Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Value grows over 2010-15 but volumes decline
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- Figure 1: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and instant hot snacks and noodles, 2010-20
- Dry pasta hit by decline in overall market
- Wholegrain rice on the up
- Growth for pot snacks
- UK population changes could exert divergent influences
- Key players
- Own-label pasta and rice sales fall
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- Figure 2: Leading brands’ shares in the UK retail pasta market, by value, 2014/15*
- Own-label loses share in NPD
- Convenience continues to drive NPD
- Adspend up in 2015
- Heinz highly regarded while Pot Noodle divides opinion
- The consumer
- Pasta and rice used more regularly than noodles
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- Figure 3: Usage of pasta, rice, noodles and selected grains, December 2015
- Interest in healthier versions of pasta
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- Figure 4: Attitudes towards pasta, December 2015
- Flavoured rice holds extra appeal
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- Figure 5: Attitudes towards rice, December 2015
- Some uncertainty surrounding noodles
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- Figure 6: Attitudes towards noodles, December 2015
- Dry pasta seen as convenient, tinned and instant linked to unhealthy
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Healthier versions of pasta could help to boost falling sales
- The facts
- The implications
- Recipe suggestions could instigate interest in the category
- The facts
- The implications
- Extra guidance needed to boost noodle usage
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Value grows over 2010-15 but volumes decline
- Same trends set to continue over 2015-20
- Dry pasta hit by decline in overall market
- Wholegrain rice on the up
- Growth for pot snacks
- UK population changes could exert divergent influences
Market Size and Forecast
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- Falling pasta sales hit overall market
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- Figure 7: Total UK retail volume and value sales of pasta, rice and noodles*, 2010-20
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- Figure 8: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles*, by segment, 2010-20
- Figure 9: UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles*, by segment, 2010-20
- Mature market limits expansion opportunities
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- Figure 10: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and instant hot snacks and noodles, 2010-20
- Health concerns and over-familiarity to continue to hit pasta
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- Figure 11: UK retail value sales of pasta, 2010-20
- Rice at risk of losing out to other dishes
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- Figure 12: UK retail value sales of rice, 2010-20
- Pot snacks’ success buoys up noodles but will be difficult to sustain
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- Figure 13: UK retail value sales of instant hot snacks and noodles, 2010-20
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Fall in overall market hits dry pasta
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- Figure 14: UK retail value and volume sales of pasta, by sector, 2013-15
- Product launch activity helps ambient rice remain dominant
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- Figure 15: UK retail value and volume sales of rice, by sector, 2013-15
- Strong growth for pot snacks
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- Figure 16: UK retail value and volume sales of instant hot snacks and noodles, by sector, 2013-15
Market Drivers
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- Improved incomes should facilitate trading up
- Changing population dynamics could have conflicting effects
- Carbohydrate and gluten health concerns present a challenge and an opportunity
- Interest in world foods could help rice and noodles
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Own-label pasta and rice sales fall
- Own-label loses share in NPD
- Convenience continues to drive NPD
- Adspend up in 2015
- Heinz highly regarded while Pot Noodle divides opinion
Market Share
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- Own-label continues to dominate pasta
- Giovanni Rana bucks downward trend
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- Figure 17: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK pasta market, by value and volume, 2013/14-2014/15
- Figure 18: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK pasta market, by value and volume, 2013/14-2014/15
- Tilda sees values and volumes jump by more than 5%
- Own-label sales fall
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- Figure 19: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK rice market, by value and volume, 2013/14-2014/15
- Figure 20: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK rice market, by value and volume, 2013/14-2014/15
- Batchelors’ sales fall in static noodles market
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- Figure 21: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK noodles market, by value and volume, 2014/15-2015/16
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- Figure 22: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK noodles market, by value and volume, 2014/15-2015/16
- Pot Noodle triumphs in rising pot snacks market
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- Figure 23: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK pot snacks market, by value and volume, 2014/15-2015/16
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Brands dominate NPD
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- Figure 24: New product launches in the UK pasta, rice and noodles market, by private label and brands, 2011-15
- Growth in noodle NPD
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- Figure 25: New product launches in the UK pasta, rice and noodles market, by segment, 2011-15
- Convenience remains a key driver of private label innovation
- Ease and versatility emphasized to appeal to home cooks
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- Figure 26: New product launches in the pasta, rice and noodles market, by top 20 claims, 2011-15
- Gluten-free pasta on the up
- Reduced-carbohydrate pasta options offer scope for NPD
- Supermarkets build up chilled pasta selection
- More wholegrain rice in microwaveable format
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Adspend in 2015 approaches 2011 high
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- Figure 27: Total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure in the pasta, rice and noodles market, 2011-15
- Figure 28: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure in the pasta, rice and noodles market, by segment, 2011-15
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- Figure 29: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure in the pasta, rice and noodles market, (sorted by top ten advertisers in 2015) 2011-15,
- Mars focuses almost exclusively on Uncle Ben’s
- Unilever encourages unconventional aspirations through Pot Noodle
- Birds Eye moves into the market
Brand Research
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- What you need to know
- Brand Map
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- Figure 30: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, December 2015
- Key Brand Metrics
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- Figure 31: Key metrics for selected brands, December 2015
- Brand attitudes – Heinz and Uncle Ben’s are the most trusted brands
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- Figure 32: Attitudes, by brand, December 2015
- Brand personality – Heinz seen as the most fun
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- Figure 33: Brand personality – Macro image, December 2015
- Brand personality – Sharwood’s and Tilda score highest for authenticity
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- Figure 34: Brand personality – Micro image, December 2015
- Brand Analysis
- Heinz has the strongest reputation but an ageing customer base
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- Figure 35: User profile of Heinz, December 2015
- Napolina attracts an affluent customer base
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- Figure 36: User profile of Napolina, December 2015
- Tilda is seen as the healthiest but also the least accessible
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- Figure 37: User profile of Tilda, December 2015
- Sharwood’s is seen as the most special
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- Figure 38: User profile of Sharwood’s, December 2015
- Uncle Ben’s is the second most popular but is seen as standing still
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- Figure 39: User profile of Uncle Ben’s, December 2015
- Pot Noodle polarises opinions
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- Figure 40: User profile of Pot Noodle, December 2015
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Pasta and rice used more regularly than noodles
- Interest in healthier versions of pasta
- Flavoured rice holds extra appeal
- Some uncertainty surrounding noodles
- Dry pasta seen as convenient, tinned and instant linked to unhealthy
Usage of Pasta, Rice, Noodles and Other Grains
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- Pasta remains most popular, eaten by 89%
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- Figure 41: Usage of pasta, rice, noodles and other grains, December 2015
- Dry versions are the most popular
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- Figure 42: Usage of pasta, rice, noodles and other grains, December 2015
- Convenience holds particular appeal for under-25s
- Wealthier consumers more likely to use chilled pasta
- Bulgur wheat lags behind but could catch up
- Other grains retain urban bias
- Dry pasta and dry rice firmly established as family mealtime staples
- Noodles and grains see infrequent use
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- Figure 43: Usage of pasta, rice, noodles and other grains, December 2015
Attitudes towards Pasta
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- Openness to expanding limited pasta repertoires
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- Figure 44: Attitudes towards pasta, December 2015
- Added-function pasta holds appeal
- High-protein remains rare
Attitudes towards Rice
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- Consumers value flavoured rice
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- Figure 45: Attitudes towards rice, December 2015
- Own-label is seen to deliver on taste
Attitudes towards Noodles
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- New entrants to instant noodle market could strengthen category
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- Figure 46: Attitudes towards noodles, December 2015
- Noodle guidance sought
- Noodle soup kits hold family appeal
Qualities Associated with Pasta
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- Dry pasta scores well for versatility and reliability
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- Figure 47: Correspondence analysis of qualities associated with different types of pasta, December 2015
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- Figure 48: Qualities associated with different types of pasta, December 2015
- Chilled pasta is seen as an occasional indulgence
- …and convenient among 34%
- Concerns over healthiness of convenience options
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 49: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail value sales of pasta, rice and instant hot snacks and noodles 2015-20
- Figure 50: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and instant hot snacks and noodles 2015-20
- Figure 51: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail value sales of pasta 2015-20
- Figure 52: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail volume sales of pasta 2015-20
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- Figure 53: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail value sales of rice 2015-20
- Figure 54: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail volume sales of rice 2015-20
- Figure 55: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail value sales of instant hot snacks and noodles 2015-20
- Figure 56: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail volume sales of instant hot snacks and noodles 2015-20
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- Figure 57: UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and instant hot snacks and noodles, 2010-20
- Figure 58: UK retail volume sales of pasta, 2010-20
- Figure 59: UK retail volume sales of rice, 2010-20
- Figure 60: UK retail volume sales of instant hot snacks and noodles, 2010-20
- Forecast methodology
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