Birthdays are not enough. The British rush out and buy a cake whenever they find a reason to celebrate

The image of mum lovingly icing a birthday cake for the kids has been relegated to the family photo album in most households as more busy parents pick up ready-made treats.
And while consumers are reluctant to go to the effort of making celebration cakes, they are keen to celebrate on more occasions.
Says Lesley Loveday, marketing manager for Elisabeth the Chef: “We now see cakes bought for general gifting purposes as well as for congratulations on exam or driving test passes.
“Mother’s, Father’s, and Valentine’s Days were always popular, but there are many more occasions these days and consumers seem to be happy to use cakes for these events.”
TNS reports that market penetration has grown during the past three years from about 33% of all households buying a celebration cake to 41%.
And the category is one of the stars of the cake market, enjoying growth of 8%
year-on-year and a total value of £91m [AC Nielsen, 52 w/e July 2004]. Innovation is on the increase, with a bigger range of licensed products designed to appeal across all age ranges.
Mark Bruce, sales and marketing director at Lightbody Celebration Cakes, says the offer has got bigger and better in stores, with improved merchandising and range. The products are more innovative and there’s more choice for consumers, and the quality is getting better.”
Buyers also say volume and value are growing. Sarah Glenton, Asda’s buyer for bought in cakes, says they now account for a fifth of the market. “Within Asda there has been a focus on signposting celebration cakes at the fixture, which has driven a healthy growth performance of 10% year-on-year.”
Bruce says 50% of its cakes are licensed products which has grown significantly from five years ago. He says the most popular are perennial favourites such as Winnie the Pooh, but this year Spider-Man has also done well along with Scooby Doo and Barbie.
Fellow manufacturer Inter Link Foods agrees that old favourites do well and plans to add The Magic Roundabout to its range in February.
Although the BBC has decided to stop offering its licences to snack foods and sweets manufacturers, Bruce says this does not extend to celebration cakes: “It’s the right decision as the cakes aren’t a regular purchase or part of a regular eating repertoire that would cause health problems.”
Richard Crabtree, Inter Link Foods’ commercial manager, says: “Research shows that the main celebration cake is enjoyed predominantly once a year as the key centrepiece for a kids’ party (or other party) and is not an every week repeat purchase.”