Focus On Cereals & On the Go: 18 January

By Harry Holmes (holmesharry99@gmail.com)

Publishing: 18 January 2025

Advertising deadline: 20 December 2024

Submissions deadline: 6 December 

There’s a new wave of challenger brands winning growing distribution. How are they performing, how are they different? With only five of the 30 bestsellers managing to grow volumes and own label winning share in a declining market, what are the old guard doing to return to growth?

Society: We will 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 breakfast cereals and on-the-go breakfast products.

Challengers v incumbents: Several HFSS compliant challengers are looking to shake things up. As yet, none of them has entered the top 30. Will they soon? How are the incumbents reacting?

Retail share: This feature will explore how different retailers are managing the category in terms of ranging, promotions and balancing brands and own label product assortments. NIQ notes that retailers have been enhancing their own-label ranges to build loyalty. Who’s doing what and how is this impacting retail share?

Innovation: This feature will pay close attention to the latest trends in cereals in terms of health, indulgence and convenience 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.