Focus On Ready Meals & Soups: 11 January

By Vince Bamford vjbamford@googlemail.com 

Publishing: 11 January 2025

Advertising deadline: 13 December 2024

Submissions deadline: 26 November 2024

Print, digital and sponsorship opportunities

Ready meals are in renaissance. Fresh and frozen ready meals have enjoyed a second consecutive year of volume growth, with much of that coming from premium brands. But it’s not only brands that are driving the growth; in frozen ready meals, own label is winning share. So, to what extent do shoppers (and retailers) view frozen and chilled ready meals differently? Is frozen still a cheaper option? Is chilled posher? Is it value tier own label or premium lines that are driving growth in frozen? How are brands looking to compete?

Retail share: This feature will explore how retailers are managing demand from shoppers for affordable, convenient and quality ready meals and soups through their product ranging and promotions. Which retailers are doing it best? Which brands are winning/losing distribution?

Ambient ready meals: Two new brands have entered the ambient ready meals market in recent months. This is a market that’s declined in the past year. So how are these brands (and others) performing? Is there optimism for category revival?

Changing channels: This feature will explore how different retail channels and specific retailers are performing in terms of ready meals and soups sales and the factors driving their differing performances. How are retailers using dine-in and lunchtime meal deals? And how do they differ?

Society: We will also be looking at wider changes in the way people are living their lives – influenced by factors such as the cost-of-living crisis, home working, eating out, health, etc – and how these are influencing demand for ready meals and soups.

Marketing: Another area of interest is marketing. An ambient soup market leader has been running a campaign in recent weeks to draw attention to its wider range. What impact is this having on sales? What are rivals doing?

Innovations: This feature will pay close attention to the latest trends in ready meals in terms of cuisines, convenience and health, and how this is playing out in terms of product innovation. We will profile four new products or ranges, ideally ones that have not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.