Table of Contents
Issues in the Market
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- Main issues
- Definition
- Abbreviations
Insights and Opportunities
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- Taking on scratch cooking
- Exploiting provenance and ingredient quality
- Ready meals a solitary occasion
Market in Brief
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- A market on the defensive
- Ready-to-cook is main competitor
- Perceptions of ready meals are improving
- Chilled market more resilient
- Core convenience market among those disinterested in cooking
- Ready meals need added attributes
- The future
Fast Forward Trends
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- Trend 1: Instant Gratification
- What’s it about?
- What’s it mean
- What next?
- Trend 2: Return of Manly Men
- What’s it about?
- What’s it mean
- What next?
- Trend 3: Third Place
- What’s it about?
- What’s it mean
- What next?
- What is Fast Forward Trends?
Internal Market Environment
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- Key points
- Home cooking harms convenience food
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- Figure 1: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2003-07
- Health damages ready meal prospects
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- Figure 2: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2003-07
- Frozen appeals across both foodies and convenience buyers
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- Figure 3: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2003-07
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- Figure 4: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, all adults and those who agree with the statements ‘I prefer to prepare my meals from scratch’ and ‘I don’t have time to spend preparing and cooking food’, 2007
- Ready meals move to less frequent use
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- Figure 5: Usage of ready meals in the last 12 months, 2003-07
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- Figure 6: Types of ready meals used, 2004-07
Broader Market Environment
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- Key points
- Continued decline of the traditional household
- Smaller households drive growth
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- Figure 7: UK household sizes, 2003-13
- Demographic change favours ready meals
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- Figure 8: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, by gender, 2003-13
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- UK convenience market is mature
- Pizzas maintain growth
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- Figure 9: The retail market for ready meals and pizzas, 2003-08
- Ready-to-cook outstrips ready meals
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- Figure 10: Sales of ready meals, ready-to-cook meals and cooking sauces, 2003-08
Strengths and Weaknesses in the Market
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- Strengths
- Consistent with modern lifestyles
- NPD tuning into consumer trends
- Offer extending to new cuisine
- Salt and fat content reduced
- Weaknesses
- Under-promoted
- Hangover of bad publicity
- Frequently price-discounted
- Not consistent with scratch cooking
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- Ready meals redefine themselves
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- Figure 11: Claims made for new ready meal products, 2003-07
- A new premium era?
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- Figure 12: NPD of chilled and frozen ready meals, by major retailers, 2003-07
- Recent NPD also emphasises health
- New branded ranges
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Market set for recovery
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- Figure 13: Forecast of retail sales of chilled and frozen ready meals, 2003-13
- Repositioning of ready meals to turn the tide
- The future
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Healthy growth predicted for chilled ready meals
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- Figure 14: Forecast of retail sales of chilled ready meals, 2003-13
- Frozen ready meals suffer
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- Figure 15: Forecast of retail sales of frozen ready meals, 2003-13
- Newer cuisine makes most growth
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- Figure 16: Market segments in the chilled and frozen ready meals market, by cuisine, 2003-08
- Premium is a growth point
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- Figure 17: Market segments in the chilled and frozen ready meals market, by price positioning, 2003-08
- Factors used in the forecast
Market Share
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- Key points
- Premium retailers increase share
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- Figure 18: UK retail share of chilled ready meals, by retailer, 2003-07
- Brands reducing in frozen ready meals
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- Figure 19: Manufacturers’ share of the UK frozen ready meal market, 2003-07
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Key points
- Category needs support
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- Figure 20: Advertising expenditure on chilled and frozen ready meals, 2003-07
- Findus Novelli range is the main brand campaign
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- Figure 21: Advertising expenditure on selected ready meal brands, January-December 2007
Companies and Products
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- Key points
- Own-label dominates chilled ready meals
- Tesco
- Sainsbury’s
- ASDA
- Morrisons
- Marks & Spencer
- Waitrose
- Chilled ready meal manufacturers
- Bakkavör (Geest)
- Greencore
- Kerry Foods
- Northern Foods
- Premier Foods
- S&A Foods
- Champneys
- Annabel Karmel Group Holdings Ltd
- Frozen ready meal manufacturers
- Birds Eye Igloo Group Ltd
- HJ Heinz
- Foodvest (Findus/Young’s)
- Niche companies
Brand Elements
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- Brand map
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- Figure 22: Attitudes and usage of ready meal brands, March 2008
- Weight Watchers from Heinz
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 23: Attitudes towards the Weight Watchers from Heinz brand, March 2008
- M&S
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 24: Attitudes towards the M&S brand, March 2008
- Iceland
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 25: Attitudes towards Iceland brand, March 2008
- Linda McCartney
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 26: Attitudes towards the Linda McCartney brand, March 2008
- Birds Eye
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 27: Attitudes towards the Birds Eye brand, March 2008
- Tesco
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 28: Attitudes towards Tesco brand, March 2008
- Sainsbury’s
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 29: Attitudes towards the Sainsbury’s brand, March 2008
- Aunt Bessie’s
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 30: Attitudes towards the aunt bessies brand, March 2008
- Findus
- What the brand is trying to achieve
- What the consumer thinks
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- Figure 31: Attitudes towards Findus brand, March 2008
- Brand qualities of ready meal brands
- Supermarkets the most accessible but M&S wins special appeal
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- Figure 32: Consumer perceptions of various chilled and frozen brands, March 2008
- Experience of ready meal brands
- Birds Eye most popular, Aunt Bessie’s fast growing
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- Figure 33: Consumer usage of various chilled and frozen meal brands, March 2008
- Brand intentions for ready meal brands
- Tesco’s rivalling Birds Eye for customer retention
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- Figure 34: Consideration of various chilled and frozen meal brands, March 2008
- Brand momentum for ready meal brands
- Aunt Bessie’s gaining most, Linda McCartney losing most ground
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- Figure 35: momentum of various chilled and frozen meal brands, March 2008
- Brand satisfaction for ready meal brands
- M&S most likely to hit the E-spot
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- Figure 36: Satisfaction of various chilled and frozen meal brands, March 2008
- Brand motivation for ready meal brands
- Own-label leads in chilled
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- Figure 37: Motivation for usage of various ready meal brands, March 2008
- Brand commitment to ready meal brands
- M&S sweeps up on being worth more
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- Figure 38: Commitment to various chilled and frozen meal brands, March 2008
- Round up
Use and Purchasing Behaviour
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- Key points
- Italian meals lead chilled segment
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- Figure 39: Types of chilled ready meals purchased in the last six months, February 2008
- ABC1 consumers favour Italian and Indian
- Healthy options appeal to women
- Super-premium segment needed
- Frozen ready meals
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- Figure 40: Types of frozen ready meals purchased in the last six months, February 2008
- Younger consumers like frozen ready meals
Consumer Attitudes Towards Ready Meals/Cooking
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- Key points
- Consumers divide evenly on convenience foods
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- Figure 41: Consumer attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, February 2008
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- Figure 42: Consumers agreeing with the statement ‘Cooking from scratch is often as quick as preparing ready meals’, by age, February 2008
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- Figure 43: Consumers agreeing with the statement ‘Different members of my household eat dinner at different times’, by age and presence of children, February 2008
- Ready meals need more than convenience
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- Figure 44: Consumers agreeing with the statement ‘I avoid ready meals because of the hidden fat/salt content’, by age, February 2008
- No strong preference for ready-to-cook
- Low-calorie ready meals favoured by women
Consumer Targeting Opportunities
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- Key points
- Majority switch between frozen and chilled
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- Figure 45: Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, February 2008
- Ready meals a necessary evil for scratch cookers
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- Figure 46: Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, by agreement with statements on cooking and eating habits, February 2008
- Target groups
- TV Diners (23% of respondents or 11.4 million adults)
- Scratch Cooking Enthusiasts (36% of respondents or 17.8 million adults)
- Ready Meal Fans (16% of respondents or 7.9 million adults)
- Apathetic (25% of respondents or 12.3 million adults)
Appendix: Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Advertising expenditure on ready meal/convenience food categories
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- Figure 47: Advertising expenditure on ready meal/convenience food categories, January-December 2007
- Advertising expenditure on selected ready meal brands
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- Figure 48: Advertising expenditure on selected ready meal brands, January-December 2007
Appendix: Use and Purchasing Behaviour
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- Most popular types of chilled ready meals, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 49: Most popular types of chilled ready meals purchased in the last six months, by detailed demographics, February 2008
- Next most popular types of chilled ready meals, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 50: Next most popular types of chilled ready meals purchased in the last six months, by detailed demographics, February 2008
- Most popular types of frozen ready meals, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 51: Most popular types of frozen ready meals purchased in the last six months, by detailed demographics, February 2008
- Next most popular types of frozen ready meals, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 52: Next most popular types of frozen ready meals purchased in the last six months, by detailed demographics, February 2008
Appendix: Attitudes Towards Ready Meals
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- Most popular attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 53: Most popular attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, by detailed demographics, February 2008
- Next most popular attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 54: Next most popular attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, by detailed demographics, February 2008
- Other popular attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 55: Other popular attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, by detailed demographics, February 2008
Appendix: Consumer Targeting Opportunities
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- Figure 56: Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, February 2008
- Cooking and eating habit target groups, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 57: Cooking and eating habit target groups, by detailed demographics, February 2008
- Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, by attitudes towards ready meals and cooking
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- Figure 58: Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, by attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, February 2008
- Cooking and eating habit target groups, by types of chilled ready meals
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- Figure 59: Cooking and eating habit target groups, by types of chilled ready meals bought in the last six months, February 2008
- Cooking and eating habit target groups, by types of frozen ready meals
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- Figure 60: Cooking and eating habit target groups, by types of frozen ready meals bought in the last six months, February 2008
- Cooking and eating habit target groups, by attitudes towards ready meals and cooking
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- Figure 61: Cooking and eating habit target groups, by attitudes towards ready meals and cooking, February 2008
- Cooking and eating habit target groups, by purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals
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- Figure 62: Cooking and eating habit target groups, by purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, February 2008
- Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, by detailed demographics
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- Figure 63: Purchasing of chilled and frozen ready meals, by detailed demographics, February 2008
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