Alcohol may hog the top spot in promotions for most of the year, but as Easter approaches, it has suddenly been turfed out on its ear. Alex Beckett reports
For the first time since April 2009, alcohol is not the most promoted category.
With the bargain booze frenzy of Christmas a hazy memory, drinks deals accounted for 15.7% of all featured promotions this month massively down on their peak of 26% last October.
The category has been nudged from the top spot by impulse, which made up 18.2% of deals this month unsurprising, given the increased roll-out of confectionery for Valentine's Day and Easter.
The third biggest uplift happened in the grocery aisle, which saw a 14% increase in deals. Spearheading this push were Asda and Tesco, which both announced last month that they would launch more discounts on staple foods.
The bigger picture shows that, although own-label deals are up a hefty 15.8% on last year, the number of promotions overall has dipped 1.9%. However, it appears that the nation's sweet tooth is being well catered-for, with all the big confectioners having now kicked off their Easter promotional activity. Cadbury has grabbed the overall promotional top spot from Birds Eye after upping its deals 67.6% on last month, but of the most-promoted brands, it is Nestlé that has increased its activity the most.
The Kit Kat and Randoms maker has re-entered the top 10 with a mighty 119.6% month-on-month increase in the number of promotions, taking it from 17th place last month to fifth place now.
With heavyweight TV campaigns for Hovis and Warburtons kicking off this month, Kellogg's did its bit for breakfast cereals with a 59.2% increase in promotions, putting it in third place with a total of 199.
The lingering effects of the big freeze are continuing to drive soup sales, but canned giant Heinz has dropped its number of deals by 44.2% compared with last year.
The biggest year-on-year change came from WeightWatchers, which upped its offers by 97.1%, perhaps hoping the improved economic outlook would persuade consumers to get their bikini bodies ready for a holiday abroad this summer.
The steepest fall in activity came from Coca-Cola, which dropped five places to 10th with a 26.2% month-on-month decrease.
Supermarkets have kept the mechanics fairly similar to last year . At 38.8%, the bulk of activity continues to come through money-off deals, followed by x-for-y offers, which accounted for 29.2% of deals.
The most noticeable change occurred in special purchase, which accounted for 3.5% of deals last year but 7.7% this month, suggesting grey market activity has increased.
For the first time since April 2009, alcohol is not the most promoted category.
With the bargain booze frenzy of Christmas a hazy memory, drinks deals accounted for 15.7% of all featured promotions this month massively down on their peak of 26% last October.
The category has been nudged from the top spot by impulse, which made up 18.2% of deals this month unsurprising, given the increased roll-out of confectionery for Valentine's Day and Easter.
The third biggest uplift happened in the grocery aisle, which saw a 14% increase in deals. Spearheading this push were Asda and Tesco, which both announced last month that they would launch more discounts on staple foods.
The bigger picture shows that, although own-label deals are up a hefty 15.8% on last year, the number of promotions overall has dipped 1.9%. However, it appears that the nation's sweet tooth is being well catered-for, with all the big confectioners having now kicked off their Easter promotional activity. Cadbury has grabbed the overall promotional top spot from Birds Eye after upping its deals 67.6% on last month, but of the most-promoted brands, it is Nestlé that has increased its activity the most.
The Kit Kat and Randoms maker has re-entered the top 10 with a mighty 119.6% month-on-month increase in the number of promotions, taking it from 17th place last month to fifth place now.
With heavyweight TV campaigns for Hovis and Warburtons kicking off this month, Kellogg's did its bit for breakfast cereals with a 59.2% increase in promotions, putting it in third place with a total of 199.
The lingering effects of the big freeze are continuing to drive soup sales, but canned giant Heinz has dropped its number of deals by 44.2% compared with last year.
The biggest year-on-year change came from WeightWatchers, which upped its offers by 97.1%, perhaps hoping the improved economic outlook would persuade consumers to get their bikini bodies ready for a holiday abroad this summer.
The steepest fall in activity came from Coca-Cola, which dropped five places to 10th with a 26.2% month-on-month decrease.
Supermarkets have kept the mechanics fairly similar to last year . At 38.8%, the bulk of activity continues to come through money-off deals, followed by x-for-y offers, which accounted for 29.2% of deals.
The most noticeable change occurred in special purchase, which accounted for 3.5% of deals last year but 7.7% this month, suggesting grey market activity has increased.
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