Focus On Cakes and Biscuits: 12 October

Focus On: Cakes and Biscuits by Ash O’Mahony

Download feature synopsis here

Publishing: 12 October

Advertising deadline: 27 September

Submissions deadline: 18 September

The Story

Brits are going cake bar crazy. The grab-and-go format has enjoyed double-digit sales growth over the past year, leaving other formats trailing behind. On the face of it, the growth seems at odds with the healthy snacking boom. Yet cake bars and healthy snacking are, in many cases, one and the same trend. So are healthy cake bars the reason for the boom? What does that mean for less virtuous cake bars? And what does that say about the rest of the cakes and biscuits category?

Key Themes:

Occasions: An increase in purchase frequency has been key to growing cake sales this year. Tellingly, a third of cake consumption is now eaten as a snack. To what extent is this boosted by cake bars? How about other formats? Biscuits, on the other hand, have been impacted by the decline in hot drinks and desserts this year. What can the category do to boost biscuit occasions?

Little luxuries: Cake bars aren’t the only sector enjoying growth through offering permissible indulgence. Small cakes are in growth across brands and own label, gaining additional sales, and fruit loaf sales are up too. Which players in the category are driving growth forward, and who are they targeting? How are biscuits catering for the demand for little luxuries?

Larger formats: What does this focus on smaller formats mean for larger propositions, such as full sized cakes? How are they performing and why?

Brands: Which brands are leading the cake bar boom? Who is innovating? Why? And crucially, which innovations have hit and missed the mark? How about in the wider cakes and biscuits category?

Own label: How has own label innovated to keep up with trends in cakes and biscuits? Are they getting in on the cake bar boom and, if so, how?

4 x innovations: We identify four new products or product ranges that have not appeared in The Grocer before. including launch date, RSP and a picture of each.

Data

Kantar data: Using Kantar data, we explain the factors behind the performance of the different cake categories.

Kantar data: Using Kantar data, we explain the factors behind the performance of the different biscuit categories.

Nielsen data cake brands: Using Nielsen data, we explain how the top 10 brands are performing.

Nielsen data biscuit brands: Using Nielsen data, we explain how the top 10 brands are performing.

Shopper Intelligence: How consumers shop the cakes & biscuits market