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Source: Photo by Brad on Unsplash

By Megan Tatum (wordsbymegantatum@gmail.com)

Publishing: 12 July 2025

Advertising deadline: 27 June 2025

Submissions deadline: 24 June 2025

“Gluten-free consumers – especially the younger, health-conscious segment – aren’t connecting with brands on shelf, perceiving them as second best,” said Matthew Cain, head of sales at prescription-focused free from supplier Juvela. Kantar data backs this up: while the overall free from market – comprising products marketed as being free from gluten, dairy, meat, alcohol, egg and other allergens – is in strong growth, brands are losing share to own-label. So what can free from brands do to win back share? Which are performing best and worst? Which retailers are pushing own label and how?

Merchandising and ranging: We will also be exploring how different retailers are approaching merchandising and in-store marketing and what impact this is having on their category sales. Have any retailers significantly changed their ranges or merchandising strategies in the past year? To what effect?

Marketing: This feature will pay close attention to how suppliers and retailers are marketing free from products and how this is changing. Which brands are striking a chord with consumers and how? What channels – i.e. in-store, TV, outdoor, social media, etc – are proving most effective? Why?

Brands v own-label: We will also be exploring the dynamic between own label and brands in this category and how it has evolved in the past year. Which retailers are driving the share gains made by own-label? And how can brands fight back?

Innovation: Another area of interest is NPD. To what extent has innovation driven growth in the category over the past year? Which new products have proven most successful? Have any flopped? We will profile eight new products or ranges, ideally ones that have not appeared in The Grocer before. Please provide details of launch date, rsp, pack weight and stockists, as well as a high-res product shot.

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