Its safe, cosy image, deriving from childhood associations, is probably why New Yorkers are reported to have turned to it in droves after the September 11 terrorist strikes, making it the bestselling product in the city in the atrocity's immediate aftermath. Endowed with so many positive consumer perceptions, soup has remained enduringly popular over the years despite limited new product development and the growth of so many snack and light meal alternatives. The £348m market is a mature one which makes its 5% growth in the last year [TNS 52 w/e 14 Oct 01] a remarkable performance. What's driven it has been a significant increase in NPD, such as the addition of higher priced fresh gourmet varieties to retailers' premium brands, Baxters' re-entry into the fresh arena, plus new packaging formats in the ambient sector designed to give soup a more contemporary image or reposition it in the snack market. Fresh soup has done more than any other development to raise soup's profile in the last decade, strengthening its wholesome image with all-natural ingredients and freshness proposition. It has maintained a healthy 5% value growth, although volume is starting to slip. The New Covent Garden Soup Co is the leading brand with a 40% share [Information Resources], a position it's maintained since it pioneered the fresh soup sector 14 years ago. Executive chairman Cyril Freedman believes fresh soup could increase by 40%-50% over the next few years. "It's a healthy, filling light meal that also works as a snack, which takes it into one of the big food trends. It also represents good value compared to chilled ready meals. Yet household penetration is low at around 8%, so it has plenty of mileage for growth." The mainstream segment with a price ceiling of £1.99 is the principal growth area, says Freedman. "More expensive, gourmet soups have come on to the market but the volume just isn't there. Most people aren't prepared to pay more than £2 for soup at the moment." Bestselling flavours are wild mushroom, carrot & coriander, Sicilian tomato and the ever-changing soup of the month'. Tastes are slowly becoming more adventurous, says Freedman. "There's a trend to spicy flavours and the level of spiciness is increasing in line with other food areas." To get soup out of the seasonality trap, the company has been offering a cold eating' range for 10 years. Freedman admits it's an uphill battle. "It's a small but growing segment. Getting consumers to eat soup outside of winter is a challenge and it needs an educational programme." To broaden consumption, the company is looking at the prospects for low sodium varieties. It has also been exploring snacking possibilities in the food to go market with Soup in a Cup, a 300g single serving designed for microwaving, introduced this year. The Real Soup Co is doing something similar with its 300g microwaveable Soup Cup, which is only available to the independents. The fresh sector has few brands ­ the only other one of significance is Joubère which specialises in organics ­ hence a number of companies, including ambient brands, have tried to break into it in the last few years, but failed and withdrew. Baxters embarked on its third attempt in May, launching a range of eight which has increased to 10. It is spending £1.5m this winter on TV advertising ­ the largest ever TV expenditure on fresh soup ­ to give the range a big push. Marketing manager Kev Mallinder says: "It demonstrates our commitment. We want to be a big player in fresh soup." On the ambient side, it is putting £7m behind its ranges which, like the rest of the ambient premium sector, is enjoying strong growth because consumers are trading up. To capitalise on this trend, the company launched four ambient oriental-style noodle soups, its first in pouches, this autumn. Mallinder says the pouch creates a more contemporary image to appeal to a target audience of 25 to 44-year-old women. The credit for creating the ambient pouch sector goes to Heinz, the brand leader, which was the first to launch in this format last year. With their perception of freshness and high quality plus the convenience of storability, pouches have struck a chord with consumers. Heinz senior brand manager Scott Axcell says the sector has increased by over 30% in volume y-o-y, making it the fastest growing segment in the premium market. Its bestsellers are carrot & orange and broccoli & cheddar, while the latest is chicken & vegetable with white wine. Other brands benefiting from pouches include Soup Sensations, a thick and chunky range from the Specialist Soup Co, and organic specialist Seeds of Change which says sales have grown 100% in the last year [TNS] since it switched from jars. With a mission to take soup into different lifestyle and lifestage areas, Heinz has also set the pace with its microwaveable range designed for eating at work from the pots, introduced last year. It has added microwaveable versions of its Big Soup and WeightWatchers brands for the out of home market. Two organic soups which made their debut last year have helped to grow the organic sector which Axcell says increased by 455% in the 2000/2001 season. In the children's market, Heinz has scored a hit with its range of licensed pasta soup based on its popular tomato flavour. With prospects overall looking better than ever, a lot of money is being pumped into ambient soup at the moment. Campbell has doubled its marketing spend to build a more contemporary image for its condensed range, and to encourage younger consumers to use soup as a recipe ingredient. "Consumers are crying out for quick-to-make meal ideas," says brand manager Janet Hutchins. Over 50% of purchases are used as part of a recipe. In the instant sector, Batchelors is spending £5m on Cup a Soup which was extended in September with potato-based varieties. Symington's is going for convenience with a new range of four varieties to be launched in January that can be microwaved or made up simply by the addition of boiling water. Another development to watch is G. Costa's Elsenham acquisition which brings the gourmet Becas range into its portfolio to complement its Blue Dragon Oriental soups. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}