Focus On Barbecue: 27 March

Focus On: Barbecue by Rob Brown

Download the synopsis here

Publishing: 27 March 2021

Advertising deadline: 12 March

Submissions deadline: 5 March

The Story

Will barbecues be smoking hot again this year? Last year, Brits spent £834m on barbecue occasions, £329m more than the year before, thanks to a combination of sunny weather and being stuck at home during lockdown. But with restrictions set to lift and outdoor hospitality to reopen in mid-April, what’s in store for barbecues this year? How will suppliers persuade punters to fire up the grill instead of dining in the pub garden?

Key Themes

Gastro food: With pubs and restaurants poised to reopen, how will suppliers tempt Brits to barbecue at home this year? How will fancier offers compete with what’s on offer at the gastro pubs? Fewer barbecue occasions included children last year. Is this a trend that’s likely to continue and will there be a growth in posh goods geared towards adults? Last year saw in increase in lunchtime barbecues. Will suppliers this year cater for such occasions?

Meat versus veg: Last year, sales of traditional staples of the grill, such as burgers (up by 74%) and sausages (+72%), were sizzling. However barbecued vegetables featured more, too. And grilled veg is expected to be a hot trend among committed BBQers. Plus, as the popularity of Veganuary 2021 has shown, the vegan trend continues to grow apace, with much innovation in meat alternatives. How will the battle between meat and plant-based play out on the UK’s outdoor grills?

Foreign flavours: With holidays plans to far-flung destinations still on ice, will Brits be seeking to recreate more exotic flavours at home and how will these find their way to the barbecue? Rubs? Marinades? Fancy sauces on the side? Added value meats?

Formats: The easing of lockdown restrictions will allow for small get-togethers and then, as the weather improves, larger ones. What will this mean for sales of larger format products as high summer approaches?

Kantar data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of certain sub-categories.

4 x innovations: We identify four new functional products or product ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before. We require details about the product, its launch date, rsp and retail listings and high resolution (no less than 300dpi/1mb) product images.