Top ten canned brands by value: Nielsen
Top ten brands in canned and ambient by value   
     
  Value (£m) % growth
HEINZ 438.6 -2.1
JOHN WEST 154.7 -0.2
PRINCES 135.8 -1.2
DOLMIO 103.2 -5.5
AMBROSIA 82.8 1.9
NAPOLINA 72.2 7.7
GREEN GIANT 48.5 -1.9
HARTLEYS 47.5 4.1
LOYD GROSSMAN 47.2 -5.9
BATCHELORS 44.7 -5.5
     
 Source: Nielsen 52 w/e 23 February 2019    

Canned brands are finding it tough. Growth largely came from small players, while the top three brands saw a combined decline of more than £11m.


The hit to brands is largely down to own label, which has seen continuous growth. “Private label is prevalent among all canned categories and prices can be as low as half that of brands, making price a point of differentiation,” says Nielsen senior client manager Paula Pallant.


Retailer offerings are proving a particular threat in canned vegetables, says Pallant. Private label also doubled its sales in meat alternatives, which was the fastest-growing area of canned.


Heinz is seeing declines across its canned soup, pasta and veg ranges. But the decline is most noticeable across soup, which it is hoping to reinvigorate with a new microwaveable pot format.


Princes suffered the largest volume decline in the top 10. The brand was down 10.1%, equating to 7.6 million fewer units sold. It is hoping to reverse that decline with a £5m packaging overhaul, designed to “retain existing shoppers while appealing to a new and younger consumer”.


John West largely held on to its value, while volumes dipped 3.2%. The brand is banking on convenience-led innovations such as its No Drain Fridge Pots and Infusions Salad Tuna Fillets to increase fish consumption.

Top advertisement spenders in canned: Ebiquity
Top advertisement spenders in canned and ambient        
               
Brands Spend (£) Y-O-Y Cinema Outdoor Press Radio TV
% % % % %
Heinz £5,384,279 -19.74% 0.00% 0.00% 0.80% 0.00% 99.20%
Baxters £928,238 15895.83% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 100.00%
Cirio £713,395 3907.61% 0.00% 0.00% 2.80% 0.00% 97.20%
Branston £232,586 - 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Peppadew £102,678 572.50% 0.00% 63.10% 36.90% 0.00% 0.00%
John West £61,368 -79.95% 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Princes £13,705 -70.57% 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Spam £5,591 - 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Grant's £5,501 - 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
               
 Source: Nielsen 52 w/e 31st December 2018       

Despite a 20% cut in its budget year on year, Heinz was still 2018's biggest spender, splashing almost nine times as much cash as second-placed Baxters. 

October saw the return to TV of Soup of the Day. The 'Homemade, the Heinz Way' push highlighted the range's use of "naturally sourced" ingredients.

It came three months after Heinz had its 'fitness dad' ad for Baked Beanz banned again. The clip, which first ran foul of the ASA in late 2017, misleadingly suggested Beanz contained as much protein and fibre as a typical protein shake, said the watchdog.

Top eight sectors in canned by value sales: Kantar
Top eight sectors in canned and ambient by value sales  
     
  Value (£m)  % growth
 Canned Fish   536.5 5.2
 Baked Bean   343.8 1.3
 Ambient Soup   317.0 -1.7
 Tomato Products   250.1 2.1
 Tinned Fruit   169.1 4.1
 Canned Hot Meats   159.0 -3.0
 Prepared Peas&Beans   147.4 3.2
 Cold Canned Meats   125.9 0.9
     
Brands vs Own Label  
  Value (£m)  % growth
Branded 1336.9 -1
Own Label 990.4 6.2
     
Retailer performance  
  Category value share % growth
 Tesco   25.2 0.9
 Asda   14.7 2.1
 Sainsbury's   13.8 0
 Morrisons   10.9 2.9
 Aldi   7.1 11.1
 Lidl   5.1 7.4
 Waitrose   4.0 0.9
 The Co-Operative   3.8 2.2
     
 Source: Kantar 52 w/e 30 December 2018    

The canned goods market is now worth £2.3bn. Value increased by 2% on last year, equating to an extra £45m. But this is only due to a 2% rise in prices. In terms of volume, the category is flat. 

Brands and private label have performed very differently. Brands lost £13m on last year, driven by shoppers purchasing a lot less often. On the other hand, private label gained an extra £58m. That was partly down to a 1.7% rise in average price and partly down to shoppers purchasing own label much more often.

That strong performance is linked to Aldi and Lidl, which have grown their value sales by 11.1% and 7.4% respectively. Marks & Spencer and Iceland are also on the rise, up 10.2% and 7.9%. Own label has also been driven by the rise of standard tier lines, while value lines are down 4.7%.

Canned fish is the biggest sector in absolute value as well as in value increase, up 5.2%. Its £26.6m gain made it the largest contributor to market growth. That value increase was driven entirely by inflation, as prices rose ahead of the market at 6.6%.

Bianca Draghici, Kantar