Focus On Breakfast: 8 August

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Publishing: 8 August

Advertising deadline: 17 July

Submissions deadline: 12 July

Contact: Simon Creasey (creasey.simon@gmail.com)

Breakfast is having a renaissance. In the past year there’s been a 0.7% increase in the number of breakfasts Brits have tucked into, at home and on the go. So why is the popularity of the most important meal of the day (it accounts for 27% of all meal occasions) on the up? What are we eating for breakfast, how is this changing and what factors are driving this change?

Key themes:

The overall market: This feature will pay close attention to how brands and retailers are changing how they approach breakfast to stay ahead. Which brands, products and retailers are driving the growing importance of breakfast? How is this reflected in their sales performance? And how are they specifically targeting the breakfast occasion?

The retail mix: Breakfast bought and consumed on the go now accounts for 7.6% of all breakfast occasions, having risen 10% in the past year. Where are people buying these breakfasts? How are retailers changing their offerings, how they merchandise breakfast products and promotions to tap the trend? What are people buying for breakfast on the hoof?

Health: Central to this feature will be an exploration of how the wider health trend is affecting what Brits eat for breakfast, when and where. Of particular interest will be the rise in protein fortified breakfast, on-the-go breakfast products for gym goers and the role low carb/high protein diets could be having in the growth of eggs for breakfast. Is the trend for healthy eating and active living responsible for breakfast’s overall growth?

Innovation: Key to this feature will be a discussion of the latest NPD from the category’s brands and own label players, large and small. This includes everyone from cereal-makers to bakers, canned food to fresh prepared food makers. Anyone looking to tap the breakfast market! The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired recent innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage new trends in breakfast.

The fry up: Our research shows that the popularity of eggs at breakfast has continued to grow at an astounding rate in the past year. Bacon is up slightly but sausages are up a whopping 15.8%. What’s going on? What’s driving this growth? How are other staples of the great British fry up performing?

Yoghurt: Yoghurts’ popularity at breakfast is also on the rise. Why? Which brands and retailers are driving this and how? What does the coming year hold for yoghurt for breakfast?

Breakfast biscuits: The feature will explore how the breakfast biscuits market has performed in the past year, with attention being paid to how new arrivals and the market leader are faring, how growing competition is affecting price and promotional strategies and what players are doing to drive growth in the coming year.

Hot cereals: This has been one of the stars of the breakfast market over recent years, with porridge brands bringing out an ever widening array of formats to satisfy consumers looking to pick up breakfast on the go or at the desk. So how has it performed in the past year and what do brands have up their sleeves for 2015/16?

Cold cereals: The long-term decline in traditional cold cereals continues. What’s next for brands – do they believe the decline will continue further? How are they looking to maintain their relevance to today’s consumers? By extending into new categories such as drinks or biscuits? This feature will also investigate the interest in bircher muesli.

Baked pastries/morning goods: This category is in slight growth as major baked goods players continue to diversify their offerings. How will the brands look to maintain or accelerate this growth, and what products already sold outside the UK could contribute to this market? Meanwhile, how can bread ensure it remains relevant to the breakfast market?

Breakfast drinks: This is tipped to be a growth area in years to come. How can this develop in future, and what can be learned from markets where the category is more established, such as the US?

Box-outs

4 x at home breakfast innovations: We profile four new breakfast products or product ranges designed to be eaten at home products or product ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date and RSP.

4 x on the go breakfast innovations: We profile four new on-the-go breakfast products or product ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date and RSP.

Protein cereals: First Fuel launched the protein enriched Protibrick; then Weetabix retaliated with its own product and now Kellogg’s Special K is getting in on the act. Who else is touting protein enriched cereals? How are they performing? And what does the future hold for the market?

Breakfast drinks: A summary of how this market has performed in the past year, paying particular attention to the newcomers to the market. Plus a look at how these brands are making claims about the drinks’ protein content.