Previous promo champion Uncle Ben’s loses its crown to Tilda as historic high prices and supply restrictions take their toll.
After a bronze and a silver in the previous two years, Tilda has reached the top of the promotions podium this year. Just.
Tilda had 17% of promotional activity, compared with 16% from Sharwood’s and 15% from Crosse & Blackwell. Uncle Ben’s, the champion in the previous two years, slipped to fifth with 14%. The fall of the Mars Foods brand goes to show how tough competition has got in this category’s promotional scene.
Rice prices reached historic highs this year and, with export restrictions and outright export bans in key rice-producing countries, the supply of rice to the world market remains tight. The chances of bogof offers and the like has, in turn, been restricted.
Having led the pack with 148 promotions in the first seven months of 2006, this year Uncle Ben’s had just 27. This is the biggest fall, but promotions across the category have fallen from 354 two years ago to 196 this year. Even this year’s gold medal winner, Tilda, grabbed top spot with 25% less promotional activity than it had two years ago.
The dip in promotional activity has, to some extent, enabled smaller brands to close the gap on their more powerful rivals.
The ever-present grin on Ainsley Harriott’s face is in no danger of disappearing due to the promotional results table either. His rice and risotto range has had 17 promotions in the first seven months of the year, double that of the previous year. The brand now sits in sixth place, just behind Uncle Ben’s.
The increasing price of rice may have encouraged more own-label promotions this year too. In previous years own-label products didn’t feature, but this year made up 5% of the category’s total promotions.
While rice production is forecast to increase this season on the back of higher prices, consumption is also rising. With the market set to remain tight in the medium-term, winning the promotions race isn’t likely to get any easier.
After a bronze and a silver in the previous two years, Tilda has reached the top of the promotions podium this year. Just.
Tilda had 17% of promotional activity, compared with 16% from Sharwood’s and 15% from Crosse & Blackwell. Uncle Ben’s, the champion in the previous two years, slipped to fifth with 14%. The fall of the Mars Foods brand goes to show how tough competition has got in this category’s promotional scene.
Rice prices reached historic highs this year and, with export restrictions and outright export bans in key rice-producing countries, the supply of rice to the world market remains tight. The chances of bogof offers and the like has, in turn, been restricted.
Having led the pack with 148 promotions in the first seven months of 2006, this year Uncle Ben’s had just 27. This is the biggest fall, but promotions across the category have fallen from 354 two years ago to 196 this year. Even this year’s gold medal winner, Tilda, grabbed top spot with 25% less promotional activity than it had two years ago.
The dip in promotional activity has, to some extent, enabled smaller brands to close the gap on their more powerful rivals.
The ever-present grin on Ainsley Harriott’s face is in no danger of disappearing due to the promotional results table either. His rice and risotto range has had 17 promotions in the first seven months of the year, double that of the previous year. The brand now sits in sixth place, just behind Uncle Ben’s.
The increasing price of rice may have encouraged more own-label promotions this year too. In previous years own-label products didn’t feature, but this year made up 5% of the category’s total promotions.
While rice production is forecast to increase this season on the back of higher prices, consumption is also rising. With the market set to remain tight in the medium-term, winning the promotions race isn’t likely to get any easier.
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