Tea and biscuit breaks are part of the nation’s DNA, so biscuits are big business for independent retailers who are getting the category right.

So much so, in fact, that the convenience channel accounts for over 22% of all Sweet Biscuit sales – that equates to a £0.5 billion sales opportunity for wholesalers and their customers.

As the nation’s true original, McVitie’s continues to lead the way with the brand accounting for £1 in every £5 spent on sweet biscuits – and sales of McVitie’s are up by 15.7% (NielsenIQ) – thanks to the continuing success of perennial favourites like the nation’s best selling biscuit, McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives, and a host of successful new launches in 2024.

McVitie’s also accounts for three other Top 10 best sellers in biscuits, including McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, McVitie’s Digestives and McVitie’s Hobnobs.

Meanwhile, the demand for savoury snacks is stronger than ever, with sales hitting £1.4 billion in the convenience channel and impressive growth of 17.9% year on year.

This is partly due to rising costs but also due to the enduring popularity of snacking occasions (Nielsen). In particular, people are valuing quality time with family and friends and are making snacking a key part of these moments together, with 97.8% of UK households buying Savoury Snacks/Crisps & Bagged Snacks (Kantar).

Another contributing factor is the fact that people are enjoying big nights in with friends and loved ones, which is also leading to a growing demand for larger pack sizes, sales of which are currently up by +15.3% (Nielsen).

This gives wholesalers and their retail customers a great opportunity to stock up on bigger packs, as shoppers are increasingly looking to buy larger formats and more of them in one trip to save time and money.

Jacob’s Mini Cheddars are perfectly positioned for this shift. Nearly half (45%) of the range comes in larger, affordably priced packs, ideal for wholesalers and their retail customers to meet this growing demand. It’s also been a catalyst for the brand’s growth, with a third (31.5%) of UK households now purchasing Jacob’s Mini Cheddars to record sales of almost £84 (Kantar).

Wholesale Manager went to Parfetts’ Birmingham depot to ask Charlotte Prain, Senior Category Development Manager, pladis UK&I, Tom Walton, Category Manager for Confectionery & Grocery, Parfetts and Lee Bingham, Head of Wholesale, pladis UK&I for some insights into the category.

To watch the video interviews, go to wholesalemanager.co.uk.

How are the Sweet Biscuits and Savoury Snacks/Crisps & Bagged Snacks categories currently performing?

CP: Biscuits is enjoyed by over 99.4% of the population and they’ve been very resilient throughout recent years, especially during the cost of living crisis, where people are still demanding their affordable treats. We’ve seen some growth within sweet biscuits, through innovation, through increases in convenience customers coming in and also increases in on the go missions as well.

How big are Biscuits/Crisps & Bagged Snacks in your business? How fast are they growing?

TW: Within grocery, it’s our largest category. Year to date we’re 18.5% up. For crisps and snacks we’re just over 30% up year to date.

What are the biggest trends for Biscuits/Crisps & Bagged Snacks in wholesale?

TW: In terms of trends, products which are indulgent, promote value and quality are really key.

Which are pladis’ biggest brands in your business?

TW: Brands to highlight are Chocolate Digestives, Chocolate Hobnobs, Gold Billions Bar and of course, Mini Cheddars.

Which are pladis’ biggest brands and products in cash & carries?

LB: The pladis products are outperforming the market. Chocolate Digestives continues year after year to deliver volume and value growth. Mini Cheddars is a shining light across our portfolio within the crisps and snacks category with double digit growth again in 2024. We’ve launched our Flipz range with three new flavours with 50% growth across the category. Another part of pladis’ growth has been NPD. It’s been disruptive and exciting for the market, bringing in the younger consumers from 18 to 34, which is what the biscuit category needs.

Are these categories in any way seasonal? How?

CP: Biscuits are highly seasonal, so not only are they enjoyed throughout the whole year, but also there are key peaks of demand for biscuits. If we think about sweet biscuits, we see assortments largely consumed at Christmas time. Not only Christmas, but also Easter, Eid and Diwali. These represent really key opportunities for these packs. We also see an uptick in demand for chocolate biscuit bars through increased lunchbox occasions in back to school. And we also see uptake in kids mini snacks for that after school treat. Savoury biscuits are also highly seasonal. We see key assortment packs of crackers consumed at Christmas time. During summer, there are increased picnic and garden party occasions, bringing indoors outdoors and this is where savoury snacks can really elevate themselves during these occasions.

What are the biggest trends for Sweet Biscuits and Savoury Snacks/Crisps & Bagged Snacks?

LB: pladis has taken a lead over the last two years in developing the category for biscuits. The introduction of our Perfect Depot programme in 2021 has led to our depots outfperforming by 12% versus non-Perfect Depots. This has led to better availability, better ranges and having the correct NPD where it needs to be. Outside of this, activation has been crucial in developing the category. Our feature outside of this has gone into front of store, tower ends, showcasing our NPD, showcasing our best sellers and really driving the category forward. It has increased visibility and presence of the brand and the category, and it’s led to growth for two years running.

What is your category advice to your customers on how to grow their Biscuits/Crisps & Savoury Snacks sales?

TW: For category advice we follow the Unitas Plan for Profit, which helps share what the core range looks like, what innovation is and which is also supported by our team of dedicated RDAs. The jewel in our crown is our Go Local promotional scheme and that really helps cement products and fixture and drive that rate of sale.

What sort of sales increases can your customers expect to see if they take your category advice?

TW: By following our category advice, retailers can expect to see an uplift of 20%, although this can vary from store to store.

What can wholesalers do in depot to grow biscuit/crisps & bagged snacks sales?

CP: Finally, we see the importance of core range still being key. Shoppers are demanding brands, they’re demanding quality. They want to know that every time they spend their money, they’re getting a quality product. These brands can really help retailers signpost the category in their stores. Retailer space is very, very minimal, so we have to make sure that we are fully optimising that and making every space count in their stores.

 

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