Publishing: 1 August

Advertising deadline: 15 July

Submissions deadline: 8 July

Contact: Natalie Brown (Natalie_Brown@live.co.uk)

Download full synopsis here.

Another tough year for the male grooming market: value and volume sales are down. The main source of the decline has been in razor blades and male skincare, according to our research. So what’s going on? Is this still the effect of the trend for beards? What impact is reliance on price promotions having on the market? And how are other parts of the market faring?

Key themes:

Fashion: This feature will explore in detail how the current trend for long hair and beards is affecting the market and how brands and retailer are looking to either cash in on or challenge this. How much of an affect does fashion have on this market? What are the chances of recent high profile launches changing this trend?

The retail mix: Central to this feature will be an exploration of how retailers’ shares of the market are changing and the reasons for this. Bargain stores such as round pound retailers have enjoyed the strongest growth in the past year while the big grocers and the high street chemists have seen share eroded. Why?

Consumer research: According to exclusive research carried out for The Grocer by Harris Interactive, more than 30% of households currently spend less than £5 a month on male grooming products, 14% of men regularly use female grooming products and, alarmingly, 12% of men in a relationship bath or shower only once every three days. Does this suggest male grooming brands are failing? Where are the opportunities?

Routine simplification: This feature will explore the reasons behind the growth in multifunctional products. Which products have made the most impact and why? Are two or three in one skincare/shave/wash products and alike driving men away from single purpose face moisturisers and other skincare products?

Price/promotions: This feature will investigate how important price and promotions have become during the market’s decline over the past year, paying particular attention to the promotional mechanics brands are using to generate sales 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. The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired these innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage new trends in the baked goods category.

Box-outs:

The pound shops: What is driving the phenomenal growth in the pound shops’ male grooming sales? Is the growth being driven by range extensions or is it more reflective of their overall growth? How do their ranges differ from other retailers?

4 x innovations: We profile four new products or product ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before, including launch date and RSP.

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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