Focus on Cakes and Biscuits: 13 October

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Focus On: Cakes and Biscuits by Ash O’Mahony

Download feature synopsis PDF here

Online Listicle to go live on 12 October

Publishing: 13 October

Submissions deadline: 24 September

Advertising deadline: 3 October

The Story

Cake is getting posh. When today’s shoppers indulge, they want their want their treat to be – in the words of Bake Off judge Prue Leith – worth the calories. Not only do they have to taste great, they have to look the part too. And so retailers have upped their game. Tesco has looked to mirror Instagram trends with the launch of a pink flamingo cake and Sainsbury’s has brought in cake-making expertise with the rollout of Patisserie Valerie products across 70 branches. All this has seen the average price of whole cakes soar by 10%. So which cakes making shoppers part with more of their money? What are the prevailing trends? And how are brands responding?

Key themes:

Premiumisation: Shoppers are willing to pay more for their cakes if they’re getting something special. And retailers are particularly succeeding in attracting this market. So which retailer offerings are proving most popular? How are they merchandising cakes and is anyone standing out from the crowd?

Brands: Brands are struggling in the whole cake market as volumes fall. How can they fight back and what can they learn from retailers? Can indulgent innovations tap into ‘worth the calories’ mindset?

Health: With the government’s focus on reducing sugar, developing healthier but still treaty cake options will pose a challenge for many cake manufacturers. Is this an opportunity for brands?

Cake bars: While retailers are stealing the show in whole cakes, it’s a whole different story in cake bars. They have been a success story for brands, up 39.3% in value and 32.1% in volume. What is driving this? What part have innovations played?

Biscuits: Similarly to cakes, shoppers are choosing biscuits that are more of a ‘treat’. Everyday Treats and Chocolate Biscuit bars have generated the highest increase in value sales. Which products are leading the way? Who has produced the most exciting innovations? And what does the future hold?

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. The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired recent innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage future growth in the market. We will profile 4 of these in separate innovations panel including launch date, RSP and an image.