soup tins

Publishing: 22 July

Advertising deadline: 30 June

Submissions deadline: 27 June

Contact: Alex Wright (apnwright@yahoo.co.uk)

Download full synopsis here.

The Story

Canned food’s decline appears to be levelling out. So which canned & ambient food sectors in growth and what’s driving this? What can the areas still in decline learn? How are packaging formats changing in ambient food? And what does the coming year have in store for this sector?

Key Themes

Ranging: A crucial angle for this feature will be an exploration of how retailers’ canned and ambient ranges have changed over the past year, particularly in light of rationalisation schemes such as Tesco’s Project Reset and Asda’s Project Renewal. Who’s suffered as a result of reduced shelf space or delistings? Who’s benefitted?

Premium product development and innovation: Canned and ambient food may be struggling, but that hasn’t stopped many of the biggest brands delivering a host of convincing launches over recent years. So what have been the most successful launches of the past year? What trends are they looking to tap? What’s in the pipeline?

Categories: This feature will look at all parts of the canned and ambient category from beans to veg, meat to fish. Particular areas of interest will be the canned fish, which has seen the price deflation of recent years level off somewhat in the past year, tomatoes, which are enjoying strong growth, and beans, which continue to struggle. What’s driving these contrasting performances?

Packaging formats: This feature will pay close attention to how manufacturers’ choice of packaging formats is evolving in ambient food, using data from market analysts on growth and decline in formats such as cans, pouches, cartons and so on. Is the can’s dominance being challenged? In which categories are alternatives to the can gaining most traction?

Own label v brands: Our analysis suggests brands are losing share to own label as prices are cut to narrow the price differential between the two. This feature will explore the dynamics between brands and own label in detail, looking at everything from range developments, price and promotions to advertising, merchandising and innovation.

Discounters: Bargain Stores, Aldi and Lidl are showing strong growth in canned and ambient as is Waitrose. What are the mults doing to fight back? And what’s driving the discounters’ growth?

Convenience: Canned goods are in decline as shoppers switch to chilled convenience products. What are the category’s biggest players doing to tap into the convenience market?

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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