Table of Contents
Introduction
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- Definition
- Abbreviations
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Sweet biscuits
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- Figure 1: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by sector, 2011
- Savoury biscuits and crackers
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- Figure 2: UK retail value sales of savoury biscuits and crackers, by sector, 2011
- Forecast
- Sweet biscuits
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- Figure 3: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, 2006-16
- Savoury biscuits and crackers
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- Figure 4: UK retail value sales of savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-16
- Market factors
- Sweet and non-sweet biscuits lack healthy status compared with cereal bars
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- Figure 5: Perceptions of healthiness of cereal bars, crackers/savoury biscuits and sweet biscuits, by demographics, October 2011
- Healthy eating remains on the food agenda
- Older population set for fastest growth
- Companies, brands and innovation
- Total NPD activity remains flat but own-label share of new launches soars
- Everyday appeal: McVitie’s Digestives leads branded efforts in sweet biscuits
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- Figure 6: Brand shares in sweet biscuits, 2011
- Jacob’s records impressive growth
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- Figure 7: Brand shares in savoury biscuits and crackers, 2011
- Big brands slash ad support
- The consumer
- Everyday biscuits
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- Figure 8: Types of biscuits and crackers eaten, January 2012
- Crackers
- Eating occasions
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- Figure 9: Occasions for eating biscuits and crackers, January 2012
- Attitudes towards sweet biscuits
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- Figure 10: Attitudes towards sweet biscuits, January 2012
- Attitudes towards savoury biscuits and crackers
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- Figure 11: Attitudes towards eating savoury biscuits and crackers, January 2012
- What we think
Issues in the Market
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- To what extent is consumer dissatisfaction with healthier sweet biscuits restricting growth in the market?
- What impact is the aging population likely to have on the sweet biscuit market?
- What NPD areas offer the most potential in sweet biscuits?
- What opportunities do the 16-24s offer savoury biscuits and crackers?
Future Opportunities
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- Trend: Accentuate the Negative
- Trend: FSTR/HYPR
Internal Market Environment
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- Key points
- Biscuits are well-placed to tap into enduring demand for treats
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- Figure 12: Agreement with the statements, ‘I always look for the light/diet versions of food and drink,’ and ‘I like to treat myself to foods that are not good for me,’ 2007-11
- Obesity levels are rising
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- Figure 13: Trends in body mass index segments, 2007-11
- Recipe reformulations
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- Figure 14: FSA sat-fat reduction targets for biscuits, 2010
- Snacking is widespread
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- Figure 15: Perceptions of healthiness of cereal bars, crackers/savoury biscuits and sweet biscuits, by demographics, October 2011
- Lunchbox remains a lucrative opportunity
Broader Market Environment
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- Key points
- Rising input costs fuel value growth in biscuits
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- Figure 16: Monthly UK prices of sugar (refined/granulated), 2006-11
- Older population set for fastest growth
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- Figure 17: Projected trends in population growth, by age, 2011-16
- Consumer confidence remains weak
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- Figure 18: Monthly consumer confidence index, January 2007-December 2011
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Biscuits and crackers face competition from a variety of snacks
- Cereal bars straddle health and indulgent snack sectors
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- Figure 19: UK retail sales of cereal, snack and energy bars, by value, 2006-12
- Crisps have indulgent appeal but lack engagement with over-55s
- Chocolate confectionery
Strengths and Weaknesses
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- Strengths
- Weaknesses
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- Level of NPD remains around 5% of total food launches
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- Figure 20: Share of new launches of biscuits, cookies and crackers of NPD in the total UK food market, 2008-11
- Figure 21: Share of biscuits, cookies and crackers NPD, by sector, 2008-11
- Own-label leads the charge for NPD
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- Figure 22: Share of product launches within the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, by ultimate company, 2008-11
- Supermarket own-brands
- Burton’s Biscuit Company
- McVitie’s
- Fox’s
- Ryvita
- Chocolate remains most popular flavour component
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- Figure 23: Product launches in the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, by top 10 flavour component sub group, 2008-11
- In general, NPD bearing health claims falls over 2010-11
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- Figure 24: Product launches in the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, by claims, 2008-11
- Vegetarian claims most common in crackers NPD
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- Figure 25: Top ten claims among new launches in the UK savoury biscuit and crackers, 2010-11
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Total value sales of sweet and non-sweet biscuits and crackers continue to climb
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- Figure 26: Total UK retail sales for sweet biscuits and savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-16
- Modest value rises in sweet biscuits but underlying growth falters
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- Figure 27: UK retail value sales for sweet biscuits, 2006-16
- Volumes continue to fall in 2011
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- Figure 28: UK retail volume sales for sweet biscuits, 2009-11
- Savoury biscuits enjoy steady value and volume growth
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- Figure 29: UK retail value sales for savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-16
- Volume sales are steady
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- Figure 30: UK retail volume sales for savoury biscuits, 2009-11
- The future of the biscuits, cookies and crackers market
- Sweet biscuits
- Savoury biscuits and crackers
- Market forecasts
- Sweet biscuits
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- Figure 31: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, 2006-16
- Savoury biscuits and crackers
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- Figure 32: UK retail value sales of savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-16
- Forecast methodology
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Everyday biscuits dominate sales but volumes growth is slow
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- Figure 33: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by segment, 2011
- Figure 34: UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by sector, 2009-11
- Figure 35: UK retail volume sales of sweet biscuits, by sector, 2009-11
- Everyday biscuits
- Treat biscuits
- Children’s biscuits
- Healthier biscuits
- Savoury biscuits record robust growth
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- Figure 36: UK retail value and volume sales of savoury biscuits and crackers, by sector, 2009-11
Market Share
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- Key points
- McVitie’s leads sweet biscuits
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- Figure 37: Leading Brands’ shares in value sales of sweet biscuits, 2009-11
- Figure 38: Leading brands’ shares in sweet biscuits, 2011
- United Biscuits
- Burton’s
- Own-label
- Strong growth all round in savoury biscuits and crackers
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- Figure 39: Brand shares in value sales of savoury biscuits and crackers, 2010-11
- Figure 40: Brand shares in savoury biscuits and crackers, 2011
- United Biscuits
- Ryvita
Companies and Products
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- Figure 41: Brands of leading companies in the biscuits, cookies and crackers market
- United Biscuits
- Associated British Foods
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- Figure 42: Selected new product launches by Associated British Foods in the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, February 2011-January 2012
- Burton’s Biscuit Company
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- Figure 43: Selected new product launches by Burton’s Biscuit Company in the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, February 2011-January 2012
- Kraft Foods
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- Figure 44: Selected new product launches by Kraft Foods in the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, February 2011-January 2012
- Northern Foods
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- Figure 45: Selected new product launches by Northern Foods in the UK biscuits, cookies and crackers market, February 2011-January 2012
- Tunnock’s
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Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 46: Attitudes towards and usage of brands in the biscuit, cookie & cracker sector, December 2011
- Correspondence analysis
- Brand attitudes
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- Figure 47: Attitudes by biscuit, cookie & cracker brand, December 2011
- Brand personality
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- Figure 48: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand personality – macro image, December 2011
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- Figure 49: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand personality – micro image, December 2011
- Brand experience
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- Figure 50: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand usage, December 2011
- Figure 51: Satisfaction with various biscuit, cookie & cracker brands, December 2011
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- Figure 52: Consideration of biscuit, cookie & cracker brands, December 2011
- Figure 53: Consumer perceptions of current biscuit, cookie & cracker brand performance, December 2011
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- Figure 54: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand recommendation – Net Promoter Score, December 2011
- Brand index
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- Figure 55: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand index, December 2011
- Figure 56: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand index vs. recommendation, December 2011
- Target group analysis
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- Figure 57: Target groups, December 2011
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- Figure 58: Biscuit, cookie & cracker brand usage, by target groups, December 2011
- Group One – Conformists
- Group Two – Simply the Best
- Group Three – Shelf Stalkers
- Group Four – Habitual Shoppers
- Group Five – Individualists
Channels to Market
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- Key points
- Supermarket giants dominate sales
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- Figure 59: Estimated retail distribution of sweet and non-sweet biscuits and crackers, 2008-11
- Independents are squeezed by multiples and discounters
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Key points
- Total adspend stays flat
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- Figure 60: Main monitored media advertising expenditure in total biscuits, cookies and crackers market, 2007-11
- Biscuit giants reduce ad spend
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- Figure 61: Advertising expenditure in the biscuits, cookies and crackers market, by highest-spending brands, 2007-11
- Kraft retains the lead
- Burton’s cuts back
- United Biscuits
- Jordans & Ryvita
- Nestlé
- Own-label
Consumer Usage of Biscuits, Cookies and Crackers
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- Key points
- Usage of sweet biscuits edges up over 2010 and 2011
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- Figure 62: Usage of sweet biscuits, 2006-11
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- Figure 63: Frequency of eating sweet biscuits, 2006-11
- Usage of savoury biscuits and crackers remains unchanged over 2010-11
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- Figure 64: Usage of savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-11
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- Figure 65: Frequency of using savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-11
Consumer – Types of Biscuits and Crackers Eaten
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- Key points
- Everyday appeal wins over consumers in sweet biscuits
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- Figure 66: Types of biscuits and crackers eaten, January 2012
- Crackers lack engagement with men and 16-24s
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- Figure 67: usage of crackers, by gender and age groups, January 2012
- Chocolate biscuit bars have family appeal
- Oatcakes can benefit from emphasising oats’ health credentials
Consumer – Occasions for Eating Biscuits and Crackers
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- Key points
- Over eight in ten users eat sweet biscuits at home
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- Figure 68: Occasions for eating sweet biscuits, January 2012
- Dunk appeal: Over half of users eat sweet biscuits with a hot drink
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- Figure 69: Agreement with the statement, ‘I usually eat sweet biscuits with a hot drink,’ by age group, January 2012
- Under two fifths of users eat biscuits at work or college
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- Figure 70: Agreement with the statement, ‘I usually eat sweet biscuits as a snack at work/college,’ by age group, January 2012
- Savoury biscuits mainly eaten as a snack at home
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- Figure 71: Occasions for eating savoury biscuits and crackers, January 2012
- Savoury biscuits have strong association with cheese
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- Figure 72: Agreement with the statement, ‘I usually eat savoury biscuits and crackers when eating cheese, after a meal,’ by age group and gross annual income, January 2012
Consumer – Attitudes Towards Eating Sweet Biscuits
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- Key points
- Biscuits have indulgent appeal although nearly two fifths of users feel guilty about eating them
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- Figure 73: Attitudes towards eating sweet biscuits, January 2012
- The guilt factor
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- Figure 74: Agreement with the statement, ‘I tend to feel guilty for eating biscuits,’ by age and gender groups, January 2012
- Children’s market marks a strong opportunity
- Nearly half of women believe there are not enough healthier biscuits
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- Figure 75: Agreement with the statements, ‘There are not enough healthy biscuits available,’ and ‘Low-fat/healthy biscuits taste bland,’ by age and gender groups, January 2012
- Healthy biscuits may be seen to lack flavour but 40% would buy more sweet biscuits if sugar content was lower
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- Figure 76: Agreement with the statement, ‘I would eat more biscuits if they were lower in sugar,’ by age group and gender, January 2012
- NPD opportunities lie in packaging and flavour
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- Figure 77: Agreement with the statements, ‘I’d like to see more interesting ingredients (eg dried fruit, spice, nuts) in biscuits,’ and ‘I would buy more biscuits if they had re-sealable packaging,’ by age and gender groups, January 2012
- Sharing bag biscuits appeal to younger users
- Younger users are least likely to agree that old favourites are boring
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- Figure 78: Agreement with the statement, ‘Traditional biscuits, like custard creams and bourbons, are boring,’ by age group, January 2012
Consumer – Attitudes Towards Eating Savoury Biscuits and Crackers
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- Key points
- Crackers boast a positive healthy image
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- Figure 79: Attitudes towards eating savoury biscuits and crackers, January 2012
- Over half of women users see crackers as a filling snack
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- Figure 80: Agreement with the statements ‘Crackers are a filling snack,’ and ‘I tend to eat savoury biscuits as an alternative to other foods (eg bread),’ gender and age groups, January 2012
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- Figure 81: Agreement with the statements ‘I often try new flavours and varieties of savoury biscuits and crackers,’ and ‘I would buy crackers with added health ingredients (eg Omega-3, added fibre, etc.),’ gender and age groups, January 2012
- Crisprolls and crispbreads
Consumer – Target Groups
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- Key points
- Four target groups
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- Figure 82: Target groups, January 2012
- Traditionalists (33%)
- Healthy Munchers (23%)
- Contented Consumers (23%)
- Contemporaries (21%)
Appendix – Internal Market Environment
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- Figure 83: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, by demographics, 2011
- Figure 84: Obese and overweight consumers, by gender and age, 2011
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- Figure 85: Perceptions of healthiness of cereal bar, by demographics, October 2011
- Figure 86: Perceptions of healthiness of crackers/savoury biscuits, by demographics, October 2011
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- Figure 87: Perceptions of healthiness of sweet biscuits, by demographics, October 2011
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Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 88: Total UK retail sales for sweet biscuits and savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-16
- Figure 89: Total UK retail sales for sweet biscuits and savoury biscuits and crackers, 2006-16
- Figure 90: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by value, 2011-16
- Figure 91: Best- and worst-case forecasts for UK retail value sales of savoury biscuits and crackers, by value, 2011-16
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Appendix – Brand Research
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- Figure 92: Brand usage, December 2011
- Figure 93: Brand commitment, December 2011
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- Figure 94: Brand momentum, December 2011
- Figure 95: Brand diversity, December 2011
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- Figure 96: Brand satisfaction, December 2011
- Figure 97: Brand recommendation, December 2011
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- Figure 98: Brand attitude, December 2011
- Figure 99: Brand image – macro image, December 2011
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- Figure 100: Brand image – micro image, December 2011
- Figure 101: Profile of target groups by demographic, December 2011
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- Figure 102: Psychographic segmentation, by target group, December 2011
- Figure 103: Brand usage, by target group, December 2011
- Brand index
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- Figure 104: Brand index, December 2011
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Appendix – Consumer – Types of Biscuits and Crackers Eaten
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- Figure 105: Most popular types of biscuits and crackers eaten, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 106: Next most popular types of biscuits and crackers eaten, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 107: Other types of biscuits and crackers eaten, by demographics, January 2012
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Appendix – Consumer – Occasions for Eating Biscuits and Crackers
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- Figure 108: Most popular occasions for eating sweet biscuits, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 109: Next most popular occasions for eating sweet biscuits, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 110: Most popular occasions for eating savoury biscuits and crackers, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 111: Next most popular occasions for eating savoury biscuits and crackers, by demographics, January 2012
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Appendix – Consumer – Attitudes Towards Sweet Biscuits
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- Figure 112: Attitudes towards eating sweet biscuits, January 2012
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- Figure 113: Agreement with the statements ‘Biscuits make for an indulgent treat’ and ‘There are not enough healthy biscuits available’, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 114: Agreement with the statements ‘Low-fat/healthy biscuits taste bland’ and ‘I would buy more biscuits if they had re-sealable packaging’, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 115: Agreement with the statements ‘Biscuits packed in sharing bags are easier to eat and keep fresh’ and ‘I’d like to see more interesting ingredients (eg dried fruit, spice, nuts) in biscuits’, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 116: Agreement with the statements ‘I would eat more biscuits if they were lower in sugar’ and ‘I tend to feel guilty for eating biscuits’, by demographics, January 2012
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- Figure 117: Agreement with the statements ‘Traditional biscuits, like custard creams and bourbons, are boring’ and ‘I am happy to give my child chocolate biscuits’, by demographics, January 2012
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Appendix – Consumer – Attitudes towards Savoury Biscuits and Crackers
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- Figure 118: Attitudes towards savoury biscuits and crackers, January 2012
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- Figure 119: Next most important attitudes towards eating savoury biscuits and crackers, January 2012
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Appendix – Target Groups
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- Figure 120: Target Groups, by demographics, January 2012
- Figure 121: Attitudes towards eating sweet biscuits, by target groups, January 2012
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