Focus On Oils: 5 June

Focus On: Oils by Rob Brown 

Download the synopsis here

Publishing: 5 June 2021

Advertising deadline: 21 May

Submissions deadline: 14 May

The Story

Specialty and premium oils have been hotting up. During the pandemic, extra virgin olive oil outgrew the market with sales soaring, building on its previous year’s success. Coconut oil has made a come back as locked-down Brits experimented with dairy-free baking and scratch cooking. But can premium and specialty oils continue to rise in the face of recession, climate change, Brexit and shoppers’ concerns about air miles? How will the dynamic between brands and own label play out over the coming year? Will brands finally overtake own label and, if so, how?

Key Themes

Trends: Extra virgin is the fastest growing oil sector, thanks largely to new shoppers entering the market. But Brits have been snapping up all kinds of premium and specialty lines, from refined olive oil to cold-pressed rapeseed oil and organic coconut oil. What’s new in specialty oils and what’s driving this?

Formats and packaging: What types of packaging and formats are speciality and more premium lines favouring and why? Brands versus private label Both brands and private label have been active in NPD with successful launches in the last year. What opportunities are there for brands to close in on private label and take a greater share of the market?

Price: With a recession looming, shoppers are going to be feeling the pinch. How can specialty and premium stay relevant and affordable in times of economic uncertainty? How are manufacturers and retailers playing into the scratch cooking boom to entice shoppers into the sector?

Innovations: We will profile 4 new products or ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each

Flavours: From lemon and chilli to turmeric and garlic, what flavours and infusions are piquing shoppers’ palates when it comes to specialty oils? What trends have emerged during the pandemic and how are these likely to evolve over the coming year?