Ice cream has been a game of two halves - the hot summer fuelled a boom in handheld, while tubs were left on the (freezer) shelf.
Sales of handheld ice cream rose 5.6% by volume and 9.6% by value, but volume sales of tubs were virtually static - although a pipeline of value-adding NPD contributed to a 3.4% hike in value sales [Nielsen 52 w/e 12 October].
Read The Grocer’s full Top Products Survey.
Magnum reinforced its position as the number one handheld, boosted by the continued success of Magnum Infinity and launch of Magnum Kisses. However, with temperatures reaching a high of 34C this summer, ice lollies such as Unilever stablemates Twister and Calippo arguably benefited from the scorching summer more than ice-cream products. One of the big success stories was R&R Ice Cream’s Fab, with the launch of Fab Minis early this year driving growth by tapping into demand for smaller, permissible treats.
Top products: the stats
It’s a trend also adopted by Mars Ice Cream, which has climbed the top 10 handhelds chart after launching mini-format ice creams that tap into the rise of sharing bags and mini snacking formats in the confectionery market. This is also evident in Magnum After Dinner, which contains bite-sized pieces of chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream.
In a category that has enjoyed growth this year, one notable exception is Cornetto. It saw a slight value increase disguising a volume decline, despite a relaunch to target younger consumers. Unilever can console itself that most of its tub ice creams have performed ahead of the category. Ben & Jerry’s success has been driven by NPD such as extensions to the super-premium Core range, while stablemate Carte D’Or’s Signature range has driven value growth ahead of volume. Magnum’s tub debut has also attracted almost £4m sales.
Demand for premium tubs has boosted Kelly’s of Cornwall, says owner R&R, and it has big plans for 2014, including NPD and activity involving brands it acquired when it bought Fredericks Dairies this spring.
One factor the whole market will be watching in 2014 is own label. Although it accounts for a fairly small share of tubs and is in shallower growth than branded tubs, it makes up a third of handheld sales and grew ahead of brands at 13.4% versus 7.6%.
Read The Grocer’s full Top Products Survey.
Top launch: Oreo Ice Cream Fredericks Dairies
Combining Oreo with Cadbury Dairy Milk has been a roaring success for Mondelez, so we have high hopes for the US biscuit brand working its magic in the ice-cream category. Fredericks Dairies - which this year became part of R&R - launched four-packs of Oreo-flavoured cocoa cones containing ice cream with cookie pieces in February. They have since generated £3.5m in sales, and Fredericks has also launched Oreo ice-cream tubs, so the endeavour is looking pretty sweet already.
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