Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Growth through mainstream channels slows markedly in 2016
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- Figure 1: Value sales in the UK sports nutrition food and drink market^, 2014/15-2016/17
- Specialist channels dominate the market
- Budget squeeze and ageing population pose challenges for the market
- No uptick in exercise
- Strong touted as the new skinny
- Ageing population poses a threat
- Tighter budgets could hamper growth in sports nutrition market
- Companies and brands
- Acquisitions continue
- Sports nutrition brands struggle in mainstream grocery
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- Figure 2: Leading brands’ shares in the UK sports nutrition food and drink market*, by value, 2016/17**
- High-protein launches continue to grow
- Meat, dairy and snacks attract high-protein NPD
- Sports nutrition brands tap new health trends
- Mars looks to protein, Myprotein launches Little Bears
- The consumer
- 27% of adults use sports nutrition products
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- Figure 3: Usage of sports nutrition products, April 2017
- Three in ten use high-protein products
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- Figure 4: Usage of high-protein products (excluding sports nutrition), April 2017
- Checking credentials of online authors deemed important
- Official health service providers win on trust
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- Figure 5: Trust in sources of nutrition and exercise information, by usage of sports nutrition products, April 2017
- Widespread demand for industry-wide certification
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- Figure 6: Behaviours relating to sports nutrition, April 2017
- Products for low-intensity activities appeal to young women
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards sports nutrition, April 2017
- The popularity of balanced diets could curb protein appeal
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- Figure 8: Attitudes towards protein, April 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Drawing attention to experts can build trust for brands
- The facts
- The implications
- Ingredient scrutiny highlights need for transparency in sports nutrition
- The facts
- The implications
- Worries over ingredients used to make high-protein claims need to be quelled
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Growth through mainstream channels slows markedly in 2016
- Specialist channels dominate the market
- Budget squeeze and ageing population pose challenges for the market
- No uptick in exercise
- Strong touted as the new skinny
- Ageing population poses a threat
- Tighter budgets could hamper growth in sports nutrition market
Market Size
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- Growth through mainstream channels slows markedly in 2016
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- Figure 9: Value sales in the UK sports nutrition food and drink market^, 2014/15-2016/17
- Accessible product formats and shelf space have facilitated uptake
- Lifestyle users contributed to growth of the market
- Specialist channels dominate the market
- Budget squeeze and ageing population pose challenges for the market
Market Drivers
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- No overall uptick in exercise habits
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- Figure 10: Frequency of exercise, by gender and age group, April 2017
- Strong touted as the new skinny…
- …with social media a driving force in this context
- Research promotes health benefits of being a ‘weekend warrior’
- Obesity edges upwards despite rise in healthy eating
- High-protein products can benefit from perceptions of being diet-friendly
- The meat reduction trend can bolster demand for vegetarian high-protein foods
- Ageing population poses a threat
- Tighter budgets could hamper growth in sports nutrition market
- No immediate impact on legislation expected following Brexit
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Acquisitions continue
- Sports nutrition brands struggle in mainstream grocery
- High-protein launches continue to grow
- Meat, dairy and snacks attract high-protein NPD
- Sports nutrition brands tap new health trends
- Mars looks to protein, Myprotein launches Little Bears
Market Share
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- Competitive landscape
- Science in Sport reports strong performance
- Grenade snapped up by Lion Capital
- ABF enters sports nutrition with two acquisitions
- The Hut Group continues to grow UK sales
- Market share through supermarkets
- Dunns’ River Nurishment remains on top
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- Figure 11: Leading brands’ shares in the UK sports nutrition food and drink market*, by value, 2016/17**
- MaxiNutrition loses share in mainstream channels
- For Goodness Shakes continues to grow
- Own-label grows
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- Figure 12: Leading brands’ shares in the UK sports nutrition food and drink market^, by value, 2014/15-2016/17
Launch Activity and Innovation – Sports Nutrition and High-protein Food
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- Methodology
- High-protein launches continue to grow
- Surge in high-protein dairy launches
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- Figure 13: Share of high-protein food launches, by product category, 2016
- Snacks continue to attract high-protein NPD
- Meat manufacturers launch on-the go chicken chunks
- Warburtons brings high protein to the mainstream bakery market
- Sports nutrition brands tap new health trends
- MaxiNutrition unveils new “strong not skinny” women’s range
- PhD Nutrition offers clean and wholefood-based nutrition
- Protein bars attract NPD
- Mars expands protein offering
- Kids’ range launched by Myprotein
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- 27% of adults use sports nutrition products
- Exercise remains a key driver for sports nutrition usage
- Three in ten use high-protein products
- Checking credentials of online authors deemed important
- Official health service providers win on trust
- Just 26% of users trust sport nutrition brands
- Widespread demand for industry-wide certification
- Ingredient scrutiny is high
- Products for low-intensity activities appeal to young women
- The popularity of balanced diets could curb protein appeal
- Worries exist over ingredients used to make high-protein claims
Usage of Sports Nutrition and High-protein Products
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- 27% of adults use sports nutrition products
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- Figure 14: Usage of sports nutrition products, by gender, April 2017
- Exercise drives sports nutrition usage
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- Figure 15: Usage of any sports nutrition product, by frequency of exercise, April 2017
- Young men are core user group of sports nutrition
- Young women’s usage of protein powder grows
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- Figure 16: Usage of ‘protein powders for a drink’ among 16-24s, by gender, April 2015, May 2016 and April 2017
- Tapping the grey pound
- Three in ten use high-protein products
- Usage of sports nutrition and high-protein products overlaps
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- Figure 17: Usage of high-protein products (excluding sports nutrition), by usage of sports nutrition products, April 2017
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- Figure 18: Cross-over in usage of sport nutrition products and high-protein food/drink, April 2017
Trust in Sources of Nutrition and Exercise Information
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- Checking credentials of online authors deemed important
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- Figure 19: Attitudes towards checking online authors’ credentials for diet and fitness information, April 2017
- Official health service providers win on trust
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- Figure 20: Trust in sources of nutrition and exercise information, by usage of sports nutrition products, April 2017
- Dietitians trusted by many
- Just 26% of users trust sport nutrition brands
- The young trust the widest range of sources
Behaviours and Attitudes Relating to Sports Nutrition
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- Demand for industry-wide certification
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- Figure 21: Behaviours relating to sports nutrition, April 2017
- Ingredient scrutiny is high
- High engagement highlights need to respond to ingredient concerns
- Price remains a barrier to trial
- Products tailored for low-intensity activities appeal to young women
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- Figure 22: Agreement with selected statements about sports nutrition, by usage of sports nutrition products, April 2017
Attitudes towards High-protein Products
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- The popularity of balanced diets could curb protein appeal…
- ...but doubts over getting enough work in favour of high-protein products
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- Figure 23: Attitudes towards high-protein foods, April 2017
- Frequent exercisers recognise benefit of upping protein intake
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- Figure 24: Attitudes towards high-protein foods, by usage of high-protein food/drink, April 2017
- Worries exist over ingredients used to make high-protein claims
- Transparency of ingredients needed to quell concern
- Spelling out protein content should help prove value
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 25: Share of new UK food and drink product launches featuring a high protein claim, 2013-16
- Figure 26: Share of new UK food launches featuring a high protein claim, by category, 2013-16
- Figure 27: Share of new UK drink launches featuring a high protein claim, by category, 2013-16
- Figure 28: Trends in high-protein food launches in selected categories, 2013-16 and 2015-16
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