Publishing: 6 Aug

Advertising deadline: 22 July

Submissions deadline: 19 July

Contact: Amy North (amy.north@thegrocer.co.uk)

Download full synopsis here.

The Story

Breakfast is back. Brits have tucked into the most important meal of the day on 21 billion occasions over the past year, representing an increase of 0.5% of breakfasts consumed at home and 15% and 6% growth of carried out and bought out breakfasts respectively. What’s driving this? And, considering the major supermarkets have sold nearly £80m less of breakfast cereals in the past year, what are Brits now eating for brekkie?

Key themes (this list is not exhaustive; new angles will be investigated as they arise):

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 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?

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.

The fry up: Our research shows that the popularity of eggs at breakfast has continued to grow at an astounding rate in the past year. Bacon is up slightly but sausages are up a whopping 14.3%. What’s going on? What’s driving this growth? How are other staples of the great British fry up performing?

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 the 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? We also investigate the interest in bircher muesli.

Baked pastries/morning goods: This category is in slight decline. How will brands and retailers look to address this and what products already sold outside the UK could contribute to this market? 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?

Cold cereal innovations: We identify four new breakfast products or product ranges designed to be eaten at home that have not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date and RSP, and a hi-res picture of each.

Hot cereal innovations: We identify four new breakfast products or product ranges designed to be eaten at home that have not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date and RSP, and a hi-res picture of each.

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

  • What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?
  • How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?
  • How have individual retailers’ strategies impacted the market?
  • How has merchandising changed in the market?
  • What impact has own-label had on branded players?
  • What’s next for the category?

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