Beef
▼ 6.6% (–£134.1m)
The odds were stacked against beef this year. After a deluge of steaks and other quality cuts were diverted from foodservice to grocery during lockdowns, a post-pandemic decline was inevitable. Add to that the plant-based super-trend and a cost of living crisis, and you get a £134.1m loss for what’s typically one of the priciest products across meat & poultry. That makes it the biggest loser in all of grocery.
Potatoes
▼ 12.8% (–£91.6m)
The UK’s weather was the humble spud’s downfall this year. The veg’s value has shipped £91.6m – £19.3m more than the £70.9m loss we reported in 2021. A mild climate in the run-up to the summer stymied yields – and then scorching temperatures put Brits off tucking into mash, roasties and jackets. Besides, many had abandoned the scratch-cooking habits they picked up in lockdown.
Budweiser
▼ 17.0% (–£84.7m)
The reopening of the on-trade has hurt sales in grocery of every type of booze. Myriad brands have shed value – but none more so than Budweiser. Lager’s second-biggest brand has seen £84.7m wiped off its value, leaving it worth £413.2m. It’s now just £8.3m above the total reported in 2019’s Top Products. And with challengers like Madrí Excepcional making great gains (see p50), the pressure’s on.
Cadbury Dairy Milk
▼ 6.9% (–£45.1m)
The £45.1m loss for the UK’s biggest name in chocolate is largely down to softening of sales after a pandemic boom. It’s now worth £606.7m. That would be lower if average pack prices hadn’t nudged up 1.8%, as volumes fell 8.5%. As for many other choc brands, inflation has hurt CDM. Shoppers have cut down on non-essentials, down-traded to own label or turned to the discounters (who aren’t covered by our data).
Cathedral City
▼ 12.9% (–£37.2m)
Covid saw cheddar sales soar as shoppers stockpiled. But now the market – and, indeed, the larger cheese category – is struggling as pre-pandemic habits have resumed. Hence the £37.2m loss for Cathedral City, the UK’s biggest cheese brand. Inflation has played a part too, with cash-strapped Brits put off by higher pack prices. They’re up an average of 9.8% per kilo. At the same time, volumes are down 20.6%.
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