Fox’s Burton’s Companies (FBC UK) has a wide variety of brands which allow wholesalers to cater to a whole host of consumption occasions.
Mini products, in particular, are proving popular with shoppers as they offer small portions and pre-packaged treats, meeting the demand for a tasty on-the-go snack. The new Maryland Choc Chips Mini price-marked pack, offers a great opportunity for Wholesalers here and can drive growth in the ‘Sweet Biscuit’ category.
Colin Taylor, Trade Marketing Director at Fox’s Burton’s Companies (FBC UK), tells Wholesale Manager what sets FBC UK’s brands apart from others and how wholesalers can maximise biscuit sales.
What are your key products that wholesalers should be stocking?
With £2.7 billion of “Sweet Biscuit” retail sales last year1, there is a big opportunity available for wholesalers if they stock the right range of biscuits. As the second biggest branded biscuit baker in Britain with a host of much-loved brands, FBC UK are here to help support wholesalers and their customers make the most of the “Sweet Biscuit” category.
Having a wide range of biscuits available to meet different consumer needs at different price points is more crucial this year than ever before. Wholesalers should ensure they stock everything from low-cost biscuit tin favourites, like Maryland Cookies and Crunch Creams, through to premium impulsive treats, like Fox’s Cookies. There are also increasing opportunities to tap into year-round gifting with products like Chocolatey Rounds, and “keepsake” tins filled with premium biscuits for sharing. The breadth of products within “Sweet Biscuits” can help retailers and wholesalers meet a diverse range of customer needs.
Our best-selling products include the likes of – Maryland Cookies Choc Chip 200g, Fox’s Half Coated Cookies 175g and Jammie Dodgers Raspberry 140g, which should be considered as must-stocks in depot.
What are the major trends and developments affecting your category and your customers, and how are you responding?
Within biscuits, like many other categories, shoppers are consistently drawn to brands they trust to deliver on taste and quality. With baking experience dating back to 1853 and with the brand known for producing great tasting biscuits, FBC UK is here to help wholesalers make the most of biscuits with a wide range of brands that shoppers already know and love.
Current trends are gearing towards great value products that can fill biscuit tins and appeal to all the family – with Maryland, Jammie Dodgers and Crunch Creams all fulfilling this role. Mini biscuits are also growing share in the “Sweet Biscuits” category, now worth £151m and growing 20% year-on-year, as shoppers seek out products that offer portability and portion control1. To help wholesalers and retailers make the most of this, FBC UK recently launched Maryland Minis and Party Rings Minis 6 packs in £1.29 price marked packs, which also come in at under 100kcal per pack. Big Cookies like Fox’s Half Coated Cookies are also in strong growth, up 21% year-on-year, offering shoppers a moment of indulgence during a big night in or act as a nice token gift1.
What sets your brand apart from others?
The breadth of brands in FBC UK’s range gives wholesalers a real opportunity to address a wide variety of shoppers’ needs.
Rocky is one of our biggest and fastest-growing brands within our portfolio and is growing 75% year-on-year. This brand offers small portions at under 100kcal, which means it’s great for eating out of home or on-the-go1. Our portfolio of biscuits also includes iconic seasonal favourites, such as the Fox’s Classic Assortment, which is within the signature “red box” that many families gift or pass around at Christmas and other occasions.
We know that Britain is a nation that loves a biscuit, with 94% of those “Sweet Biscuit” occasions driven by “enjoyment”2. With 170 years of baking heritage, Fox’s and Burton’s biscuits are at the forefront of shoppers’ minds as trusted, well-known brands, offering high quality treats that can be enjoyed all year round3.
Is the “Sweet Biscuit” category in growth, if so, what is driving it?
All FBC UK’s major brands are in good growth year-on-year, and we are now the second biggest branded manufacturer in the British “Sweet Biscuit” category1. FBC UK are also the fastest growing major “Sweet Biscuit” manufacturer, growing 19% year-on-year, taking us to £325m of branded sales1.
Sales have been very resilient over the last year which shows that shoppers are willing to spend on biscuits as a widely accessible, affordable treat. The value for money that biscuits offer has really shone through as shoppers often turn to the brands they know and love to deliver on quality products.
How can wholesalers maximise biscuit sales?
FBC UK’s three tips to success:
1. Encourage store managers to stock a wide range of biscuits for different occasions. Convenience stores should sell 27% more Chocolate Biscuit Bars like Rocky and Wagon Wheels, than they do compared to larger stores.4 Rocky’s new 7 packs are a must-stock to make the most of the Chocolate Biscuit Bars opportunity. Special Treats, such as Fox’s Chocolatey Rounds, and Assortments, like Paterson’s Assortments, are also areas that impulse retailers can capitalise on. The key here is that the breadth of ranges available in depots will ideally reflect the breadth of convenience stores’ opportunities.
2. Encourage store managers to reconsider where they sell biscuits in their stores. If convenience stores offer hot drinks to go, they should consider stocking individually wrapped options like the Maryland Minis Grab Bag, Fox’s Cookies and the iconic new Giant Dodger, next to hot drinks machines. To help keep this opportunity front of mind, wholesalers should ask themselves, can these biscuits be stocked in-depot with supplies these customers use? For example, by the coffee cups.
3. Help your customers merchandise biscuits alongside other product categories to meet shoppers’ needs and grow stores’ basket spend. There are clear connections between hot drinks and biscuits, so look for promotions on leading brands in each category that can be merchandised together in-depot and in-store. The Big Night In is an occasion that can help convenience stores grow basket spend. Wholesalers can remind retailers to consider biscuits as part of that at-home treat, by creating Big Night In zones in-depot.
How do you work with wholesalers to help them grow sales?
As a newly formed business, FBC UK is bringing together the best of Fox’s and Burton’s biscuits and – as we grow – we are stepping up the amount of work we do with wholesalers. Our sales team, customer category team and growing shopper marketing team is on hand to support wholesalers and retailers with ranging advice and help provide depot PoS.
What kind of merchandising support do you provide for wholesalers?
FBC UK offer our wholesale customers advice on the core product ranges that will cover most needs of different independent businesses across retail and foodservice. We also advise on changing shopper behaviour and market trends that open up business development opportunities for wholesalers and retailers alike. FBC UK heavily invest in research and are well placed to illustrate how to lay out the optimal range for different types of retail store, adjusting the range size and layout to take account of store size, shopping missions and shopper demographics.
Do you have any NPD to talk about?
Beyond our new Price Marked Packs in Mini Biscuits across our Maryland and Party Rings ranges, we have launched some great NPD to support the Big Night In occasion: Fox’s Indulgent Centre Cookies and Fox’s Chocolatey Indulgent Creams.
Brand new for the 2023 Christmas season, we are launching a carton of The Snowman Gingerbread Minis, which are ideal for sharing. Our “Party Yard” of Fox’s Party Rings will also roll out wider this year, after a popular debut last Christmas.
What marketing support do you currently have for your brands?
This year, we are revealing our vibrant new packaging design for Maryland across its core range. To really bring the new Maryland rebrand to life, we will be supporting it with a multi-million-pound 360 marketing investment across various touchpoints to drive awareness and encourage footfall for retailers across all channels. The TV advert is set to be on screens from late October 2023.
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