Welcome to the June issue of Wholesale Manager. Interesting to hear the functional wellness drinks segment is presenting the convenience channel with a healthy £27m opportunity this year, equating to an additional £812 per store, according to the latest Britvic Soft Drinks Review. At a time when the pandemic has shone a light on health and wellness for many, 37% of people are now positively interested in premium soft drinks with added benefits.
Well done to JJ Foodservice which has launched a female friendly recruitment campaign to encourage more women to consider HGV driver roles. As Brexit kicks in and European workers return home, there’s been a huge shortage of delivery drivers in the UK. JJ is aiming to fill the gap by broadening its talent pool.
Great to hear that five of the UK’s largest branded manufacturers: Mars UK, Mondelez International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever, have collaborated to form a £1 million fund to help make flexible plastic recycling economically viable for recyclers and easier for consumers. The Flexible Plastic Fund is a UK industry first and is being led by producer compliance scheme, Ecosurety, with support from environmental charity, Hubbub. The soft drinks category has been directly impacted by the varying degrees of lockdown and tier systems that the UK has experienced. The economic hardship that has occurred as a ripple effect from the pandemic has caused considerable changes in the way consumers are behaving and valuing products. This has changed traditional shopping missions, purchases and overall basket spend, with many people now more mindful about their spending, our soft drinks and bottled water feature reports.
The vape category is currently worth around £1bn in the UK, with around 30% of vaping sales taking place in traditional retail stores (20% online, 50% specialist stores (ECigIntelligence). Whilst it is still too soon to know what the full impact of the pandemic will be, there are some trends emerging that could be shaping sales in the vaping category. Overall, pod-mod systems are becoming increasingly popular thanks to their ease of use and flexibility, says our next generation products/vaping feature.
Breakfast continues to be a key occasion for shoppers when picking up something on the go, according to our bakery, bread & home baking feature. In fact, 17.8% of all eating-out occasions happen at breakfast time (Lumina), which means it is vital for retailers to include a selection of convenient options, such as pastries in grab bags, to help drive incremental sales in the morning. What’s more, shoppers are spending more on breakfast – an average of £5.61 per occasion, which is a +1% growth on the year – as choice and variety increase (Lumina).
Enjoy reading the issue.
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