Ready Meals - Ireland - May 2006

INTRODUCTION
Definitions
Geographical, national and regional definitions
Conversion factors
BMRB Target Group Index sample sizes
Socio-economic definitions
 ABBREVIATIONS
User group definitions
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 ALL-IRELAND READY MEALS MARKET VALUED AT €193.6 MILLION
 CONVENIENCE-DRIVEN SOCIETY
 QUALITY PERCEPTION CONTINUES TO GROW
 CHILLED SECTOR NOW MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
 COMPETITION FROM OTHER TYPES OF FOOD POSE A THREAT
 CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS ARE LOW OF THE FROZEN SECTOR
 AMBIENT SNACKS RELIANT ON IMPULSE SALES
 PENETRATION LEVELS OF READY MEALS SHIFTING
MARKET DRIVERS
 CONVENIENCE
 EMPLOYMENT TRENDS
Figure 1: Employment indicators, NI and RoI, 2000-05
 WOMEN IN EMPLOYMENT
Figure 2: Employment by usual hours worked, by gender, RoI, 2000 and 2005
Figure 3: Full-time/part-time split of employees, by gender, NI, 2005
Cash-rich time-poor consumers
Figure 4: Personal disposable income per capita, at current prices (euros), RoI, NI and UK, 2000-05
Population trends
NI
Figure 5: Population trends, NI, 1998-2008
RoI
Figure 6: Population trends, RoI, 1998-2008
Larger households in decline
Figure 7: Household size, by number of people, NI, 2000-05
Figure 8: Households by number of people, RoI, 2005
Experimentation with foreign cuisine
Figure 9: Agreement/disagreement with the statement “I enjoy eating foreign food”, NI and RoI, 2001 and 2005
Fragmented meal times
Figure 10: Agreement/disagreement with the statement “We rarely sit down to a meal together at home”, NI and RoI, 2001 and 2005
Link between diet and health has been reinforced
Figure 11: Agreement with food and diet/health lifestyle statements, NI and RoI, 2005
Food labelling
Microwaving takes over
Figure 12: Ownership of kitchen appliances, NI and RoI, 2000 and 2005
MARKET SIZE
 ALL-IRELAND READY MEALS MARKET GROWN BY 67%
Figure 13: Retail sales of ready meals, all-Ireland, 2000-05
Republic of Ireland
Figure 14: Retail sales of ready meals, RoI, 2000-05
NI market experiencing slower levels of growth
Figure 15: Retail sales of ready meals, NI, 2000-05
MARKET SEGMENTATION
 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Figure 16: Retail sales of ready meals, by sector, RoI, 2003 and 2005
Figure 17: Retail value sales of ready meals, by sector, RoI, 2005
Northern Ireland
Figure 18: Retail sales of ready meals, by sector, NI, 2003 and 2005
Figure 19: Retail value sales of ready meals, by sector, NI, 2005
The chilled sector
Figure 20: Market split of chilled sector, RoI, 2005
 FROZEN SECTOR
 AMBIENT SECTOR
SUPPLY STRUCTURE
Campbell plc
Carrolls Meats
Clayton Love Distribution
Dawn Fresh Foods
Dunnes Stores
Findus Ltd
Green Isle Foods
Goldstar Meats
HJ Heinz
Kerry Foods
Marks & Spencer
Masterfoods Ireland
McColgan Quality Foods
Nestlé
RHM Frozen Foods
Sainsbury’s
Superquinn
Tesco
The Country Cooking Company
Unilever Bestfoods
Young’s Bluecrest Seafood Ltd
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
2006
2005
2004
DISTRIBUTION
 MULTIPLE RETAILERS
Figure 21: Multiple retailers operating in NI and RoI, by number of outlets, 2001, 2003 and 2005
 SYMBOL GROUPS
Figure 22: Symbol groups operating in NI and RoI, by number of outlets, 2001, 2003 and 2005
THE CONSUMER
Ready meals eaten in the last 12 months
Figure 23: Ready meals eaten in the last 12 months, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI and RoI, 2003 and 2005
Weight of usage NI
Figure 24: Penetration and weight of usage of ready meals in the last 12 months, NI, 2003 and 2005
A third of adults in NI are light users of ready meals
Figure 25: Penetration and weight of usage of ready meals in the last 12 months, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Figure 26: Penetration and weight of usage of ready meals, by number of people in household, employment status and marital status , NI, 2005
Frequency of ready meal consumption NI
Figure 27: Usage levels of ready meals, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Weight of usage RoI
Figure 28: Penetration and weight of usage of ready meals in the last 12 months, RoI, 2003 and 2005
Figure 29: Penetration and weight of usage of ready meals in the last 12 months, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
Figure 30: Penetration and weight of usage of ready meals, by employment status, marital status and number of people in household, RoI, 2005
Figure 31: Usage levels of ready meals by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
 USERS OF INSTANT SNACK MEALS
Figure 32: Instant snack meals eaten in the last 12 months, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI and RoI, 2003 and 2005
Weight of usage of instant snack meals
Figure 33: Weight of usage of instant snack meals, NI, 2003 and 2005
45% of adults consume instant snack meals in NI
Figure 34: Penetration and weight of usage of instant snack meals, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Figure 35: Usage levels of instant snack meals, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Consumption of instant snack meals
Figure 36: Penetration and weight of usage, by employment status, NI, 2005
RoI usage trends
Figure 37: Weight of usage of instant snack meals, RoI, 2003 and 2005
Figure 38: Penetration and weight of usage of instant snack meals, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
Frequency of use of instant snack meals in RoI
Figure 39: Weight o usage of instant snack meals, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
 EMPLOYMENT AND FREQUENCY OF USAGE
Figure 40: Penetration and weight of usage, by employment status, RoI, 2005
 FOOD LIFESTYLE STATEMENTS
More men enjoy eating foreign food
Figure 41: Attitudes towards food, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Trying out new food products
Figure 42: Attitudes towards food, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
Convenience is a major influencing factor
Figure 43: Attitudes towards food statements, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Figure 44: Attitudes towards food statements, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
Figure 45: Attitudes towards food statements, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Figure 46: Attitudes towards food statements, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, RoI, 2005
Trading up for premium brands
Figure 47: Attitudes towards food statements, by gender, age and socio-economic groups, NI, 2005
Figure 48: Attitudes towards food statements, by gender, age and socio-economic group, RoI, 2005
Women’s attitudes towards diet and health
Figure 49: Attitudes towards diet/health statements, by women, NI and RoI, 2005
Figure 50: Attitudes towards diet/health statements, by women, NI and RoI, 2005
Men’s attitudes towards food, diet and health
Figure 51: Attitudes towards diet/health, by men, NI and RoI, 2005
Figure 52: Attitudes towards diet/health, by men, NI and RoI, 2005
THE FUTURE
 FROZEN SEGMENT NEEDS IMAGE OVERHAUL
 CONVENIENCE FACTOR
 HEALTH ISSUES
 DEMOGRAPHICS
 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS
 COMPETITION FROM OTHER FOODS
FORECAST
Figure 53: Forecast of ready meals market, at current prices, NI, 2005-09
Figure 54: Forecast of ready meals market, at current prices, RoI, 2005-09