On the go is on the up: Sports and nutrition value growth
Sports and nutrition value growth  
       
  £m % change  
Ready to drink 60.2 3  
Bar 27.2 38.3  
Powdered Drinks 18.9 1.2  
Flapjack 18.2 70.3  
Tablet 5.0 -23.8  
Ball 2.8 -36.5  
Other Formats 2.8 789.4  
Gel 1.5 4.9  
Cookie 0.9 44.6  
Capsule 0.6 -45.3  
       
Source: Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e 17 Jun 18      

The sports nutrition market is in pretty healthy shape. Value increased 13.3% to £138m on volume growth of 12.6%. 

On-the-go products are at the top of the podium in sports nutrition this year, with sales of bars, flapjacks and cookies in double-digit growth. This, says Kantar analyst Marie Carr, has been fuelled by growing use of deals to drive trial and retailers giving greater space to such products at prime locations at the front of store. 

"Prices have decreased as the category overall saw greater use of temporary price reductions (TPR)," she says. "More premium flapjacks have entered the market at a higher price point but TPR remains an important mechanic for this sector and has been effective in bringing an additional million shoppers to the sector versus last year."

Indeed, sales on deal have surged by 27.3% in the past year, bringing the percentage of value sales on promotion to 33.4%. Price cuts are by far the most important mechanic, accounting for 29.7% of all sales. Commentators say deals are also crucial in encouraging trial of larger bulk packs.

Nevertheless, sports nutrition is not as price-sensitive as other sectors, adds Carr. "Consumers are willing to pay more for added benefits," she says. "This is perfectly demonstrated by the price premium charged for a Nakd bar compared to a typical chocolate bar, despite being 40% lighter in weight." 

Carr adds it is no longer enough to rely on one source of nutrition such as protein, as consumers look for "a multitude of needs to be fulfilled, whether a more natural source or greater convenience".

Sports nutrition is heavily dominated by brands, which account for over 90% of all spend. "Brands have been more active in developing new products compared with the retailers' own label," explains Carr. She names Graze as a particularly active brand on the innovation front, having developed its offline presence through a range of protein and 'superfood' bites in store. 

That said, retailers are beginning to turn their attentions towards the growth in sports nutrition. "Aldi has made an effort to tap this growing category through launching a variety of new flavours of its raw organic 'Hike' bars," says Carr. "This is reflected in the retailer being the fastest-growing in the market over the past year (up 48.6%)."