Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Frozen food benefits in lean times
- Scratch-cooking poses challenges to frozen food
- UK housing trends put a squeeze on freezer space
- Focus on food waste should support frozen food
- Rise of top-up shopping could challenge frozen
- Companies and brands
- Frozen food launches jump in 2015 fuelled by Iceland
- Birds Eye is leading brand by NPD
- Premium activity continues in 2015
- Quality and food waste avoidance are key marketing messages
- The consumer
- Frozen food is bought near universally
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- Figure 1: Types of frozen food purchased in the last three months, July 2016
- Value and convenience are key drivers for opting for frozen food
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- Figure 2: Reasons for buying frozen food, July 2016
- Defrosting and pack size are barriers, one in three non-buyers cite none
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- Figure 3: Reasons for not buying frozen food, July 2016
- Driving footfall is a key challenge for frozen
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- Figure 4: Frozen food shopping behaviours, July 2016
- Appealing to scratch cooks remains a challenge
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- Figure 5: Attitudes towards frozen food, July 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Frozen food struggles to appeal to the large pool of scratch-cooks
- The facts
- The implications
- A case for smaller packs as freezer space diminished by homes and households getting smaller
- The facts
- The implications
- Price promotions outside the frozen aisle can help to address key challenge of driving footfall
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Frozen food benefits in lean times
- Scratch-cooking poses challenges to frozen food
- UK housing trend puts a squeeze on freezer space
- Focus on food waste should support frozen food
- Rise of top-up shopping could challenge frozen
Market Drivers
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- Economic downturn benefited frozen food
- Shoppers look to chilled when their budget allows it
- Uncertainty awaits the market
- Scratch-cooking trend poses challenges to frozen food
- UK housing trend puts a squeeze on freezer space
- Focus on food waste should support frozen food
- Rise of top-up shopping could challenge frozen
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Frozen food launches jump in 2015 fuelled by Iceland
- Birds Eye is leading brand by NPD
- Premium activity continues in 2015
- Leading frozen food players up their adspend
- Quality and food waste avoidance are key messages
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Frozen food launches jump in 2015
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- Figure 6: Frozen food’s share of total UK food launches (excl. ice cream), 2012-16
- Iceland fuels activity with range revamp
- Tesco, Asda and Morrisons also contribute to rise in frozen launches
- Birds Eye is leading brand by NPD
- Frozen aisle attracts new brands
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- Figure 7: Leading companies by frozen food NPD (sorted by 2015), 2012-16
- Convenience claims are more common in frozen than all food NPD
- Convenience needs to be prominently communicated
- Looking to scratch-cooking associations
- Bernard Matthews’ Go Create positions cooked poultry as an ingredient
- Alternative formats move away from traditional ready meals
- Premium activity continues in 2015
- Exotic ingredients
- Provenance and artisan cues
- Young’s expansion of Gastro range shows confidence in premium tier
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Leading frozen food players up their adspend
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- Figure 8: Total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure frozen food, by selected advertisers, 2012-16
- A focus on quality
- Iceland looks to authentic provenance …
- … and recommendations from “real mums”
- Dr. Oetker turns to sampling to prove its taste credentials
- McCain puts its cooking centre stage
- Pushing the no-waste benefit
- Sainsbury’s looks to food bloggers to showcase frozen food recipes
- Birds Eye looks to make frozen savings tangible
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Frozen food is bought near-universally
- Value and convenience are key drivers for opting for frozen food
- Defrosting and pack size are barriers, one in three non-buyers cite none
- Driving footfall is a key challenge for frozen
- High interest in frozen food meal deals
- Appealing to scratch cooks remains a challenge
- Consumers struggle to navigate the frozen food aisle
Purchase of Frozen Food
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- Frozen food is bought near-universally
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- Figure 9: Types of frozen food purchased in the last three months, July 2016
- 45-54s and families are key buyers
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- Figure 10: Repertoire of types of frozen food purchased in the last three months, by age group, July 2016
Reasons for Buying Frozen Food
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- Value is key driver for opting for frozen food
- Importance of value as driver leaves frozen food vulnerable to trading up
- Focusing on food waste could help strengthen value proposition
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- Figure 11: Reasons for buying frozen food, July 2016
- Convenience prompts many to buy frozen food
- Over-55s are most likely to buy frozen food as a fall-back option
- Nutrient retention compels few buyers
Reasons for Not Buying Frozen Food
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- One in three non-buyers cite none of the common barriers to frozen
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- Figure 12: Reasons for not buying frozen food, July 2016
- Defrosting is a barrier
- Large pack sizes an obstacle for small households
- Young people are put off by processed feel
- Sampling should help to win over young adults
Frozen Food Shopping Behaviours
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- Driving footfall is a key challenge for frozen
- Most shoppers only visit frozen aisle for a reason
- Frozen aisle gets limited browsers
- Promotions beyond the aisle can remind shoppers of frozen
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- Figure 13: Frozen food shopping behaviours, July 2016
- Lack of freezer space a limiting factor
- High interest in frozen food meal deals
- Potential for high-quality ingredients to add value
Attitudes towards Frozen Food
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- See-though packaging is important
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- Figure 14: Attitudes towards frozen food, July 2016
- Frozen is a good fit for international foods
- Appealing to scratch-cooks remains a challenge
- Lack of confidence a key barrier …
- … particularly for younger age groups
- Consumers struggle to navigate the frozen food aisle
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 15: Change in frozen food launches by major segment, 2012-15 and 2014-15
- Figure 16: Share of NPD in the UK frozen food segment, by selected claims, 2012-16
- Figure 17: Share of NPD in the UK food market, by selected claims, 2012-16
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