Oh crumbs! £26m wiped off everyday biscuit sales

One of our 10 Things You Need To Know About… Cakes & Biscuits

Britain’s biscuit barrel fillers are under attack with £25.7m wiped off the value of everyday biscuits [Kantar 52 w/e 9 October 2016].

Brits bought 48.4 million fewer packs of everyday biscuits such as digestives, custard creams and rich tea biscuits, instead choosing chocolatey options such as Jaffa Cakes and Oreo.

Own label is driving this decline with the big four being the biggest contributors.

“Volume losses can also be attributed to everyday biscuit shoppers reducing their spend on the category, as well as moving their spend to other biscuit sectors – particularly healthier biscuits such as BelVita and cereal bars and everyday treats including Oreo and Jaffa Cakes,” says Kantar analyst George Guterres. “Everyday treats are hitting more rewarding consumption needs, as consumers seek out more indulgent snacking options.”

Chocolate biscuit bars also suffered with sales down £11.6m. Kit Kat, one of the key players in this subsector, accounted for £2.1m of these losses [Nielsen MAT 10 September 2016].

But special treats – more indulgent premium biscuits such as Bahlsen and Borders – were the clear winners of the biscuit category with £7m growth, followed by healthier biscuits with £5.1m, although this wasn’t enough to bolster the category’s performance overall, which was dragged down by everyday biscuits.

“The strongest performers are undoubtedly must-stock treats for sharing with family and friends and, increasingly, savoury biscuits,” says Lesley Ann Gray, brand and innovation director, Border Biscuits. “Multibuy offers continue to prove popular among consumers buying everyday biscuits.”

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