Focus On Infant & Childcare: 8 February

Focus On: Infant and childcare by Rob Brown and Natalie Brown

Download feature synopsis PDF here 

Publishing: 8 February

Advertising deadline: 28 January

Submissions deadline: 21 January

The Story

Britain’s birth rate is at an all-time low. Baby food, healthcare, toiletries and wipes have all taken a hit to volumes. However, it’s not all bad news. There are pockets of real growth – led by brands with a strong, differentiated proposition. So how are these brands managing to defy the overall fall in volumes? And what does that say about consumer demands?

Key themes:

Baby food: It’s an increasingly tough market and the top brands are struggling to make any gains. However, there are some glimmers of hope and snacking is also still going strong with some brands posting double-digit gains. What is the key to success?

Nappies: Nappy sales are on the rise, bolstered by new brands as well as challengers. What are these brands doing right?

Baby toiletries: Overall, there has been a sharp slump in toiletries sales over the past year. But brands are managing to maintain growth despite the tough environment. How?

Baby milk: There have been strong performances from many baby milk brands, yet there have been some staggering losses. What’s going on here?

Own label: Private label is set to become an even more important part of the market, according to Kantar. Where are the areas of growth here?

Kantar data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain how the different areas of the infant and childcare performed and why

Nielsen data: Using Nielsen commentary, we look at the 10 fastest-growing brands and 10 fastest-falling brands of the past year.

Innovations: We identify eight new products that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before including launch date and RSP, and a picture of each.