The in-home and carried out breakfast occasion was valued at a total of £15.4bn in August (Kantar).
Breakfast occasions – such as eating out – declined during the pandemic due to stay at home restrictions and social distancing rules, however, we are starting to see a rise in demand from consumers for emotive, social or convenient breakfasts rather than the traditional at-home breakfast.
This means that for many, the breakfast occasion has become later and is more taste driven.
“Over the course of the pandemic, we saw a decline in the need for ‘on the go’ breakfast options as consumers were staying at home more often. Since coming out of lockdown we have seen a rise in demand for post-pandemic breakfast options, which is something retailers should be aware of,” comments Paul Wiseman, Brand Manager, Lindahls.
Lindahls’ best-selling product is the Raspberry Kvarg, which currently has a sales value of £7.26m at RSV (+31.3% latest 52 weeks) (Circana).
In 2018, the brand launched the core Lindahls Kvarg range in the UK with the Raspberry and Vanilla flavours.
Since then, the range has expanded to now contain 7 flavours including Coconut, Peach and Passionfruit, and is valued at £28.1m at RSV and is continuing to grow double digit (+37.6% latest 52 weeks, Circana).
This year, Lindahls has launched two new products to meet the growing demand from consumers for more indulgent high-protein low sugar and low fat products. In July, the brand expanded its Pro+ range geared towards gym-goers with a new Blueberry Muffin flavour. This range offers consumers a unique 50:50 mix of whey and casein protein and contains more indulgent flavours like Lemon Cheesecake and Banoffee Pie. Lindahls also recently launched a High Protein Coconut Snack bar, which is perfect to grab on-the-go.
Lindahls is performing strongly with sales of £42.4m, growing at 56.4% year on year, with breakfast being one of the key occasions for the brand (Circana).
“With growing focus on health and nutrition, it is important for retailers to ensure the optimal mix of healthy and more indulgent products,” adds Wiseman. “We’ve seen growth in great tasting, indulgent but non-HFSS offerings such as Lindahls Protein Puddings that have a high protein, low fat and low sugar content. We also know consumers like a range of different flavours to choose from. Lindahls offers a range of flavours for all tastes including classics such as Raspberry and Vanilla as well as more indulgent recipes such as Stracciatella, Lemon Cheesecake and Banoffee Pie. Outside of high protein, it’s a similar story and there has been growing retailer interest in healthier alternatives such as No Added Sugar products within the kids category.”
Lindahls is supported with an integrated marketing support programme, focused on social and trade media.
Andrew Bradshaw, UK Sales Director at Dole Sunshine Company, comments: “As the current cost of living crisis continues to bite, it’s safe to assume that consumers are likely to continue to change their shopping behaviours and be more conscious of product value for money incorporating quality, waste, convenience and choice which is where ambient products can increasingly have a role to play. We know that consumers are having to make difficult decisions at the moment and that having less disposable income often means making compromises and being forced into making more unhealthy food choices.”
However, whilst fresh fruit can come at a premium price, shoppers understand that ambient goods not only offer good value and have longer shelf lives, but in the case of the Dole packaged fruit range, can also be one of your five-a-day and a healthy part of their overall diet. So, while some breakfast products may have risen significantly in price over the last twelve months, consumers can buy a four pack of Dole’s fruit in juice cups for just £2.19 which offers them a great tasting and healthy product at a price most can afford which is perfect for either breakfast at home, on the move or in the office.
“There’s no doubt that for many, the pandemic and accompanying lockdown restrictions gave people more time at breakfast but as things return to something more ‘normal’, other factors are impacting choices,” adds Bradshaw. “Retailers need to appreciate that consumers are now looking for breakfast items that are not only easy to prepare and healthy, but also convenient and can be consumed on the go.”
So impulse sales of breakfast items must be catered for, and it’s worth noting that a recent report from Mintel cited grocery stores as the second most popular destination for consumers buying breakfast out of home. This is where both Dole’s fruit in juice cups range and Fruit and Cream range can really come into play here as credible options, as they can be enjoyed while sitting around the breakfast table on their own or as a topping on yoghurt, cereal or porridge, but also as a snack on the way to work or even at your desk. All products in the Dole range can be served either chilled or ambient, giving versatility in both storage and display, and complement other popular breakfast products like porridge, cereal and baked goods perfectly for a well-balanced breakfast.
Dole’s best-selling products are the Pineapple, Mandarin, Mixed Fruit and Peach variants of its fruit in juice range and come in convenient and recyclable packs which can be eaten at home or on the go.
One particularly good breakfast option is the recently launched 198g Dole Tropical Gold Pineapple or Dole Tropical Fruit in Juice packs, which are the perfect portable and healthy snack for on the go. Ideally suited to the chiller, they not only taste great, but have a minimum delivered shelf life of over 90 days to minimise waste, whilst delivering all the health benefits of fresh on the go, and even come with a handy wooden toothpick to aid eating on the move.
Dole Sunshine Company is the UK category leader in packaged fruit snacks, with its entire product range containing 100% real fruit, with no added sugar in any of its fruit in juice range. The latest data shows Dole Sunshine Company has a 59% value share of the fruit in juice cups category and an 87% value share of the fruit in jelly cups category.
“Recent data from *Mintel shows that fruit is the fourth most popular food to be eaten at breakfast, after cereal, bakery and porridge, and that’s no surprise as many consumers now recognise the benefits of starting the day with something which is good for you and easy to digest,” says Bradshaw. “We know that healthiness is high on consumers’ radars, with 36% of breakfast eaters saying health reasons have prompted them to change what they have for breakfast over the last twelve months. This drive to be healthier is also apparent with the potential for breakfast foods to shout about calorie content, as 45% of eaters say they consider how many calories are in their breakfast as part of their daily intake. As further evidence of the growing popularity of fruit, I’m pleased to say that sales of Dole fruit cups are up by 4.6% (IRI) in the last 52 weeks versus a flat category.”
With health being a key driver, Dole is trying to help consumers in-store by putting Nutri-Score ratings on the front of all its branded products which reflects the brand’s commitment to good nutrition and informed food choices.
Nutri-Score is a color-coded nutritional label that classifies foods and beverages according to the nutritional quality of a product, with a scale from A (healthier choices) to E (less healthy choices).
Nutri-score is calculated taking into account both the nutrients you should limit (calories, sat. fat, sugars and salt) and those that should be favoured (percentage of fruits, vegetables and nuts, fibre, protein). The food is then assigned a colour and letter based on the score, making it quicker and easier for consumers to compare products. Almost all of Dole’s range scores an A or B rating.
Amy Burgess, Senior Trade Communications Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), comments: “Coffee has overtaken tea as the nation’s favourite drink, now serving as a morning essential for both at-home and on-the-go occasions. Within this, the ready-to-drink (RTD) chilled coffee sector is becoming an increasingly popular breakfast choice – it’s a key driver of growth within soft drinks, now worth £289m (Nielsen) to retailers.”
Ready-to-drink chilled coffee continues to be a star breakfast performer in the dairy drinks category – and that growth is being driven by Costa Coffee RTD, up more than 50% in value and up 45% in volume (Nielsen). This success can be put down to the widespread popularity of the Costa Coffee brand, the nation’s favourite coffee shop for the last 13 years (Allegra Project Café). It is also one of the only full ranges in the segment to be 100% HFSS-compliant.
“RTD chilled coffee is incredibly diverse. Featuring Lattes, Flat Whites and Frappés, Costa’s range caters to a broad variety of different tastes and occasions, offering shoppers a choice of low, medium and high intensity caffeine options as well as different coffee flavours and levels of sweetness to help kickstart the day,” adds Burgess.
Premier Foods expanded its portfolio into the on-the-go breakfast market for the first time ever with the launch of Ambrosia ready-to-eat (RTE) porridge pots in 2021. The product is available in Original, Raspberry, and Golden Syrup flavours, with the range available across grocery, wholesale and convenience. The porridges can be enjoyed either ambient or hot, with no need to add hot water, making them ideal for shoppers who are seeking a convenient breakfast option both on the go or at home.
Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day – and for many, this means looking to healthier options. Recognising this, Ambrosia created its porridge pots that offer the iconic creamy taste of the Ambrosia products that consumers know and love – and contain British wholegrain oats, real fruit, as well as providing a source of protein, fibre and calcium. The HFSS-compliant pots also contain less than 3% fat and no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives.
Daniel Jalalpour, brand director for desserts at Premier Foods, comments: “With 73% of workers travelling into work in May 2023, compared to just 31% in April 2020 (Statista), consumers are looking for breakfast products that are convenient and quick to consume. To accommodate this lifestyle change, there is a significant need for breakfast options that can be consumed on the go as well as at home.”
“Ambrosia is a widely loved and trusted brand, and has seen growth across its loyal fanbase, with the Porridge Pots now worth an impressive £2.1m (IRI). By appealing to younger households, the range has delivered an incredible 38% of total branded category growth, with two thirds of these new Ambrosia shoppers bringing incremental sales to the Porridge Pots sector (IRI). Ambrosia ready-to-eat porridge pots give consumers the true convenience that the category was missing, as they can be eaten either ambient or hot and do not require any preparation.”
Adele Ward, Whole Earth Marketing Director at Ecotone UK, comments: “Following the pandemic, the joy of at-home breakfast was reignited as consumers became more interested in recreating restaurant-quality meals in their own kitchens. This has prompted retailers to source products that offer a point of difference in taste, texture and preparation – which Whole Earth can deliver through our category-first Drizzler range.”
As the first squeezable peanut butter to launch in UK supermarkets, Drizzler offers something consumers have never experienced before in nut butter. It combines a delicious taste experience through its super smooth texture with a highly convenient squeezy format.
“Following the success of our award-winning Drizzler launch in 2022, we extended the range this year with Chocolate Drizzler. We combined real chocolate and super smooth Drizzler peanut butter not only to disrupt the spreads category, but to meet ongoing demand for indulgent breakfasts at home that also deliver on nutritious benefits,” adds Ward.
There has been an uptake in healthier breakfast products that can also deliver exceptional taste. Ecotone’s products continually help consumers to kickstart their day in a healthier and more wholesome way and align with consumer interest in overall wellbeing and active lifestyles. Additionally, peanut butter is in long-term growth (IRI), which the brand believes is down to its nutritional value, great taste and versatility at breakfast time. This means there is ample room to strengthen the brand’s position as the category leader around key breakfast moments where the squeezy Drizzler really shines such as on pancakes and porridge.
“Whole Earth continues to maintain its position as the UK’s number one peanut butter brand at 27% (IRI) and is outperforming the category,” says Ward. “Behind this is our natural nutrition and sustainability credentials which consumers trust. After all, Whole Earth has been a pioneer in healthy breakfast products since 1967, long before it became on-trend.”
Alistair Gaunt, Commercial Director at Hovis, comments: “Despite many consumers now returning to the office, figures from Mintel show that eating breakfast at home remains the most common consumption location, with 57% eating breakfast at home every day in comparison to just 5% eating it out of the home (Mintel). Traditional breakfast items (e.g., crumpets, English muffins) grew +6.2% in units over the latest year in the impulse channel (NielsenIQ). Hovis® is well-placed to help retailers respond to this rising elevated breakfast / brunch trend with both our Hovis Bakers Since 1886® Crumpets and English muffins (with Barber’s Farmhouse Cheddar) firm favourites for the occasion.”
Sales of white bread currently account for nearly 75% of pre-packaged bread units sold in the impulse channel (NIQ).
“Given the current economic climate, many shoppers are buying fewer different types of bread for their households and are increasingly moving towards pre-packaged white bread, which is most likely to satisfy the needs of multiple people (NIQ). It is therefore clearly important for retailers to stock white bread as it is a potential “crowd-pleaser” for everyone in the household,” adds Gaunt.
“However, it’s also crucial not to forget to offer choice via the other bread types. For example, bread with seeds and grains accounts for 18% of loaves sold and brown/wholemeal for nearly 14% in the total market, so there is an opportunity for impulse retailers to change the mix of what they sell (NielsenIQ). With this in mind, stocking products such as Hovis® Wholemeal and Hovis® Seed Sensations® (the nation’s #1 brand of bread with seeds and grains, NielsenIQ) should also be key areas of focus.”
Health and wellness, as well as great taste, continue to play a key role in helping shoppers decide what to eat. Hovis® Best of Both® combines the great taste of white bread with wholemeal flour and delivers a source of fibre. It is also rich in calcium and, as supported by recent research, almost half of those surveyed agreed that Hovis Best of Both is something that everyone in the family would eat (Zinklar).
Hovis® Best of Both® has recently been relaunched in a new 800g loaf with a refreshed pack design to give better standout on the shelf with clearer on-pack messaging.
“While many shoppers may be looking to save money, there is still a huge desire for quality bakery products from recognised brands like Hovis® that consumers know and trust. Hovis is one of the Nation’s best loved bread brands and is consistently recognised by consumers as “better quality” (Walnut). With its extensive range, it continues to offer shoppers a wide array of choices, with products to suit all tastes and budgets,” says Gaunt.
“Despite the squeeze on grocery spending, we believe there’s still a significant role for premium products in bakery as shoppers look for affordable treats. Our Hovis® Bakers Since 1886® range is the perfect product to stock to tap into this trend. Since its launch just two years ago, the range is now worth £15m RSV (NielsenIQ) and continues to build in popularity so we’d highly recommend this as a must stock for retailers to take advantage of the continued interest in affordable treats to enjoy at home.
“Never run out of best sellers, particularly as many loaves in the market have more than three days’ shelf life, so there is no need to ever run out. Ensure higher-priced and premium products are displayed at eye level. In convenience stores, these products will often have a single facing, so it’s important to ensure the customer sees them and gets to know they are available,” suggests Gaunt.
“We’d also recommend that stores enhance their pre-packaged products wherever possible, e.g., cross-promoting with other products to help create a more special meal occasion. Retailers should look to offer variety in terms of sweet vs savoury to cover many different needs.”
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