Belvita bucks soft breakfast biscuit market with £9m rise

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This article is part of our Breakfast Digital Feature.

Breakfast biscuits have lost their crunch, with value down 1.6% on volumes down 1.7% [IRI 52 w/e 18 July 2015].

BREAKFAST BISCUITS BESTSELLERS
	VALUE		VOLUME
	£m	y-o-y%	kg (m)	y-o-y%
Breakfast biscuits	86.6	-1.6	14.6	-1.7
Belvita	66.3	15.3	11.7	14.9
Special K	8.0	-15.8	0.8	-15.6
McVitie’s	5.7	-21.5	1.1	-24.5
Nairn’s	3.4	50.1	0.3	52.7
Weetabix	1.1	-71.3	0.2	-71.1

Market leader Belvita, on the other hand, is in strong growth, adding £8.8m to its sales over the last year, on volumes up an impressive 14.9%. The brand now boasts an 87% market share.

“The growth and success of Belvita has been driven by incremental NPD recruiting different consumers to a new occasion for the category – breakfast,” says Susan Nash, trade communications manager at Mondelez International.

In November 2014, Mondelez expanded its portfolio with Belvita Tops – biscuits made with wholegrain cereals and a Choco- Hazelnut or Strawberry topping. “56% of the volume of Belvita Tops was incremental to the category – providing an excellent example of the brand’s ability to drive growth,” adds Nash.

Far from resting on its laurels, Belvita is hoping to drive further growth with its latest innovation, Belvita Soft Bakes which is set to be the ‘biggest innovation’ in the Belvita range since its launch in 2010. The launch will be backed by a £3m marketing push from September, which includes TV, digital, in-store and experiential activity.

Of the remaining four brands that complete the breakfast biscuit’s top five bestsellers, only Nairn’s is in growth, having doubled its sales to £3.4m. Special K and McVitie’s lost £1.5m and £1.6m in sales, respectively, and Weetabix suffered the biggest loss of £2.8m.

McVitie’s is hoping the relaunch of its breakfast range in May, which comprised new variants including Breakfast Oaty Bakes, will help drive growth of its range. Rather than going soft like Belvita, McVitie’s NPD comes in a new snappable format in a choice of two flavours: Golden Syrup and Raisin & Cinnamon. The move is being supported by a new member to the Sweeet family – a flying squirrel – as part of a £3m push.

NPD such as McVitie’s Breakfast Oaty Bakes and Belvita’s Soft Bakes could be a key weapon in driving growth, as the novelty of biscuits for breakfast wears off.

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