Barbecues and outdoor cooking of all kinds have been popular in the UK for a long time now. With barbecues becoming more efficient, cheaper and with more variety, their popularity seems only to be increasing. In the last few years, over 1 in 10 Brits now barbecue regularly, many lighting up the charcoal at least once a week.
The covid pandemic and lockdown changed a lot about how we live and work. It also boosted home entertaining, and especially barbecuing, as a safe, legal place to come together and enjoy time with family and friends.
The rise of staycations – whether holidaying in the UK or simply staying at home, means people are barbecuing more and more.
The economic environment is also a factor. With the cost-of-living crisis, people are cooking more and more at home, and realising that barbecuing is a fun, social and economical way of preparing food.
Since 2019, the UK has seen sales of bread rolls rise by £70 million – meaning an extra 300 million rolls have been consumed since before the pandemic. And it’s not just barbecuing – pizza ovens are now very popular, as are tandoori ovens. Britain seems determined to be going al fresco – sales of outdoor furniture and items such as fire pits have also rocketed in recent years. People are also building shelters and gazebos in their gardens and installing heaters, allowing them to be outdoors for much of the year.
The barbecue season itself isn’t set in stone anymore. It’s traditionally seen as beginning around springtime, when the weather starts to warm up, until late summer – often as late as October, before the weather starts to get chilly. But nothing is definite – with a good dry day, people have been known to wrap up warm and fire up the barbecue in January!
Caroline Morris, Head of Sales and Business Development at Bar-Be-Quick, comments: “With the boom in popularity of all things barbeque, there are huge opportunities here for promotional offers – especially in peak season. Sales of burger buns and rolls increased by up to £20 million in the 12 weeks up to August 2021 – so it’s important that wholesalers must merchandise to maximise those sales. Popular products should be given more than one facing – offering the consumer good, better, and best options and price points. Wholesalers need to look at where demand is coming from and ensure that they are merchandising in line with that demand.”
It’s estimated that the basket spend when purchasing an instant barbecue is between an additional £20 to £40 in additional items – burgers, sausages, beers, wines and spirits, cheese and bread – a huge consumer driver to spend more.
With this increased popularity comes people’s willingness to expand their barbecuing skills. Consumers have never been so very willing to try new things – be it recipes, tools, or technology – from pincers to thermometers. Wholesalers who give prominence to such add-on items will find it very rewarding.
The total ‘eating enhancer’ (table sauces, dressings and condiments) category is worth over £70m in the convenience channel, an increase of +8.5% over the last year. Mayonnaise is the largest subcategory with 33% share, closely followed by ketchup with a 23% share – both are key products due to their year-round appeal. Areas of growth within the category also include flavoured mayonnaise, squeezy formats, salad dressings and other thick sauces such as BBQ and hot sauces.
Summer is an important time for this category as consumers BBQ and look to add flavour to their meals. BBQ and Hot Sauces saw a +19% increase in unit sales. Encourage incremental purchases by placing complementary products next to each other to prompt purchase– e.g. tomato ketchup by burgers and sausages, mayonnaise/salad dressings by salad bags.
Taste is still the number 1 driver in the category, which has led to a huge increase in non-traditional sauces such as hot and spicy and speciality dressings.
The changing seasons are a huge influencer in the consumption of table sauces. “Summer is a very important season for the table sauces, dressings and condiments category because of BBQs and summer parties. But don’t forget Christmas – condiments is the fastest growing subcategory (Nielsen) during this period so make sure you are well stocked in Cranberry Sauce, Mustard etc,” says Lucy Richardson, Unilever UK Category Director.
“With 99% of households buying these products, they are key top-up items in convenience stores. That’s why it is so important to have the top sellers available. If the customer can’t see it or it isn’t available, they will simply shop elsewhere.”
Louise Reynard, Customer Development Director, UK at St Pierre Groupe comments on behalf of the St Pierre brand: “The barbecue occasion has been growing in recent years, as millions of consumers have discovered a new-found appreciation for barbecuing at home with friends and family. The pandemic gave people the opportunity to rethink their eating habits, followed by the cost-of-living crisis focusing their minds on enjoying affordable treats at home, as a less costly alternative to going out.
“As the home barbecuing habit grows, consumers are now routinely trading up on bakery staples to something more premium. Those hosting barbecues this summer will want to impress and offering an upgrade to standard bakery – such as St Pierre brioche – is one way to ensure they do so.”
Indulgence is another trend gaining traction, as many consumers embrace the little pick-me-ups that we all need from time to time. Wholesalers can help the convenience stores to easily cater to these trends by providing ranges that allow their shoppers to ‘upgrade’ from traditional staples for their barbecue offering. St Pierre’s brioche range is an ideal base for enhancing burger and hot dog recipes.
The barbecue season starts with the coming of spring, which sends people out into their gardens and, as long as the weather stays dry, can carry through until the autumn. This is something that has been reflected in St Pierre’s brioche buns and rolls sales going from strength to strength in recent summers, continuing until the last of the warm weather in late September.
“Wholesalers can maximise convenience stores’ barbecue sales by offering a range of bakery formats that are most suited to the barbecue occasion and will impress and offer an upgrade to standard bakery,” adds Reynard. “St Pierre’s Brioche Buns and Brioche Hot Dog Rolls offer consumers an affordable way to do this.”
At the same time, St Pierre’s range benefits from a longer shelf life, which safeguards shoppers from watching food going to waste due to the uncertainties of the British summer weather.
Sharing packs are all-important for the barbecue occasion and for burger buns and rolls, this means four packs and six packs. St Pierre Brioche Buns (6s), St Pierre Seeded Brioche Burger Bun (4s), St Pierre Brioche Burger Buns (4s) and St Pierre Brioche Hot Dog Rolls (4s) are perfect for barbecues, and also for informal entertaining indoors, to keep the party going when the rain comes down.
Louise Reynard, Customer Development Director, UK, at St Pierre Groupe comments on behalf of the Baker Street brand: “Barbecuing is gaining popularity, driven by the continuing cost-of-living crisis, which is leading to consumers staying in rather than going out, and when the warm weather comes, that means making the most of their gardens. The barbecue category stands to benefit in 2024 from the increasing popularity of more substantial barbeque foods, such as burgers and hot dogs, including vegetarian and plant-based options – driven, in part, by the rise in ‘Americana-style’ dishes on menus across the UK.”
Shoppers are also looking for quick and easy ways to create ‘fakeaway’ favourites. Baker Street’s Drive Thru range of Burger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls are ideal for those looking to recreate classic burgers and hot dogs, served with a variety of toppings. Baker Street’s recipes have been specifically developed for this purpose – with burger buns ‘built for burgers’, and hot dog rolls ‘ready to handle’ the load.
Baker Street’s best-selling products for the barbecue season are its Burger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls, which give both wholesalers and retailers alike extended-life options that allow for variety. Both the Original Burger Buns and Classic Hot Dog Rolls can be used for a host of tasty barbecue meals, including traditional ‘American style’ burgers and loaded hot dogs.
Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods, comments: “To take barbecues to the next level, and encourage customers to trade up, why not offer on-trend bao buns as an alternative carrier for burgers, sausages, chicken and other BBQ favourites. Alternatively, they can be served packed with crunchy salad and sticky sauce to make a great accompaniment to BBQ meats. Bao buns are versatile and bang on trend at the moment, so these beauties are an excellent, must-have product to stock.
“Wholesalers can maximise sales by ensuring that alongside traditional BBQ essentials, they also stock products that are going to give BBQs a modern twist this summer. We all know how the weather can affect outdoor events so it’s a great idea to have back-up frozen BBQ favourites that are ready cooked in stock as well. These will help to supplement what can be cooked outside and are an easy and convenient way to ensure that food service outlets have plenty to go round, especially if faced with unexpected demand.”
For wholesalers which have customers with venues that have outdoor seating and viewing areas, BBQs obviously pair perfectly with key sporting events. With both the men’s and women’s FA cup finals in May, Champions League and Premiership Rugby finals, plus the Cricket T20 World Cup in June, and Wimbledon in July – to name just a few – wholesalers should look ahead at the sporting calendar and plan stocks of BBQ favourites around these dates.
As growing numbers of consumers make a conscious decision to eat more healthily, and increasingly look to foods which complement their growing interest in flavours from around the world, wholesalers can make more of the BBQ occasion with an increased focus on fresh salad.
Martin Purdy, Commercial and Marketing Director at Florette UK, says: “Great-tasting salads are now a key feature of many BBQs and as the meat component may be regarded as less healthy, the healthier choice of a fresh salad accompaniment takes on more importance.
“People are also becoming much more adventurous by introducing new and exciting flavours from all over the world to their BBQs. The good news for wholesalers looking to maximise the BBQ opportunity is that versatile fresh salads are the perfect accompaniment to new and emerging ‘world foods flavours’ and can be merchandised as such.”
Also, mindful that consumers are now more time conscious than ever before, and want to minimise meal preparation times, ready-to-use fresh salads are not just convenient, the carefully selected blend of leaves provide the perfect eating experience.
With over 556 million packs of fresh salad sold each year (Nielsen and Kantar), with summer a core period for the category as consumers choose fresher, lighter meals, market-leading brand Florette is ideally placed to help wholesalers and retailers capitalise on consumer demand for pre-prepared salad products which are ideally suited to the BBQ occasion.
Florette has a great range of salad products perfect for the BBQ occasion, be that Florette Crispy (90g and 140g) which is the biggest selling product in the Impulse channel and Florette Mixed salad (125g), with its crunchy mix of leaves which pair well with any BBQ.
Consumers wanting to save time on preparing BBQs links into the rise of shoppers looking for more convenient options rather than scratch cooking. Also, shoppers are looking to make healthier choices where they can and this is where pre-prepared fresh salads come in.
“The BBQ occasion also highlights the true versatility of prepared fresh salads,” adds Purdy. “With one third of fresh salad eaten as a component, adding freshness and texture to sandwiches and wraps, and almost two thirds of salad occasions featuring on the side of plate, consumers can personalise and improve their favourite dishes with prepared salads.”
Lesley Parker, Senior Brand Manager for Kuhne at UK distributor RH Amar, comments: “Featuring a range of the finest gherkins, pickles and sauerkraut, all Kühne products are made in Germany using only the finest, hand-picked and sustainably sourced ingredients.
“Kühne gherkins are grown in the best soil and are then pickled in a home-made vinegar brine that has been created to ensure the balance of the final product is just right.”
Kühne products are 100% natural, made without the addition of preservatives or artificial colours, are gluten-free and lactose-free, and the majority are suitable for those following vegetarian and vegan diets, so they really are perfect for any diet.
As well as offering the category’s most comprehensive range of pickles – including whole gherkins, sliced gherkins and cornichons, as well as sauerkraut, relishes and sauces – Kühne is now offering shoppers its most special range of premium gherkins yet.
New Kühne Gourmet Selection is a range of premium gherkins packed fresh to ensure the perfect crunch. Available in three variants infused with either Herbs, Honey or Chilli, each comes in a premium, standout 580ml jar (RRP: £3.55 each).
“Available now, we expect this new Gourmet Selection range to be particularly popular among those looking to treat themselves or their guests to something really special,” adds Parker.
“Indeed, pre-launch tests show that 86.3% of consumers who tried the product liked it (Degusta). Taste was called out as the new range’s top attribute and was cited by 87.3% of respondents.”
Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, Group Marketing Director for Lactalis UK & Ireland, comments: “As summer approaches and the weather heats up, so does the opportunity for retailers to capitalise on the barbecue and alfresco dining occasion. Whether the sun makes an appearance or not, it’s likely consumers will still be looking to socialise with friends at home and in the garden this summer. Therefore, retailers should look to stock up on a range of products like branded cheese that will entice consumers planning outdoor gatherings and barbecues. As one of the most shopped categories in retail, with 99% shopper penetration; cheese is a popular and extremely versatile food, which can be used in a host of ways, such as toppings for burgers, hot dogs and salads.”
In 2023, Lactalis saw sales of Galbani Mozzarella, Burrata, and Buffalo Mozzarella increase as early as February, with sales of Galbani Mozzarella 125g and Mozzarella Maxi 250g beginning to grow from March, which is typically when the weather begins to get warmer. Sales of Galbani Mozzarella 125g and Mozzarella Maxi 250g peaked in August 2023 with value sales of £1,831,174 and volume sales of 153,715 units (IRI), with Galbani Mozzarella 125g being the best-seller last summer.
One BBQ accompaniment, which traditionally peaks during the spring and summer months, is mozzarella. Galbani is the #1 Italian cheese brand, and #1 mozzarella brand in the UK, and is worth £27 million in value sales, growing at +3% YoY.
“As a leading player in the cheese market here and around the world, we have built our position by monitoring trends and anticipating demand with our product ranges,” adds Le Norcy-Trott. “As a result, we have some of the nation’s favourite cheeses in our portfolio – including Galbani, Président, Seriously, Seriously Spreadable, Galloway, Orkney and Leerdammer.”
In line with the wider food and drink market, Lactalis’ brands have grown in value sales and declined in volume in 2023. Worth £27million, #1 French continental cheese brand, Président, has driven growth into the cheese category with +12% value sales growth year on year (IRI). The #1 Italian cheese brand and #1 mozzarella brand, Galbani, which is worth £30million, grew by +2% in value sales YOY. Leerdammer, Galloway and Orkney also saw value sales growth of +7%, +10% and +8% respectively.
Galbani, Seriously Spreadable and Président will be back on TV again this year, via VOD, with high reaching, and engaging plans that will continue building awareness and prompt purchase.
Matt Collins, Trading Director at KP Snacks, comments: “BBQs and summer events, like gathering to watch Wimbledon, the Euros or the Olympics all represent excellent opportunities for retailers to drive sales and footfall. As friends and family get-together for summer and sporting fun, they will seek out their favourite snacks to maximise enjoyment.”
Exempt from HFSS legislation, nuts offer a treat at summer BBQs or while watching sports at home with friends. Worth £97.2m RSV and growing +14.2% (Nielsen IQ), the KP Nuts portfolio offers delicious flavours in a range of sharing formats and leads the category as the UK’s number one branded nut (Nielsen IQ).
Bringing big, bold flavours to evening sharing, the largest occasion within both nuts and sharing (Kantar), KP’s Flavour Kravers range launched in 2022. Available in three flavours: Flame Grilled Steak, Smokin’ Paprika, and Sour Cream & Chive, Flavour Kravers look to ignite interest from younger consumers to drive sales, with this demographic over-indexing in bold flavours (Kantar).
For shoppers looking for sweeter snacking moments, Butterkist Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate flavour toffee popcorn is the perfect product to add fun and indulgence to any summer occasion. The innovative flavour bridges the gap between popcorn and chocolate confectionary to create a sweet and irresistible snack.
“We know there is a high demand for premium lines as consumers look to make in-home occasions feel more special with 46% of shoppers more inclined to trade up to premium food and drink options when dining at home (Kantar), adds Collins. “Tyrrells 150g Sharing bags are key products to capitalise on, offering classic and tasty flavours. Full of personality, the Tyrrells brand has taste and quality at the heart of its offering and delivers the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine or cider.”
Steve Young, Sales Director at Asahi UK, comments: “Within chilled beer (excluding ale), 96% of sales are lager, 2% is stout, 1% is craft and 0.7% is no- and low-alcohol beer (Nielsen).”
There are three growth opportunities: the first is no- and low-alcohol beer (worth £10m and growing at 13%). The second two come from both ends of the value scale. Premium four-pack cans are worth £96m and growing at 14%, while four-pack pint cans are worth £269m.
“We expect four-pack pint cans to continue to grow in the coming months as the rising cost of living leads to more shoppers consuming beer and socialising at home, rather than in pubs and bars,” adds Young Cider is worth £1bn and declined at -6% MAT (Nielsen). Apple cider is the dominant variety and has grown share – now at 63.7% (MAT 2YA vs MAT TY). Flavoured cider is worth 35.3%.
Premium and super-premium cider share is up by 2%pts vs 2 years ago (Nielsen). In comparison to beer, cider commands a slightly lower average price per litre (£2.46 vs £2.59) as it is weighed down by the prevalence of budget cider. However, premium cider carries an average price per litre of £3.37 vs £3.21 in beer, indicating there is an opportunity for retailers to premiumise their ranges.
Cornish Orchards is currently valued at £1.3m and is growing at 2%. Gold contributes 53% of its value, with Vintage showing the strongest growth.
Cornish Orchards’ average price per litre is £4 – well above the average price per litre of £2.46. It sits in the super-premium tier. Super-premium cider makes up 13.7% share of the category.
Thatchers Vintage 8.3% has become the fastest growing premium cider brand in the wholesale channel according to latest figures (Circana).
Since it was given a new look and higher ABV in 2023 to reflect its premium position and appeal to vintage cider connoisseurs, Thatchers Vintage has been making its mark in symbols and independents with increased demand through the wholesale channel.
Using the pick of the crop from the 2022 harvest, Thatchers Vintage is pressed, blended, matured and bottled in Somerset by the fourth generation cider maker. With an RRP of £2.99 for a 500ml bottle, the premium price point offers retailers the chance to drive value sales as shoppers seek out value for money, premium choices.
Thatchers Vintage is also available in a new 6-bottle pack.
Martyn Birks, head of off trade wholesale at Thatchers Cider, says: “Thatchers Vintage Cider has gained a loyal following since it was first made in 2006. By the outstanding growth we’ve seen in the wholesale channel recently, it’s clear that Thatchers Vintage is being welcomed not just by existing shoppers, but by a wider audience who seek out premium ABV products.”
Thatchers Cider has been seeing growth across the board in the wholesale channel throughout 2023. Not only is it the fastest growing cider maker (Circana), the fourth generation producer is also the fastest growing fruit cider maker (Circana).
Thatchers, which has gained strong shopper loyalty with its brands including Thatchers Gold and Thatchers Blood Orange, has added more value (£6.5m) to the symbols and independent channel in 2023, than any other cider maker (Circana).
Martyn Birks continues: “The future of the independent category lies firmly in great quality, premium cider that offers value to the shopper, and reflects provenance and heritage of the cider maker.
“Our growth in the wholesale sector reflects the increased demand by convenience retailers for our range of apple and fruit ciders, including our latest launch, Apple and Blackcurrant.”
As well as four and ten can packs, Thatchers has produced price marked packs for its Thatchers Gold and Apple and Blackcurrant ciders.
With a loyal and strong consumer base, premium cider is the best performing sub-category within the off trade, with latest 52 week performance showing 18.6% growth by value and 10.2% growth by volume (Circana).
Calli O’Brien, Head of Marketing at Aston Manor Cider, comments: “Building on the success of its extensive range of world-class ciders, Aston Manor is proud to announce its Knights Cider brand has become the wholesale market leader, outperforming all other segments in the category.”
While the strong amber market is down by 4%, Knights Cider has seen a sharp upwards trajectory in sales, up by 54% (Nielsen). To put this achievement into context, it comes at a time when total cider sales have declined by 7%.
With over 12 million cans sold annually, the UK’s number one strong cider brand has also seen a significant increase in new shoppers with 54% increase year-on-year (Kantar).
With rising food and drink prices being the top concern for almost half (49%) of shoppers (Levercliff), Aston Manor Cider has introduced a new range of Frosty Jack’s pack formats, offering more affordability to customers as shoppers look to tighten their belts.
Further strengthening Frosty Jack’s reputation as the market leader in high strength cider, the new Frosty Jack’s range will include a 2.5L bottle and a new 1L bullet bottle. The Frosty Jack’s RRSP range, which features the new tiered approach to its prices, includes a 1L bullet bottle price marked at £2.99, a 1.5L bottle price marked at £3.99, and a larger 2L offering price marked at £4.99. Non priced marked options are also available.
While Beers, Wines and Spirit sales are down -7.5%, the cider category (-7.3%) is in fact outperforming both lagers (-7.6%) and ales (-10.7%, Nielsen). However, while the cider market is generally performing well in comparison to Beers, Wines, and Spirits, it’s worth noting that flavoured cider is down -9% and declining ahead of the total market (Nielsen). This suggests that drinkers are moving away from flavoured ciders in favour of more traditional recipes. A prime example of this is Crumpton Oaks, which is the number one value apple cider brand in GB impulse, with our can format up 67% year-on-year (Nielsen).
“Notably, a third of shoppers only ever buy cider in cans (Mintel), so it is important that wholesalers ensure retailers stock both bottles and cans to provide choice for consumers,” adds O’Brien. “Frosty Jack’s and Crumpton Oaks Cider come in both pack formats and we recommend wholesalers and retailers dual stock plastic bottled products alongside cans to help attract more footfall.”
Crumpton Oaks is available in a four pack pint cans variant for £4.99, offering value for money and reassurance to the shopper with price marked packaging.
Sally McKinnon, Head of Marketing at Westons Cider, comments: “Henry Westons Vintage 500ml is consistently the hero of our range, growing +11.6% year-on year. In fact, more than one bottle is sold every second across the UK and, with sales figures more than £13M ahead of the next best-selling product on the market, it’s a product wholesalers should be prioritising in depot.”
Plus, Stowford Press cans continue to perform brilliantly, as well as the 4 and 10 multipacks, which have huge potential in the category with the- Stowford Press 4 pack growing +39.5% and the ten pack +177.2%. “To maximise cider sales, wholesalers should be mindful of the trends currently driving category growth, such as traditional flavours and crafted propositions. As these cider sub-categories continue to lead the charge, wholesalers would be wise to prioritise bestselling crafted, apple ciders to maximise their profit margins,” adds McKinnon.
“Plus, as summer marks a time for entertaining, wholesalers should consider stocking up on 4 and 10 multipacks of Stowford Press, which offers fantastic opportunity for wholesalers, with entertaining during a summer of (hopefully) brilliant weather and fantastic sport in mind. As well as being an easy space-saver, the sales seen within multiple retailers shows the potential for wholesalers to capitalise on this as well, with the- Stowford Press 4 pack growing +39.5% and the ten pack +177.2%. However, distribution in convenience remains low so we see this as a key area of opportunity.”
Wholesalers should also be mindful of making the most of every moment – taking advantage of the big occasions and cider moments. Ensuring you’re well stocked – especially in the summer months – means there will be fewer lost sales opportunities.
With summer on the horizon, stocking refreshing fruit cider – alongside classic apple variants – is essential. While there’s been a shift toward traditional apple cider in recent years – +5.6% YOY and now accounting for just under two-thirds (64%) of off-trade sales – fruit cider remains a stable and profitable segment of the category. That said, wholesalers should weight stock in-line with fruit cider’s market share.
Amy Burgess, Senior Trade Communications Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), comments: “As the warmer weather arrives this summer, so too does the season for barbecues and picnics. With families and friends gathering in their gardens and parks up and down the country for barbecue feasts, wholesalers should stock up on refreshing accompaniments.
“For the perfect summer beverage pairing with burgers, hotdogs and picnic nibbles, wholesalers should ensure they have sharing packs from leading brands like Coca-Cola™, the no.1 soft drinks brand in retail (Nielsen), led by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (growing in value and volume in convenience, Nielsen), and flavoured favourites like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Vanilla.
Also on wholesalers’ lists should be Fanta and Dr Pepper, the number one and number two flavoured carbonates brands in retail by value, both in value and volume growth (Nielsen); and Schweppes, which is sold in retail more than any other mixer brand (Nielsen).
Considering high-quality drinks continue to be a priority for consumers, so premium adult soft drinks, such as Appletiser, should not be forgotten. Made with pure fruit juice, and with no added sugar, Appletiser delivers on taste and can be enjoyed on its own, as a base for mocktails or as an accompaniment to a variety of spirits.
With the sun shining and gatherings in full swing, consumers will be on the lookout for a whole range of refreshing alcoholic drinks to serve their guests. For a quick and easy serve, alcoholic ready to drink (ARTD) cans, like Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola RTD, guarantee a perfect serve every time. This fan favourite, generating nearly £13m worth of sales since launch (Nielsen), is a must stock for wholesalers, especially when summer is just around the corner.
Jonathan Kemp, AG Barr Commercial Director, comments: “The total UK soft drinks market increased in value last year, while reported volumes fell slightly in the first half of the year 4.2% (Circana). Sustained price inflation has continued to feature across the market. Against this backdrop we have gained both value and volume market share.
“Our growth has been driven by volume, price and mix, alongside effective execution of our sales plans and successful consumer marketing activity. IRN-BRU grew revenue by 8% gaining further market share in England and Wales and Rubicon enjoyed a very strong period last year with revenue increasing by 17%.”
Financial constraints continue to impact on consumer confidence and ultimately influence shopper buying patterns. For some, eating and drinking out of home is one of the first things to cut back on as consumers look to tighten their belts and this is leading to more in-home occasions.
Shoppers are now showing more interest in bigger pack formats. Events and celebrations continue to generate seasonal peaks, as people look for more opportunities to socialise with family and friends in the comfort of their home.
Taste remains key in relation to choosing a soft drink and new flavours are driving growth across the category.
“Consumers are still coming out of post pandemic behaviours and want to enjoy bigger, bolder experiences. In soft drinks, this is all about seeking more interesting, less run-of-the-mill flavours which excite the taste buds,” adds Kemp.
“Health and wellbeing are also influencing shoppers’ purchasing decisions. Demand for lower calorie products continues to increase and flavoured water is growing in popularity. Offering good quality, low calorie products which don’t compromise on flavour, taste or value, such as Rubicon Spring, enable retailers to tap into this opportunity.”
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