​Focus On Ambient and Canned Goods: 24 April

Focus On: Ambient and Canned Goods by Jennie Milsom

Download the synopsis here

Publishing: 24 April 2021

Advertising deadline: 9 April

Submissions deadline: 2 April

The story

Canned food is back in vogue. The pandemic drove category growth by 20% to over £3.4bn as panicked Brits stockpiled canned veg, fruit and baked beans during the first lockdown. Every brand in the top 10 has cashed in – value sales for Del Monte rocketed by 43%, Napolina by 28% and Heinz by 17.4%. But the category was already creeping up in value before the pandemic, fuelled by fears around Brexit. So now that it’s got people’s attention in a big way, how can it stay hip?

Key themes

Listings and distribution: Even up until December, consumer demand for canned food remained high, with suppliers believing the category’s resurgence will outlive the pandemic. Some brands boosted production to meet increased consumer demand whilst others reported stock issues and lost distribution and value as a result. How have other brands fared and how will this play out over the coming year in the mults?

Price: Loved for their long shelf-life and value for money, it’s no wonder Brits turned to cans during the pandemic. As lockdown lifts, people will be heading out and cooking less. However they’ll be pinching the pennies. Is being value for money the category’s secret weapon?

Winners and losers: From fruit and fish to veg to pasta, which subcategories are doing best and why?

NPD strategy: Last month Heinz announced its baked beans would debut in frozen. In March John West unveiled a Salmon Fridge Pot in a bid to attract younger shoppers. How are brands broadening their portfolios and does it signal a move away from cans?

Health: How do cans stack up against their fresh and frozen equivalents in terms of health and nutrition? Are they attracting new demographics by shaking off their ‘family comfort’ image and embracing health and wellness instead?

Data: Using Kantar and Nielsen commentary, we explain the rise and fall of certain sub-categories.

Innovations: We will profile four new products or ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.