 

Ugo Foods has launched a Special Edition fresh pasta for the holiday season, making it the first fresh festive pasta on the market. The new Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Ravioli (250g/RRP £3.99) will also see Ugo Foods contribute 10p from the sale of each pack towards Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people.
The new pasta, presented in an eye-catching bright green pack that serves two, is the second in Dell’Ugo’s range of seasonal fresh pastas. It will be available from 4 December to 4 January at Waitrose stores.

Ugo Foods noted: “We’re proud to be supporting Crisis at Christmas with this seasonal celebration pasta which offers a unique combination of flavours. During the festive season when so many of us are celebrating with family, we wanted to do something in recognition of those who are single and homeless at Christmas”.

NamNews - Wednesday 13th November 2013

Sainsbury's growth driven by own label, C-stores and online

Sainsbury’s has posted a 7% rise in first half profit, outperforming rivals as its strategy focused on own label products while investing in fast growing online and convenience channels chimed with consumers. .

The group, which is battling Asda for the No.2 slot in the grocery market, said today that it made a profit before tax and one-off items of £400m in the six months to 28 September - at the top end of analysts’ forecasts. Total turnover during the period rose 4.3% to £12.68bn, whilst like-for-like sales (inc. VAT, ex. fuel) were up 1.4%.

Sainsbury’s has enjoyed 35 consecutive quarters of underlying sales growth, and is continuing to outshine Tesco, whilst successfully holding off the discounters Aldi and Lidl. The group said today that its own label sales are growing at twice the rate of branded goods and its Taste the Difference range has seen double-digit growth. General merchandise sales are also growing at around twice the rate of food sales. Meanwhile, online groceries sales are growing at over 15% with over £1bn in annualised sales and orders regularly exceeding 180,000 a week.

Sainsbury’s added 393,000 sq. ft. of new space during the period through six supermarkets, 50 convenience stores and two extensions. Its convenience business is growing at over 20%, opening around two new stores each week.

Despite the robust figures, the group warned that it expects its growth to rate to come under pressure in the second half as it faces tougher comparables with a year earlier. Chief Executive Justin King also warned that customer budgets remain tight and that the economic recovery may take time to translate into stronger household confidence.

Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said: "Without question, this is a strong performance from a resurgent Sainsbury’s, even though clouds remain on the investment horizon." He warned that intense competition, commodity prices and the company's sole UK focus limited its scope for further expansion.

The group is on track to meet its full-year target for one million square feet of new space but also said a review of its property pipeline has identified some sites where it no longer wants to build a supermarket. This resulted in a one-off write-down of £92m in today's results.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury's revealed that it is creating up to 16,000 temporary jobs over the busy Christmas and New Year period. Around 2,000 posts are expected to be made permanent, the group said.

NamNews - Wednesday 13th November 2013

Morrisons shaking up supplier relationships with new category champions

 

The struggling Morrisons chain is reportedly aiming change the way it deals with suppliers by employing an ‘M Partner’ for each product category. According to The Grocer, the M Partners will in effect become category champions, with whom Morrisons will draw up longer-term supply agreements of around three years.

The report said that Morrisons is currently working with branded suppliers to draw up business plans aimed at driving category growth through joint category and sales activities.

The Grocer said that the move is being led by recently appointed Group Trading Director Casper Meijer. He is quoted as saying: “M Partners is a preferred, strategic relationship within each category with a core supplier that is geared to longer-term planning and developing that category. Alongside this, we also still continue to have great relationships with all our suppliers.”

One supplier, who has been chosen as an M Partner, suggested Morrisons was looking to reduce the number of suppliers it deals with. “Having one supplier as a point-person for providing category insight is a good idea,” he said.

NamNews - Monday 11th November 2013

Innovation boosting growth within the UK crisp and snack category

 

  The UK crisp and snack market grew by over 6% to £2.2billon last year. This growth is being helped by increased innovation within the category, as some increase in the number of consumers who shop the category are being recorded combined with consumers buying more frequently.

Around 98% of the UK population bought into the crisp and snack market last year. With just a slight increase in the penetration rate to 98.2%, this added around £24million to the category up to the middle of August this year compared to the corresponding period last year. Another £91million was added to value of the category through increased frequency of purchase.
Within the UK snack market, the savoury snack sector, which includes extruded snacks, tortillas and reconstituted potato snacks, are showing the strongest growth rates.

Some of the key messages from the category are health, especially within NPD. Clear displays of ‘less fat’ on packaging helps certain brands tap into the ‘healthy woman’ market. For manufacturers entering this large and growing market, innovation in terms of flavour and packaging can help create a strong impression with consumers.

Source: Miriam Tuomey, Food and Beverages Division, Bord Bia-Irish Food Board, 08/11/2013

 

Changes in UK bread consumption

 

In a new report, Mintel research shows that Britons are buying fewer sliced supermarket loaves than ever, switching to speciality loaves, bagels, wraps and pittas. 
 
The UK bakery market is now valued at £3.9bn. Between 2008-2013, the value of this category grew by 30%. However, sales in volume terms increased by just 4% over the same period which reflects the maturity of the market and the intense competition from other products in the key breakfast and lunch occasions. 

According to Mintel, pre-packed breads account for the bulk (53%) of value sales but grew at only 2% between 2012-2013. The availability of more portable and convenient products such as porridge pots and offerings from in-store bakeries has also eroded growth potential.

In terms of lunchtime behaviour, Bord Bia’s recently published Periscope study shows that the GB consumer has a lower tendency to bring their own lunch to work. This would suggest a greater interest in seeking out, on-the-go options.

The Mintel report also shows that variety and health are key concerns for bread and baked goods consumers. The challenge for manufacturers will be to drive growth by maintaining interest in the category and encouraging more usage occasions.

Artisan breads are also becoming increasingly popular, with London based Euphorium Bakery featuring in a standalone retailing feature in Tesco’s newly revamped Extra stores in Watford, Tooley and West Cromwell Road. A “store within a store”, Euphorium sells a large range of breads, savouries and sweet baked goods in a café and in-store bakery operation where product can be purchased from either Euphorium’s outlet or from Tesco’s checkout tills.

Source: Orla Donohue, Food and Beverage Division, Bord Bia-Irish Food Board, 08/11/2013

Brits going loco for local produce

 

Brits are going loco for local, according to research by consumer value app, Shopitize, with 96% of shoppers saying it’s important to support local providers. The study into the nation’s attitude towards local produce found that around half (54%) of shoppers are happy to pay more for local produce in order to keep the national economy buoyant.

Six in ten (60%) believe buying local produce creates more jobs, whilst one in five (20%) support local farmers in order to reduce a product’s carbon footprint. However, nearly a fifth (18%) claim to buy a local produce as they deem it healthier form their family, rather than wanting to support the local farming community.

When questioned on the relationship between supermarkets and local suppliers, nearly two thirds (63%) of British shoppers believed supermarkets support local producers. Morrisons was crowned the most supportive supermarket, (20%) followed by Waitrose and Asda. Tesco and Sainsbury’s propped up the table, voted least likely to support the local providers in the poll. The Shopitize Local Produce Supermarket League Table:

Morrisons (20%)
ASDA (18%)
Waitrose (18%)
The Co-Operative (16%)
Sainsbury’s (14%)
Tesco (14%)

Danielle Morgan, Marketing Director at Shopitize, commented: “We observe shopping behaviour closely through the Shopitize app and noticed an increase in people buying local so wanted to understand the motivation behind this pattern. The results of our study are very encouraging for local providers. It’s great that consumers don’t mind paying that little bit extra to support local producers and ensure the British economy stays healthy.”

Richard Cattell, Head of Marketing at Red Tractor, added@ “We find the results from Shopitize encouraging. Here at Red Tractor our logo helps shoppers identify food that has been raised to responsible production standards and is traceable back to independently inspected UK farms. The Union Jack on the logo assures shoppers that the food they are buying comes from the 78,000 UK Red Tractor Farms and looking our for the Red Tractor logo is the easiest way to buy food which comes from a trusted source.”

NamNews - Thursday 7th November 2013

UK households waste £60 of food a month

Report finds Britons are chucking out 4.2m tonnes of food and drink every year that could have been consumed

 

 

 

The average UK family is wasting nearly £60 a month by throwing away almost an entire meal a day, according to a new report that reveals the scale of the ongoing challenge to reduce household food waste.

Britons are chucking out the equivalent of 24 meals a month, adding up to 4.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year that could have been consumed. Almost half of this is going straight from fridges or cupboards into the bin. One-fifth of what households buy ends up as waste, and around 60% of that could have been eaten.

There has been no progress in reducing meat and fish wastage, with Britons still throwing away the equivalent of 96 million chickens every year. The top three foods being thrown away uneaten in British homes are bread, potatoes and milk. The equivalent of 24m slices of bread, 5.8m potatoes and 5.9m glasses of milk are being wasted daily, while even cakes and pastries make it into the top 10 most wasted items.

The study by the government's waste advisory body, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap), shows that since 2007, avoidable household food waste has been cut by 21% to 4.2m tonnes, saving consumers almost £13bn a year.

Wrap said that such waste should be cut a further 1.7m tonnes a year by 2025, saving up to £45bn. Its chief executive, Dr Liz Goodwin, called on retailers, manufacturers, governments and consumers to agree to a "major combined effort".


"Consumers are seriously worried about the cost of food and how it has increased over recent years. Yet as Wrap's research shows, we are still wasting millions of tonnes and billions of pounds," she said.


The main reasons for the waste are shoppers buying more than they need, lack of clarity around storage and labelling and over-estimating portions, Wrap said. The carbon associated with avoidable household food waste is equivalent to taking one in four cars off UK roads.

Last month the UK's largest retailer, Tesco, agreed to reduce its multi-buy items and other promotions after revealing that 35% of its bagged salad is being thrown out. It also found that 40% of apples were wasted, and just under half of bakery items.

Andrew Opie, British Retail Consortium director of food and sustainability, said: "There's plenty to be pleased about in these figures. Avoidable household food waste has been reduced by 21% since 2007 and the progress is all the more impressive if one accounts for the growth of 1 million new households within that time. Cutting food waste in the home needs to be one of the UK's biggest environmental priorities."

He said retailers know they are judged by the value they offer consumers "which means not only selling food at the right price but also making sure we can make the most of it. A range of approaches, including giving clear storage advice and recipe ideas, offering a wider range of portion sizes, and developing innovative packaging that extends the shelf life of products, has helped to drive significant reductions in the amount of food and drink we throw away."

From: The Guardian, 7th November 2013, Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent

Budgens unveils Premium own label

 

Budgens has launched a new premium own label range, called ‘Discover the Taste’, which currently offers 30 classic British and European dishes. The products include mains for one, mains for two, side dishes and desserts. Launched with a competitive meal deal mechanic, Budgens retailers are able to offer a main, side and dessert for two people for only £8.00.

The main courses for two include Confit of Duck in Orange Sauce and Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon with Smokey Bacon, Button Mushrooms and Baby Onions; whilst the selection of eight luxury side dishes features Pommes Parisienne and Braised Red Cabbage. Meals for one include Asian-inspired dishes, such as Thai Green Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice, and Italian additions including Mushroom Risotto and Vegetable Papardelle. Desserts range from the traditional, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Apple Crumble, to modern twists on classics such as Lemon Tiramisu and Billionaire's Pudding.

Chicken dishes are only cooked once, by the consumer, while other meat dishes are cooked using high-end sous-vide technology to lock in flavour and ensure the tenderness. All desserts are produced in small batches and are hand finished.

Budgens said ‘Discover the Taste’ will include seasonal refreshes to coincide with key meal occasions such as Valentine's Day. It added: “We already have a high quality mid-tier offering with our SuperValu range which is achieving over 30% sales value for Budgens Retail Partners. The launch of Discover the Taste will ensure our Retail Partners can provide a quality offer in line with the expectations of today’s shopper to help drive their sales and profits further.”

NamNews - Tuesday 5th November 2013

NPD and Innovation packaging alert

David Deeley, Consumer Insights and Innovation, Bord Bia-Irish Food Board
This update on the latest packaging innovations for 2013 identifies the latest brands that are using innovative pack formats. On trend at the moment shows major companies reacting to consumer demand for aesthetically pleasing packaging which is practical and convenient to use. In addition to this companies at the moment are offering consumers the chance to personalise the products they buy.



Nutella, Next to Personalise their Labeling
Following in the footsteps of brands like Coca-Cola, Innocent and Heineken, Nutella are now giving advocates of their brand the chance to have their name on the Nutella jar. They are to offer consumers a label which they can put their name on and can then be attached to either 400 or 750 gram jars. The new initiative—called “Nutella sei tu” or “You are Nutella” has already been successfully tested in Spain, France and Belgium. In Spain alone, thousands of labels were made available and were expected to last for over two weeks, instead they sold out in less than two hours.


Suedpack Design New Wood Look Packaging for Houdek Meat Loaf
The meat specialists, Houdek, in association with Suedpack Verpackungen GmbH & Co. KG, have developed new packaging which is aesthetically pleasing, gives a look of quality and lives up to the associations which consumers have with Houdeks Bavarian roots.
The natural wood appearance is the perfect background for the product and almost gives it a homemade look. In addition to this, the large transparent front allows consumers to have a full view of the product.
We can also see companies closer to home doing this, for example Super Valu’s new Signature Tastes campaign, the advertisements show their products on a wooden back drop and therefore consumers associate this with quality.



Android 4.4 Kit Kat
Google has announced the name of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system, calling it The Android Kit Kat after one of the world’s most beloved chocolate bars.
Google have teamed up with The Hershey Company, in the United States, for the next release of the Android platform, “Android Kit Kat.” This news complements the recent launch of The Hershey Company's new and innovative Kit Kat Minis product, a bite size version of their regular Kit Kat bar. The product is the result of many months of research and development by Hershey engineers to miniaturize one of the world's most popular candy bars without compromising the extraordinarily popular taste, texture and shape of the bar.

Warsteiner reinvents packaging with 6 street ArtistsThe flagship, Warsteiner Premium Verum brand, one of Germany’s most popular beers, is also now one of the few beers in Germany to be closely linked to the art world. The pop art icon, Andy Warhol designed the brewery’s signature tulip in a bespoke silk-screen trilogy back in 1984. Now, nearly three decades later, Warsteiner is celebrating its 260-year anniversary by inviting a series of world famous street & fine artists to reinterpret their packaging. The artists, namely, Stefan Strumbel, 123Klan, Aaron De La Cruz, Brooke Reidt, INSA and Nychos, have all created their own personalized design using the beer bottle as their canvas.


Campbell Soup and Green Mountain announce partnership to launch soup in a convenient K-Cup
Campbell Soup Co. and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. announced a partnership that will bring together Campbell’s and Keurig in a launch of Campbell’s Fresh-Brewed Soup in K-Cup packs. The idea is to offer consumers Campbell’s soups in a convenient snack size portion, which can be prepared at the touch of a button in Keurig brewers. The innovation comes as snacking has become a growing behavior among US consumers, with more than half snacking multiple times a day. Furthermore, consumers also want snacks that serve as mini-meals to satisfy hunger, and there is an increasing need for ultra-convenient options. Campbell’s Fresh-Brewed Soup was designed to meet that consumer need.


Source: Bord Bia, 01/11/2013

FMCG brands should do more to tap into ethical consumers

 

Tesco’s announcement that it is to provide the equivalent of seven million meals a year to more than 1,000 charities across the UK could tap into consumers’ growing support for ethical brands and retailers. Customer insight agency Engage Research says that with growing evidence that consumers will spend more with brands and retailers they regard as socially responsible, it is any area that both FMCG suppliers and the multiples should use as a way of getting closer to their consumers and understanding what motivates them.

Engage Research director Deborah Sleep cites a recent Nielsen Global Corporate Citizenship Survey which found that 46% of global consumers were willing to pay extra for products and services from companies that had programmes in place to give back to society. In terms of demographics, just over half of consumers between 15 and 39 years old said they were willing to pay extra for such items, compared with 37% of those over 40.
“We are not suggesting that Tesco is doing this for anything other than altruistic reasons but having a fundamental understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviour is what underpins most successful strategies for both brands and retailers,” explained Sleep.

For brands and retailers to connect most naturally with ethical consumers, they themselves must be authentically ethical. “Ethics needs to be an inherent part of brand behaviour,” added Sleep. “It can’t be skin deep. A brand can't major on being green yet have unethical production methods going on in the background. Brands need to live and breathe these ethics to be plausible. For example Tesco’s recent decision to end multi-buy promotions for large bags of salad and develop mix-and-match offers for small bags with the aim of cutting food waste shows a holistic approach to ethical behaviour.”

A lot of time and money is spent on consumer marketing and activation programmes yet attitudinal research remains an area that is generally under-exploited, continued Sleep.

“Brands should recognise the value of investing time beyond factors usually associated with research: becoming fully immersed in consumer attitudes to a whole range of social issues that may affect their brand and their products so that it can be used to develop a clear analytic path going forward.”

Sleep added that, when seeking consumer insights, brands need to also be aware that what people say isn’t always what they actually do, especially in this kind of area. Brands are advised, therefore, to consider the use of qualitative research to observe consumer behaviour both in the home and in-store to gain a first-hand understanding of what products are actually purchased and why.

NamNews - Friday 1st November 2013