Sales: £147.5m +7.1%
Comfort has been flying since the relaunch of its core range last April, which included a pack redesign highlighting its odour defence technology and was supported by a £2.5m ad campaign. Link deals and the October relaunch of Persil 2in1 with Comfort also helped boost brand awareness.
Sales: £146.8m +7.0%
Special K’s core cereal offer may still be in value decline (of 2.2%), but it’s now slipping at a much slower rate following the launch of a new recipe last April. Kellogg’s reports strong growth in Multi Grain Porridge, launched in August, and Cracker Crisps, but says Clusters are underperforming.
Sales: £146.7m -2.0%
With cereal sales going soggy, Weetabix has been looking for new avenues of growth. In January 2013, it launched breakfast biscuits, which racked up £4m in their first 12 months, and this January, Weetabix drinks hit chillers to further cash in on the brekkie on-the-go trend.
Sales: £145.2m +13.4%
Digestives has had its best-ever year, says United Biscuits, with growth driven by the launch of Cheesecake Creams, backed by outdoor and print ads. This year also promises to be big, with UB preparing for its “biggest-ever” multimedia campaign and a £12m McVitie’s relaunch.
Sales: £145.0m +1.5%
Velvet’s value growth has slowed dramatically over the past year as a dramatic cut in deals prompted a 6.9% fall in volumes. With own label stealing share of the toilet paper category, Velvet’s going to have to think creatively if it’s to compete on anything other than price.
Sales: £140.6m +1.8%
A quiet year for Schweppes in terms of NPD, but still the brand has managed to grow in value and volume (up 1.5%). The addition of Elderflower and Citrus Blend variants to its tonic water range in a bid to appeal to younger drinkers, could be just the tonic for steeper growth in 2014.
Sales: £140.6m +4.0%
Young’s has not only weathered the storm in frozen fish, it’s been riding the crest of a wave with solid value growth, exceeded by even more impressive 7.2% volume growth. The launch of the Homestyle range and expansion of the Gastro sub-brand have been key.
Sales: £137.9m +1.7%
Just cleaning the dishes isn’t enough these days. Finish has been cleaning up its eco-credentials as well by claiming it gets said dishes spotless using fewer chemicals. Reckitt Benckiser has combined big ad spend with use of social media, using food bloggers to testify to Finish’s efficacy.
Sales: £137.7m +13.1%
Ooh la la! Magnum’s NPD took on a decidedly Gallic flavour last March when Kisses, a range of sticks inspired by French patisserie, was launched.
They weren’t the only additions to the Magnum stable in a strong year for the brand. “Innovation is in the very DNA of the Magnum brand,” says brand director for ice cream Noel Clarke, pointing to the host of other launches that have helped catapult Magnum 10 places up our ranking.
These include the September rollout of Mini Baileys Magnums in white and milk chocolate and an After Dinner sharing box, featuring 10 35ml vanilla ice cream bites, supported by one of the brand’s biggest-ever marketing pushes. Unilever says the NPD delivered sales worth more than £1.2m in their first 12 weeks in freezers. “Such is demand we’ve had to manage stocks of Mini Baileys very carefully,” adds Clarke.
While sales of Magnum Infinity slumped as the super-premium variant struggled to compete price-wise, the future looks bright for the overall brand. To mark its 25th anniversary, it launched Magnum Marc De Champagne, featuring silver-coated chocolate. Every cloud as they say…
Sales: £135.2m +3.3%
In August, Procter & Gamble reformulated Lenor, claiming the new version helps prevent damage to clothes from repeat washes. The accompanying marketing urged us to wear our prized ‘keeper’ garments more often, using Lenor to protect them. It worked: volume sales are up 2.1%.
See the complete list of Britain’s 100 Biggest Grocery Brands
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