Focus On Cereals: 25 January

Focus On: Cereals by Rob Brown and Natalie Brown

Download feature synopsis PDF here

Publishing: 25 January

Advertising deadline: 15 January

Submissions deadline: 8 January

The Story

Cereal is making a comeback. After years of steady decline, sales have edged up £14m. And posh cereal is proving key to driving up value. Average prices are rising as consumers buy into premium muesli and granola – a trend that was cemented by one big brand launching a no added sugar, organic range. It’s undoubtedly good news for a category that has been leaking value, both through branded promotions and the rise of cheaper own label options. So are more premium options the way forward for cereals? Can they truly reinvigorate the category? And what else is going on in the world of breakfast?

Key themes:

Health: Premium cereals are trading on their health credentials, with one containing veg to lower its sugar content and provide nutritional benefits. To what extent are these claims swaying shoppers? And can these cereals change perceptions of the category, which has traditionally been lambasted for its sugar content?

Muesli and granola: Why are these areas of the market suddenly growing? What is the consumer motivation? And to what extent has this been fuelled by innovation?

Promotions: Alongside higher-priced products, a decline in promotions has helped boost the category value. What’s going on here? To what extent have brands benefited, and narrowed the gap with own label?

Sweet cereal: It’s not all about healthier lines. The launch of White Chocolate Coco Pops caused a stir earlier this year. So how are sweet cereals performing against this health-driven backdrop?

Porridge: Volume sales have fallen after a milder winter. What is the market doing to reignite growth?

Portable: Is the growth of portable options coming to an end? Both value and volume are down, according to Kantar data. Why is this?

Kantar data: Using Kantar data, we analysis how the different areas of the cereals market are performing.

Nielsen data: Using Nielsen data, we look at how the top 10 cereal brands are performing.

8 x cereal innovations: Eight new products or product ranges that have i not appeared in The Grocer before including launch date, RSP and a picture of each.