The profound impact of COVID-19 on the tableware and cookware market over the past year is clear. On the one hand, with the surge in home cooking and baking, 41% of consumers have spent more on cookware as a result of extended periods at home. However, on the other hand, 28% of consumers have delayed potential purchases as a result of the pandemic; 53% have spent less on tableware as a result of fewer events at home.

As such, these new opportunities did not offset this disruption, as spending fell by 1.2% in 2020. Within the market, spending has been fragmented, either forced online, or has been concentrated in the supermarkets, food and non-food discounters, as these remained open. Nonetheless, moving forwards, these conditions could set the market up for a windfall of new and pent-up demand. In fact, the market is set for a bumper year of growth in 2021, before some levels of stability in the years to 2025.

However, this is also set to exacerbate the divide in the market. In fact, the nature of this disruption is set to grow increasingly polarised moving forwards, particularly among less affluent consumers. Accordingly, moving into 2021, demand is set to split between those upscaling purchases as restrictions ease, and those delaying, downscaling or limiting purchases to essentials amid continued financial pressures. This will squeeze those in the middle of the market in the coming year, thereby suppressing potential expenditure as the gulf in demand widens. Retailers will need to be proactive in catering to this lower end, ensuring discounts and promotions, alongside well-established value ranges.

At the other end of this, however, there is an opportunity for an upscaling of demand, as many consumers have managed to save money over the lockdown period as a result of not socialising, travelling, eating out or commuting over the past year. For many, the prioritisation of social events should see the market for tableware and cookware benefit in the ‘coming out’ celebration period. This could drive sales of premium ranges, brands, and the opportunity for fashion-led ‘lifestyle brands’ particularly in the tableware sector.

• The impact of COVID-19 on the tableware and cookware market.

• How this disruption will impact on demand in the short, medium and long term.

• Opportunities for retailers amid this disruption and extended periods inside.

• How spending has fragmented between retailers.

• Opportunities and risks for the market in the coming years.

• The opportunity for fashion-forward tableware.

This Report was written in March 2021.

The first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK at the end of January 2020, with a small number of cases in February. Rapidly rising case numbers led to the first national lockdown, starting on 23 March. It wasn't until 15 June that non-essential stores were allowed to reopen, followed by pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers on 4 July and many beauty businesses on 13 July.

By September, it had become clear that the UK was at the start of a second wave, and social distancing measures were intensified. Continued increases in infection numbers led to Wales implementing a two-week national lockdown from 19 October, England announcing a month-long lockdown from 5 November and Scotland introducing a new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions.

Despite these restrictions, however, case numbers continued to increase. All four UK nations tightened restrictions further in January 2021, effectively leading to a full UK-wide lockdown.

On 22 February, Boris Johnson announced the roadmap to an easing of restrictions in England, starting with the reopening of schools on 8 March, followed by easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings on 29 March, and with a hoped end to all restrictions by 21 June. The Welsh and Scottish governments also gave more details on their plans to ease restrictions, with both nations taking a slightly more cautious approach to the one planned for England.

The UK’s vaccination programme started on 8 December 2020, and with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines licenced for use in the UK, the government aims to offer a first dose of the vaccine to 32 million people by mid-April.

Our core assumptions on the path of the pandemic had always included an expectation of severe disruption to markets and consumers’ lifestyles well into 2021, with a strong likelihood that the virus would still be with us even into 2022. Although the second wave of infections and subsequent lockdown puts us towards the negative end of our initial expectations, these developments are still broadly consistent with our previous assumptions.

Similarly, Mintel had factored in the likelihood that an effective vaccine would be available from early to mid-2021. The licensing of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines puts us slightly ahead of that assumption, but the challenge associated with rolling out a new vaccination programme to millions of people means that our previous assumptions are still broadly consistent with the new reality.

Mintel’s economic assumptions are based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s central scenario included in its March 2021 Economic and Fiscal Outlook Report. After the fall of 9.9% over the course of 2020, the scenario suggests that UK GDP will grow by 4% in 2021 and 7.3% in 2022.

GDP isn’t expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until the second quarter of 2022, although this is six months earlier than the OBR forecast in November 2020, mainly because of the faster than expected rollout of vaccines.

Unemployment is expected to peak at 6.5% in the fourth quarter of 2021. As with GDP, this is more positive than the OBR’s November forecast, but the OBR does raise the prospect of long-term scarring on employment, especially in the more exposed retail and hospitality sectors.

This Report examines the UK retail market for table and cookware. Mintel’s definition includes products sold through brands’ own stores and other retail channels including:

Tableware

• Drinkware

• Crockery

• Oven-to-tableware

• Table accessories

• Cutlery

Cookware

• Saucepans, frying pans, stew pots and casserole dishes

• Kitchen knives and utensils

• Baking/oven tins

• Ingredient preparation utensils

• Other kitchen accessories