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
- Struggles of pasta see market volumes fall
- Inflation is expected to support value growth
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- Figure 1: Forecast of UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2012-22
- Pasta values return to growth
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- Figure 2: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2016 and 2017
- Inflation puts pressure on operators and consumers
- Healthy eating trends impact the market
- Companies and brands
- Own-label is the big winner across all segments
- Heinz sees sales fall in pasta
- Uncle Ben's Express Rice sales boosted by price cuts
- Strong growth of Naked Noodle continues
- Pot Noodle and Pasta ‘n’ Sauce enter the pot pasta market
- Health-focused NPD continues
- Advertising support continues to fall
- Uncle Ben’s lead is rooted in trust, value and quality
- The consumer
- Pasta and rice are ingrained in Brits’ diets
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- Figure 3: Frequency of eating pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017
- Younger consumers and families are key user groups
- Usage of alternative types remains low
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- Figure 4: Types of pasta, rice and noodles eaten, November 2017
- Multigrain and quick-to-cook microwave formats have potential in pasta
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- Figure 5: Behaviours relating to pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017
- Instant noodle pots have lunch aisle potential
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- Figure 6: Attitudes towards pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017
- Suiting the main dish is most important choice factor for side dishes
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- Figure 7: Important factors influencing choice of side dishes, November 2017
- Potatoes’ strong image creates steep competition
- Pasta, rice and noodles are viewed similarly
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- Figure 8: Correspondence analysis of qualities associated with selected types of side dishes, November 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Quick-to-cook microwave pasta is well placed to tap demand for convenience
- The facts
- The implications
- Stronger image as filling is needed to boost noodle pots’ lunch potential
- The facts
- The implications
- Opportunities to tap demand for five-a-day side dishes
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Struggles of pasta see market volumes fall
- Inflation is expected to support value growth
- Pasta values return to growth
- Inflation puts pressure on operators and consumers
- Healthy eating trends impact the market
Market Size and Forecast
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- Inflation supports value growth
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- Figure 9: UK retail value and volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2012-22
- The future
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- Figure 10: Forecast of UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2012-22
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- Figure 11: Forecast of UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2012-22
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Pasta values return to growth
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- Figure 12: UK retail value and volume sales of pasta, by segment, 2015-17
- Rice sales continue to grow
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- Figure 13: UK retail value and volume sales of rice, by segment, 2015-17
- Instant hot snacks and noodles see impressive growth
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- Figure 14: UK retail value and volume sales of instant hot snacks and noodles, by segment, 2015-17
Market Drivers
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- Cost pressures fuel inflation
- Squeeze on household budgets returns
- Impact of PHE’s starchy foods recommendations is limited
- Carbohydrate avoidance is affecting the market
- Gluten-free continues to grow
- Growth in child population should underpin market
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- Figure 15: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2012-17 and 2017-22
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Own-label is the big winner across all segments
- Heinz sees sales fall in pasta
- Uncle Ben's Express Rice sales boosted by price cuts
- Strong growth of Naked Noodle continues
- Pot Noodle and Pasta ‘n’ Sauce enter the pot pasta market
- Health-focused NPD continues
- Advertising support continues to fall
- Uncle Ben’s lead is rooted in trust, value and quality
Market Share
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- Own-label is the big winner
- Heinz sees sales fall in pasta
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- Figure 16: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK pasta market, by value and volume, 2016 and 2017
- Price cuts give Uncle Ben's Express Rice a lift
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- Figure 17: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK rice market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Batchelors noodles range sees value growth return
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- Figure 18: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK noodles market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Naked Noodle continues strong growth
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- Figure 19: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK pot snacks market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Relaunches see pasta grow share of launches
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- Figure 20: Share of new product launches in the UK pasta, rice and noodles market, by segment, 2014-17
- Batchelors Super Noodles moves into instant pot snacks
- Pot Noodle and Pasta ‘n’ Sauce enter the pasta snack pot market
- Cauli Rice rebrands as Fullgreen as it moves beyond cauliflower
- Gluten-free launches remain high
- Tilda launches Super Grains variants
- Santa Maria brings Latin American flavours to the rice category
- Heinz launch stevia-sweetened Hoops
- Heinz and Fiddes Payne extend their licensed kids’ portfolios
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Advertising support continues to fall
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- Figure 21: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on rice, pasta and noodles, 2014-17
- Mars remains the biggest spender
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- Figure 22: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pasta, rice and noodles, by top 5 advertisers (sorted by 2017), 2014-17
- Unilever goes operatic to support Pot Pasta launch
- Cauli Rice makes TV debut
- Tilda and Laila launch charitable drives
- Barilla looks to sport to drive engagement
- Naked Noodle raises the fashion stakes at London Fashion Week
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 23: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, January 2018
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 24: Key metrics for selected brands, January 2018
- Brand attitudes: High trust in Uncle Ben’s is rooted in perceptions of quality
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- Figure 25: Attitudes, by brand, January 2018
- Brand personality: Pot Noodle and Batchelors Super Noodles have a lead as fun
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- Figure 26: Brand personality – Macro image, January 2018
- Napolina and Tilda score highest as authentic
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- Figure 27: Brand personality – Micro image, January 2018
- Brand analysis
- Napolina is widely seen as an authentic and traditional brand with family appeal
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- Figure 28: User profile of Napolina, January 2018
- Tilda enjoys the strongest natural image
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- Figure 29: User profile of Tilda, January 2018
- Uncle Ben’s popularity is rooted in accessibility, quality and trust
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- Figure 30: User profile of Uncle Ben’s, January 2018
- Low levels of usage hamper perceptions of Barilla
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- Figure 31: User profile of Barilla, January 2018
- Batchelors Super Noodles lags as innovative and diverse
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- Figure 32: User profile of Batchelors Super Noodles, January 2018
- Pot Noodle’s top associations are with accessible and fun
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- Figure 33: User profile of Pot Noodle, January 2018
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Pasta and rice are ingrained in Brits’ diets
- Younger consumers and families are key user groups
- Usage of alternative types remains low
- Multigrain has potential in pasta
- Quick-to-cook microwave pasta garners interest
- Instant noodle pots have lunch aisle potential
- Suiting the main dish is most important choice factor for side dishes
- Potatoes’ strong image creates steep competition
- Pasta, rice and noodles are viewed similarly
Usage of Pasta, Rice and Noodles
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- Pasta and rice are ingrained in the British diet
- Noodles are eaten by 70%
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- Figure 34: Usage of pasta, rice, noodles, couscous and grains, November 2017
- Half of Brits eat dry pasta weekly
- Younger consumers and families are key user groups
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- Figure 35: Frequency of eating pasta, rice, noodles, couscous and grains, November 2017
- Two in five eat wholegrain pasta or rice
- Usage of alternative types remains low
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- Figure 36: Types of pasta, rice and noodles eaten, November 2017
Behaviours Relating to Pasta, Rice and Noodles
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- Multigrain has potential in pasta
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- Figure 37: Behaviours relating to pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017
- Quick-to-cook microwave pasta garners interest
Attitudes towards Pasta, Rice and Noodles
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- Spotlighting high vegetable content should appeal in filled pasta
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- Figure 38: Attitudes towards pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017
- Instant noodle pots have lunch aisle potential…
- …but need to work on fillingness
Choice Factors for Side Dishes
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- Cracking main dish pairings is key to growing usage
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- Figure 39: Important factors influencing the choice of side dishes, November 2017
- Convenience trumps low price
- A third look for sides that count towards the five-a-day
Qualities Associated with Types of Side Dishes
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- Potatoes’ strong image creates steep competition
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- Figure 40: Qualities associated with selected types of side dishes, November 2017
- Pasta, rice and noodles are viewed similarly
- Emerging world cuisines could boost the image of rice as versatile
- Convenience formats should boost familiarity for beans/lentils/pulses
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- Figure 41: Correspondence analysis of qualities associated with selected types of side dishes, November 2017
- Methodology
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 42: Total UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
- Figure 43: Total UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
Appendix – Market Share
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- Figure 44: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK pasta market, by value and volume, 2016 and 2017
- Figure 45: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK rice market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
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- Figure 46: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK noodles market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Figure 47: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK pot snacks market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
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Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 48: Share of new product launches in the UK pasta, rice and noodles market, by top 10 companies (sorted by 2017), 2014-17
- Figure 49: Share of new product launches in the UK pasta, rice and noodles market, by brands and private label, 2014-17
- Figure 50: Share of new product launches in the UK pasta, rice and noodles market, by top 10 claims, 2014-17
- Figure 51: Share of wholegrain launches in the UK pasta market, 2014-17
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