Focus On Breakfast: 5 August

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fried breakfast

Publishing: 5 August

Advertising deadline: 21 July

Submissions deadline: 12 July

Contact: Beth Gault (beth.gault@thegrocer.co.uk)

The Story

Millennials have been described as a ‘lost generation’ as far as traditional breakfast cereals are concerned and it shows in the figures with volumes down. Yet breakfast occasions have actually risen by 0.5% in the past year, suggesting fewer are skipping breakfast. What’s going on? What can be done to re-engage this lost generation? What are the best and worst examples of retailers and brands getting it right? And what does the coming year have in store?

Key themes (this list is not exhaustive; please investigate new angles as they arise):

‘The lost generation’: Do younger consumers skip breakfast or do they just consume it differently to older generations? Why is their behaviour different and what can retailers do to re-engage them? How big is the opportunity in commercial terms?

The retail mix: Breakfast consumed out of the home now accounts for 10%, with the lion’s share of that accounted for by products purchased on the go. Where are people buying these breakfasts? How are retailers changing their offerings, how they merchandise breakfast products and promotions to tap the trend? What are people buying for breakfast on the hoof? We will be profiling six retailers that are getting breakfast right in a separate panel.

Health: Central to this feature will be an exploration of how the wider health trend is affecting what Brits eat for breakfast, when and where. Of particular interest will be the rise in protein fortified breakfast, on-the-go breakfast products for gym goers and the role low carb/high protein diets could be having in the growth of eggs for breakfast. Is the trend for healthy eating and active living responsible for breakfast’s overall growth?

Innovation: Key to this feature will be a discussion of the latest NPD from the category’s brands and own label players, large and small. This includes everyone from cereal-makers to bakers, canned food to fresh prepared food makers. Anyone looking to tap the breakfast market! The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired recent innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage new trends in breakfast, including cold cereal, hot cereal, cooked breakfast and on the go.

The overall market: This feature will pay close attention to how brands and retailers are changing how they approach breakfast to stay ahead. Which brands, products and retailers are driving the growing importance of breakfast? How is this reflected in their sales performance? And how are they specifically targeting the breakfast occasion?

The fry up: With more people eating out of the home, what’s happening to the Great British fry up?

Yoghurt: Yoghurts’ popularity at breakfast is also on the rise. Why? Which brands and retailers are driving this and how? What does the coming year hold for yoghurt for breakfast?

Breakfast biscuits: The feature will explore how the breakfast biscuits market has performed in the past year, with attention being paid to how new arrivals and market leader are faring, how growing competition is affecting price and promotional strategies and what players are doing to drive growth in the coming year.

Hot cereals: This has been one of the stars of the breakfast market over recent years, with porridge brands bringing out an ever widening array of formats to satisfy consumers looking to pick up breakfast on the go or at the desk. So how has it performed in the past year and what do brands have up their sleeves for the coming year?

Cold cereals: The long-term decline in traditional cold cereals continues. What’s next for brands – do they believe the decline will continue further? How are they looking to maintain their relevance to today’s consumers? By extending into new categories such as drinks or biscuits? This feature will also investigate the interest in bircher muesli too.

Baked pastries/morning goods: How is this market performing? How are brand and retailers looking to drive growth? Meanwhile, how can bread ensure it remains relevant to the breakfast market?

Breakfast drinks: This is tipped to be a growth area in years to come. How can this develop in future and what can be learned from markets where the category is more established, such as the US?

Retailer best practice examples: We speak to retailers and retail consultants to get examples of retailers that are catering for the breakfast crowd effectively. What are they doing? Why is it different? How effective has it been?