Eggs 2024: availability boosts own-label eggs

Egg brands cashed in last year, as own label struggled with months of availability issues. Now that supply has normalised, much of those branded gains have evaporated.

Value sales of own label lines, which dominate the egg category, have rocketed 21.4%. That’s a £256.1m gain – the second-biggest of any own label market in Top Products 2024. Volumes are up 15.6%.

In the face of private label’s powerful performance, brands have suffered. Their value is down 2.5% on volumes that have slumped 10.9%. That’s against a 9.4% hike in average price – higher than the 5% rise for own label.

Among the market leaders, those price rises have come at a cost. Three of the category’s top five brands – Happy Egg Co, Clarence Court and Big & Fresh – have lost a combined £22.2m. However, both Happy Egg and Big & Fresh delivered “encouraging growth and resilience” over the autumn, insists owner Noble Foods.

“With free-range availability now stabilised, we are well-positioned to reintroduce promotions for our flagship brand and expect these efforts to drive further growth in the coming year,” he says of Happy Egg.

Other parts of the Noble portfolio have fared much better – notably Freshlay Golden Yolks, which grew value 11.9% on volumes up 4.5%. This success reflects “strong consumer demand for high-quality, tasty eggs”, says Noble’s spokesman, who insists the category’s fundamentals remain “encouraging”.

Freshlay isn’t the only one bucking the decline in branded sales. Top 30 brands including Ellis Eggs, Geldard, Laid with Love and Big & Scottish have registered double-digit value increases on volume gains.

Number three player St Ewe did even better. Having put in a strong performance in 2023, the brand has built on that success with several new national listings.

“We’ve seen national distribution grow in Tesco and Morrisons, plus growing regional supply with Sainsbury’s and Ocado,” explains St Ewe CEO Rebecca Tonks.

The increased presence has resulted in value soaring 138.8%, while volumes have risen even faster, by 153%. That’s on the back of an average price cut of 5.6% per unit.

The brand’s market penetration is up 31% and its Rich Yolk range is “elevating breakfast”, Tonks adds.

On the other side of the scale, tertiary brands such as Jack’s by Booker Belmont and Chuckle Eggs by Morrisons’ Chippindale Foods have also enjoyed strong growth.

Morrisons attributes those gains to an increase in lines – most recently white egg SKU in October – coupled with its “affordable” price position. Now with five SKUs, Chuckle Eggs is the “most represented brand” in Morrisons egg fixtures.

Read more: Eggs 2023: Brands make most of egg supply issues