Focus On Cakes and Biscuits: 17 October

Focus On: Cakes & Biscuits by Abbie Dawson 

Download the synopsis

Publishing: 17 October

Copy deadline: 5 October

Submissions deadline: 29 September

The story

We all need a treat after the year we’ve had. Does that explain why the bakers behind Britain’s bestselling sweet treats have been pulling out the stops with indulgent NPD such as brownies, posh pies and premium versions of classic biccies? And doesn’t all this indulgence contradict the government’s new anti-obesity push and the more general trend towards healthier living?

Key themes

Covid: the key focus of this feature will be an exploration of how the pandemic is continuing to impact the market in terms of the kind of products people are buying, when and where they’re buying them and how much they’re prepared to pay. What will Covid-19’s legacy be on cakes & biscuits?

The government’s obesity strategy: How hard will cakes & biscuits be hit by the forthcoming ban on certain types of promotions and restrictions on advertising for HFSS foods? How reliant are they on featured space promotions in prominent parts of the store such as aisle ends? How reliant are they on TV and online advertising? Does the industry think the strategy will work? At what cost?

Shopping patterns: We will be exploring how different retailers and retail channels are performing in this market, during the lockdown period and now. Did cakes & biscuits experience the same rise in convenience shopping seen in grocery? Are shoppers stocking up in anticipation of the dreaded second wave?

Lipstick effect: As Britain falls deeper into recession and the risk of localised or even national lockdown persists, how will this impact consumer spending on cakes and biscuits outside the home? Presumably cafes and neighbourhood bakeries are suffering? Does this mean consumers will look for these affordable luxuries instead, driving a lipstick effect for cakes & biscuits?

‘Healthier’ cakes & biscuits: How are sales of ‘healthier’ cakes & biscuits bearing up? And what are manufacturers doing to make their offerings healthier, in light of the growing scrutiny consumers and the government are giving issues such as sugar, fat and salt content?

Online and Direct to Consumer retail: Many other grocery categories have seen a proliferation of direct to consumer offerings form suppliers in response to lockdown and the reduction in shopping trips. Suppliers also report booming sales through Amazon and online retailers. What’s happening in cake & biscuits?

Kantar data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of the cakes & biscuits sub-categories.

4 x cake innovations + 4 x biscuit innovations: We will profile four new products or ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before including date, rsp, and an image of each.

Cakes go flat: There’s nothing worse for a baker than a cake that fails to rise. That’s exactly what happened to cake sales over lockdown. Why is this? How much of an impact did the rise in home baking have on the market? What about the collapse of the packed lunch market; did this result in a crash for individually portioned products? Were we sharing larger cakes instead?