Meet the brands challenging the 100 biggest in the UK

101. Surf

2022’s rank: 106

Sales: £102.6m (+8.1%)

Last summer, Surf put popular laundry fragrances Passion Bloom, Coconut Bliss and Tropical Lily into a three-strong multipurpose cleaner lineup.

“This expansion into a new category has helped encourage trade up in-store and increases basket spend, as shoppers look to incorporate Surf scents into other parts of their homes,” says Nadine Slyper, Unilever marketing director for laundry.

Overall, Surf’s volumes are up 2.9%, despite the end of the Covid cleaning boom.

 

102. Fridge Raiders

2022’s rank: 112

Sales: £100.9m (+11.2%)

Fridge Raiders is now on the edge of the top 100 after adding £10.2m – pushing it over the £100m mark for the first time. It’s also grown volumes 5% after a “huge year”, says Pilgrim’s Food Masters marketing controller Chris Doe. He points to the brand’s “long-awaited” April 2022 debut in plant-based – Meat-Free Tasty Bites – as a highlight.

Doe also credits “limited-edition flavour rotations across the core portfolio” for helping to drive Fridge Raiders’ sales.

 

109. Tilda

2022’s rank: 120

Sales: £96.2m (+9.2%)

Tilda bucked the inflationary trend with a 3.9% fall in average price. That was likely one factor behind volumes soaring 13.6%, propelling Tilda close to the top 100. Ready-to-heat NPD also played a role, as Tilda added the likes of Masala, Golden Vegetable and Sticky.

The brand has been meeting demand for healthier lines, it says. “We saw an opportunity to fill gaps in our portfolio by meeting the desire to increase vegetable consumption without hassle,” adds head of marketing Anna Beheshti.

 

110. Ambrosia

2022’s rank: 119

Sales: £96.1m (+8.3%)

This pretender to the top 100 hasn’t actually shifted any extra units. In fact, its volumes fell 13.2% – a decline of 12.6 million packs.

Instead, an average price rise of nearly 25% has driven a value gain of £7.4m. But that won’t be entirely down to base price rises. Last year, Ambrosia unveiled its Deluxe line, which comes at a premium to its standard SKU.

The custard brand has also moved into new categories – as seen with ice cream and ready to eat porridge pots – to deliver “incremental brand value”.

 

112. Bonne Maman

2022’s rank: 123

Sales: £95.8m (+12.0%)

Even while tightening their belts, consumers have still treated themselves to premium preserves, lunchbox-friendly cakes and desserts from Bonne Maman. The Adros-owned brand has grown volumes 4.1% and added £10.3m. Sales were supported by a TV push in the first half of 2022, promoting its Chocolate and Strawberry Mousses and Crème Caramel.

To limit price rises to shoppers, the brand cut the yoghurt content of its fruit-layered yoghurts from 70% to 65% in April.

 

113. Oasis

2022’s rank: 130

Sales: £93.9m (+15.1%)

During 2022’s glorious summer, Oasis ran its cheeky ‘Be Your Own Oasis’ campaign. It’s now worth an extra £12.3m, having sold 5.4 million more packs of its non-HFSS drinks.

“Oasis remains the number one juice drinks brand in Britain,” says CCEP GB VP for commercial development Martin Attock. “It is a key driving force behind the growth of juice drinks, contributing more than a quarter of actual value growth.” CCEP has “big plans” for Oasis, with new products and a push scheduled for summer.

 

115. Flash

2022’s rank: 123

Sales: £93.3m (+11.6%)

Flash’s value gain is entirely down to a 35.9% hike in average pack price – the fastest in this year’s report.

It’s the starkest example of the price rises referred to by owner P&G in an earnings call last July. CEO Jon Moeller forecast “significant headwinds” in the year ahead, including higher commodity costs and unfavourable currency conversions.

Even so, a bargain can still be had in the right place: a 450ml pack of Flash cleaner landed in Poundshop.com’s £1 Value Heroes range in August.

 

116. Clover

2022’s rank: 131

Sales: £91.5m (+13.4%)

This report’s second-sharpest increase in average price per pack – of 26.4% – has pushed Clover into a challenger position.

Its £10.8m gain masks a 10.3% decline in volumes after a quiet 2022 for innovation and marketing.

Nevertheless, Clover “continues to win with the nation, retaining its number one volume position” in spreads, says Saputo Dairy VP of butters, spreads & oils Emilie Grundy. “This is testimony to the strength of the brand and the connection it has with households.”

 

128. Butcher’s

2022’s rank: 146

Sales: £82.5m (+20.0%)

The cost of living crisis has led one in four shoppers to consider cutting spend on their dog’s food, says Butcher’s. Not that it’s too worried.

It’s still seeing strong demand for health-focused lines, which command a higher price than core products – helping drive a £13.7m gain. To further capitalise, the brand added its Healthy Heart range in November.

“Owners have become more engaged with their dogs’ wellbeing, and this trend is only going to accelerate,” says its head of insight Phil Cotterill.

 

151. Babybel

2022’s rank: 155

Sales: £65.1m (+11.2%)

Babybel is up £6.6m, while volumes are down a relatively modest 3%. The cheese brand has “evolved to meet changing customer needs”, insists senior brand manager Oliver Richmond.

He points to Mini Babybel Plant-Based. Launched in 2021, it now commands a 2.4% share of the vegan cheese market, despite being a single SKU.

Meanwhile, Mini Babybel’s two-pack format became its second fastest-growing SKU last year – delivering a value sales increase of more than 230%.