Table of Contents
Introduction and Abbreviations
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- Definition
- Consumer research
- ACORN
- Abbreviations
Premier Insight
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- Stealing back share for biscuits
- Sweet biscuits roll down memory lane
- Moving seasonal biscuits up a gear
- Capturing the coffee drinker market
Executive Summary
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- Blurred category boundaries
- Strong growth in a mature market
- Demographic consequences
- Government intervention
- Chocolate biscuit countlines suffer
- Everyday sectors stabilised
- A rethink on health
- Premium held back by the category?
- Seasonal needs to move on
- UB takes over Jacob’s
- KitKat number one
- Lots of activity in NPD
- Volume-based promotions focus on everyday lines
- Above-the-line fluctuation
- Multiples steal from the impulse channel
- Light usage increases
- Future opportunities
Market Drivers
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- Building weight of purchase, where it counts
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- Figure 1: Indexed trends in household size, 1999-2009
- Adapting to suit an ageing population
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- Figure 2: Changes in UK population, by age group, 2000-09 and 2004-09
- More affluent shoppers
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- Figure 3: Indexed PDI and consumer expenditure, at current and constant prices, 2000-09
- Children’s snacking habits boosted by pocket money increases
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- Figure 4: Average weekly income of children aged 7-14, by gender and age, 2002-04
- Capitalising on home consumption
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- Figure 5: Where selected products are eaten most by those aged 11-16, 2004
- Lunchbox market hangs in the balance
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- Figure 6: Typical content of lunchboxes, by school age, 2004
- Impact of government initiatives
- Government versus the people
- Promoting pragmatism
Market Size and Trends
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- Total biscuit market up by a fifth since 2000
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- Figure 7: UK retail value sales of sweet and non-sweet biscuits, at current prices, 2000-05
- A redefined savoury category grows by a third
- NPD and premium products boost sweet biscuits
- Revival of the fittest
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- Figure 8: UK retail volume and value sales of sweet biscuits, at current and constant prices, 1998-2003
- ‘Healthier’ biscuits are the leading light
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- Figure 9: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by sector, 2001-05
- Stimulating interest
Market Segmentation
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- Figure 10: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by sector, 2005 (est)
- Are chocolate countlines being squeezed out?
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- Figure 11: UK retail value sales of chocolate biscuit countlines, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
- A rethink for health
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- Figure 12: UK retail value sales of healthier biscuits*, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
- Free-from opportunities
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- Figure 13: UK retail value sales of free-from biscuits, 2003-05
- Stabilising everyday biscuits
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- Figure 14: UK retail value sales of everyday biscuits, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
- Everyday treat enjoyed branded revival
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- Figure 15: UK retail value sales of everyday treat biscuits, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
- Is character merchandising losing its pester power?
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- Figure 16: UK retail value sales of children's biscuits, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
- Getting to grips with special treats
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- Figure 17: UK retail value sales of special treat biscuits, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
- Seasonal loses out to confectionery heroes
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- Figure 18: UK retail value sales of seasonal biscuits, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
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The Supply Structure
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- Biscuit giants unite
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- Figure 19: Manufacturers' branded shares of the UK retail sweet biscuit market, 2001-05
- Top-selling biscuit brands
- Bisc& in trouble
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- Figure 20: Estimated brand share of UK retail sales of sweet biscuits, 2003 and 2005
- Companies and brands
- Bahlsen
- Burton’s Foods
- Fruitfield Foods Limited
- Ferrero UK Limited
- Masterfoods (formerly Mars Confectionery & Pedigree Masterfoods)
- Nestlé
- Northern Foods (Fox’s Biscuits)
- Nutricia Limited
- Nutrition Point Limited
- Streamline Foods Limited
- Tunnock’s
- United Biscuits (UB)
New Product Development
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- Positioning claims
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- Figure 21: Number of new products, by positioning claim, July 2003-05
- Flavour trends
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- Figure 22: Number of new products by flavour, July 2004-July 2005
- Limited editions add interest and impact
- Biscuits are fighting back: laterally
- Changing formats
- Children’s products
- Healthy propositions
- Shortbread deluxe
Advertising and Promotion
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- Fluctuating fortunes above the line
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- Figure 23: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on sweet biscuits, 2000-05
- Figure 24: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on sweet biscuits, 2000-04
- Moreishly McVitie’s
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- Figure 25: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on sweet biscuits, by brand, 2000-05
- Burton’s revival
- Fox’s presses on
- Below-the-line promotions
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- Figure 26: Sweet biscuit brand, by number of promotions, Jan-Aug 2005
- Multibuy dominates
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- Figure 27: Type of sweet biscuit promotions, Jan-Aug 2005
- Multibuy drives the main market sector
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- Figure 28: Selected promotions for everyday biscuits, Jan-Aug 2005
- Premium surprises
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- Figure 29: Selected promotions for premium biscuits, Jan-Aug 2005
- Appealing to children’s imagination
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- Figure 30: Selected promotions for children’s biscuits, Jan-Aug 2005
- Price reduction in healthy
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- Figure 31: Selected promotions for healthy biscuits, Jan-Aug 2005
Distribution
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- Main trolley shops
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- Figure 32: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by outlet type, 2001-05
- Specialists also grow
- Category management – time for a rethink?
- Locating healthy biscuits
The Consumer
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- Figure 33: Consumption of sweet biscuits, 2002-04
- Less routine snacking habits?
- Light usage increases
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- Figure 34: Consumption of sweet biscuits compared with average response, by age, 2004
- Targeting non-users
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- Figure 35: Non-users of sweet biscuits compared with average response, by Mintel’s Special Groups and household size, 2002-04
- Popularity of different types of sweet biscuits
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- Figure 36: Sweet biscuits bought in the last three months, 2003 and 2005
- Are we cutting down?
- Children choose chocolate
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- Figure 37: Type of sweet biscuits bought in the last three months, by presence of children, June 2005
- Children’s changing tastes
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- Figure 38: Type of everyday sweet biscuits bought in the last three months, by presence of children, June 2005
- Lifestage influences
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- Figure 39: Above-average penetration of sweet biscuits according to GB region, May 2005
- Positive correlation with supermarkets
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- Figure 40: Correlation of sweet biscuits bought with choice of supermarket, May 2005
- Asda stronghold
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The Consumer – Detailed Demographics
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- TGI data
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- Figure 41: Consumption of sweet biscuits, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage, Mintel's Special Groups, region, presence of children, marital status, working status and household size, 2004
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- Figure 42: Types of sweet biscuit bought in the last three months, by gender, age, socio-economic group, Mintel's Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, presence of children and household size, June 2005
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- Figure 43: Types of sweet biscuit bought in the last three months, by ACORN categories, media usage, commercial TV viewing, Internet and supermarket usage, June 2005
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- Figure 44: Other types of sweet biscuit bought in the last three months, by gender, age, socio-economic group, Mintel's Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, presence of children and household size, June 2005
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- Figure 45: Other types of sweet biscuit bought in the last three months, by ACORN categories, media usage, commercial TV viewing, Internet and supermarket usage, June 2005
The Consumer – Attitudes and Enthusiasm
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- Figure 46: Attitudes towards biscuits, June 2005
- A household staple
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- Figure 47: Incentives to purchase sweet biscuits, June 2005
- Loyal to favourites
- Consumers are brand-loyal
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- Figure 48: Agreement that own-label brands are as good as branded compared with average response, by supermarket usage, June 2005
- Treating spans a number of occasions
- Promoting self-indulgence or ‘me-time’
- Assessing consumer target groups
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- Figure 49: Consumer typologies with regard to sweet and savoury biscuits, June 2005
- Slightly Savoury (44% of sample)
- Sweet Tooth (38% of sample)
- Biscuit Enthusiasts (18% of sample)
- Assessing levels of enthusiasm
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- Figure 50: Number of types of sweet biscuits purchased in the last three months, June 2005
- Maximum of four or five different types in biscuit repertoire
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- Figure 51: Number of types of sweet biscuits purchased in the last three months, by presence of children, June 2005
- Trading up
- Summarising opportunities
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Attitudes and Enthusiasm – Detailed Demographics
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- Attitudes towards sweet biscuits
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- Figure 52: Attitudes towards sweet biscuits, by gender, age, socio-economic group, Mintel's Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, presence of children and household size, June 2005
- Figure 53: Attitudes towards sweet biscuits, by ACORN categories, media usage, commercial TV viewing, Internet and supermarket usage, June 2005
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- Figure 54: Attitudes towards sweet biscuits, by gender, age, socio-economic group, Mintel's Special Groups, region, marital status, working status, presence of children and household size, June 2005
- Figure 55: Attitudes towards sweet biscuits, by ACORN categories, media usage, commercial TV viewing, Internet and supermarket usage, June 2005
- Assessing consumer target groups
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- Figure 56: Attitudes towards sweet and savoury biscuits, June 2005
- Figure 57: Consumer typologies, by gender, age, socio-economic group, Mintel's Special Groups, marital status, working status, region and household size, June 2005
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- Figure 58: Consumer typologies, by ACORN categories, commercial TV viewing, media and supermarket usage, June 2005
- Figure 59: Number of types of sweet biscuits purchased in the last three months, by gender, age, socio-economic group, Mintel's Special Groups, presence of children, marital status, working status, region and household size, June 2005
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- Figure 60: Number of types of sweet biscuits purchased in the last three months, by ACORN categories, media usage, commercial TV viewing and supermarket usage, June 2005
- Figure 61: Types of sweet biscuits and repertoire of sweet biscuits purchased in the last three months, June 2005
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- Figure 62: Attitudes towards sweet biscuits and repertoire of sweet biscuits purchased in the last three months, June 2005
The Future
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- Healthy ingredients
- How will ‘free-from’ fare
- More aggressive positioning
- Seasonal products with year-round potential
- Confectionery brands will continue to encroach
Forecast
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- Encouraging growth for the future
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- Figure 63: Forecast of UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, 2005-10
- Figure 64: Forecast of UK retail volume sales of sweet biscuits, 2005-10
- Healthy eating: implications
- Chocolate value, healthy volume
- Factors incorporated in the forecast
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