Ross Marié

Tesco Aiming For Extra £1bn In Sales From Premium Range The CEO of Tesco has revealed that the retailer is targeting an extra £1bn in sales for its Finest own-label range to meet growing demand for premium food & drink and challenge the likes of Waitrose and M&S. Finest currently has annual sales of £2bn. Speaking to the Financial Times, Ken Murphy said: “We haven’t yet set our stall out to say ‘what would it take to get to £3bn’, but we’re very conscious it is playing an increasingly important role.” He added: “We genuinely believe . . . that our intrinsic [food] qualities are every bit as good as anything you would get at Sainsbury’s and increasingly out of Waitrose … M&S, we probably still have a bit of work to do.” The report notes that in the face of higher living costs, shoppers are shunning restaurants and becoming more adventurous with their cooking at home. Data from Kantar shows that spending on premium own-label lines in the leading UK supermarkets rose 12% in the year to 9 June even as inflation eased. The figure was also nearly double the 6.9% growth in all brands owned by the grocers, including their budget ranges. The FT highlighted that Tesco’s Finest products account for only over 3% of the group’s £61.4bn sales, although this is equivalent to about a quarter of Waitrose’s total sales and M&S’s food sales, respectively. However, it has taken Tesco about a decade to reach the £2bn level from £1.4bn in sales in 2013. Murphy did not reveal whether there was a target date set for getting sales to £3bn, but Clive Black, a retail analyst at Shore Capital, told the FT that it would not be earlier than “the medium and long term before that number is reached” given that the industry’s annual growth is relatively modest. NamNews Implications: * ‘Shoppers are shunning restaurants and becoming more adventurous with their cooking at home…’ * …heightening consumer awareness of the difference made by quality ingredients… * …and the home-cost of ingredients vs the price paid in hospitality. * All potential threats to ‘eating out’ long term. * Apart from increased savviness re branded equivalents in store. One to watch… #OwnLabel #Hospitality

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𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 has been hitting the headlines recently, with pub operators like O’Neill’s facing scrutiny for increasing drink prices during peak trading times. The Standard reported on a £𝟮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝗽𝗺 at O’Neill’s Wardour Street, describing it as “inhospitable, greedy, and counter to the very essence of what pubs are meant to be about.” It’s fascinating how 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝘀 sparks such strong reactions—especially when it’s standard practice in so many other sectors. Perhaps the cheers in Parliament after the announcement of a 1p cut in beer duty reflect how deeply 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 is etched in our cultural psyche. Adjust the price of hotel rooms or airline tickets, fine - but touch the price of a pint or our Oasis tickets, and all bets are off! This debate raises important questions about pricing strategy, particularly as operators brace for 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 with increases in National Insurance and business rates on the horizon. 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 - businesses can’t afford to leave value on the table, yet there’s understandable caution about pushing prices too far and alienating customers. At Hospitality Data Insights (HDI), we specialise in 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 for the UK hospitality sector. With over 70 years of pricing expertise and tools like: ✅ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 from over 18,000 hospitality venues ✅ 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 from 10.2 million people tracking site-by-site spending behaviour We help operators take a more strategic approach: 📈 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 and reduce discounting in sites where customers are less price-sensitive. 💡 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 in sites where price sensitivity is highest. Pricing is both an art and a science—but with the right data, operators can strike the perfect balance between maximising value and maintaining customer loyalty. Want to learn more? Feel free to reach out for a chat about how we can support your pricing strategy or help with ongoing price tracking: [email protected]

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Looks like a ban selling energy drinks to U16's will be coming in with a Labour government and I am sure our clients will be very prepared for any eventuality. It will be interesting to see how those retailers who are used to selling these drinks but not demonstrating any potential compliance against age restrictions get on. Serve Legal is hear to help #compliance #responsibleretailing #duediligence

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What’s the “Funding Gap”? At Mission Ventures, we’re convinced a significant gap exists for UK Food and Drink SMEs (and in particular, healthier challenger brands). It’s defined as: ‘…the difference between the amount of financing small businesses need and the amount they can obtain’. I’d like to gain your perspective on this; What is the funding gap according to you and more importantly, what are the best mechanisms to address it? Please complete this survey: https://lnkd.in/edc5-UuB It won’t take you more than 5 mins. Promise.

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A very good article by Adam Leyland from The Grocer on Carlsberg Group bid to buy Britvic plc and the potential coming together of a leading alcohol and soft-drinks company. The next few weeks will tell if Carlsberg is successful in it's quest to acquire Britvic, but it does open the question will the beverages industry now see other similar moves in this approach to M&A activity? Will other leading beer companies look to follow the lead set by Carlsberg? Would a leading spirits company look to acquire a softdrinks company with a strong mixer and tonic range? For any beverages company, strategic and long-term growth is all about winning "share of throat" through having a strong and varied portfolio of brands and products to meet consumer needs across different occasions and need states. M&A activity offers the potential to do this quicker than through organic growth. Interesting times ahead! #alcohol #softdrinks #categoryblurring #occasions #beverages #Carlsberg #britvic Carol Dunne Gwyneth Kelly David Deeley Brian Short Sheelagh Pentony Lars Jensen Paul Villis Gilles Halotel Mark Allen Jerry O'Keeffe Ian Chesworth Sergio Saavedra Rodríguez Birgit Schaaf Erika Minaguchi Jean-Philippe Delforge Bourcard Nesin John Craven Joshua Schall, MBA Farrah Gilsenan Marc LEJEUNE Erlon Pereira Alison Wilkinson Declan Stack Mark Gallo Xavier Herrera Francois Sonneville Kristof König Jean Noel Ortal Magdalena Edyta Przewoźnik Barbara Lezzer Alison Van Houten David Walsh Stephen Rannekleiv

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Our annual Britvic plc Soft Drinks Review was released yesterday, and as a category it’s always so interesting to see the changing consumer behaviours that shape our brands. Our report found that: ·       Category sales in grocery and convenience stores have grown, demonstrating the dedication and ingenuity of manufacturers and retailers as well as the wide range of roles soft drinks are playing in people's lives. We have witnessed the soft drink category expand rapidly at forecourts, where sales have grown by 9.9% on volumes up 1.6%.  ·       There is a rise in people using forecourts for a wider range of purposes, like top-up shopping and on-the-go treats. All this presents significant opportunities for soft drinks, the channel’s bestselling food and drink category.  ·       Retailers increasingly recognise that the soft drinks they stock help determine people’s choice of store. As such, Britvic is a trusted manufacturer that aims to support retailers in meeting those needs, with launches of various flavours through our rotational Tango Editions series, offering various formats, and health-conscious options to help retailers offer their customers everything they need.  You can read more about how the category is continuing to accelerate on our website:  https://lnkd.in/eBaTNyPT

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This is a great issue of FMCG CEO Magazine, which features our interim Managing Director, Jude Allan who explains how clear and consistent recycling labels on packaging helps consumers engage with recycling. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/djAwQDHs #OPRL #recycling #packaging #labels #RecyclingLabels #pEPR #SustainablePackaging

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The news this week that Carlsberg Group made a bid to buy Britvic plc showed how much category blurring in beverages, is driving total business growth strategy and also M&A activity. I wrote an article in Checkout Magazine on this very topic in 2023: Beverages 2.0 - The Total Beverages Company Beverages companies are looking to align their strategies to market trends and consumer needs and long-term shifts in consumer demographics and consumption patterns necessitate a continual reevaluation of current strategies, this most apparent in the soft drinks category and also in the alcohol category – as alcohol moderation gathers pace. A company's beverages portfolio mix needs to reflect the changing consumer, with an increasing share of low- and no-calorie products and added functionality and address the longer-term growth of great tasting of low and no alcohol premium offerings. High-calorie brands are losing space to water and water-based beverages and functional drinks. An aging population will continue to drive change in the portfolio mix towards healthy aging, such as zero alcohol along with low-calorie and added-functionality beverages, while a younger population want healthier choices that taste great and are environmentally and sustainably orientated. The pathway for long terms success and growth is to offer a wide portfolio of beverages for different consumer need states and occasions (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) creating a total beverages company, with this impacting not just product development and innovation, but brand positioning and route to market to their get their products in to the hands of the final consumer… proving that Beverages is indeed an exciting and dynamic category. #beverages #alcohol #softdrinks #carlsberg #britvic #categoryblurring #strategy #growth #innovation Lars Jensen Paul Villis Carol Dunne Jean-Philippe Delforge Sheelagh Pentony Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder Erlon Pereira Jerry O'Keeffe Alison Wilkinson Ian Chesworth David Deeley Brian Short Bourcard Nesin Jim Watson Francois Sonneville Gilles Halotel Marc LEJEUNE Farrah Gilsenan John Craven Maev Martin John Savage Stephen Rannekleiv Mark Gallo Kristof König Linda Chatton Michel Aubanel Jean Noel Ortal Gwyneth Kelly Sergio Saavedra Rodríguez Birgit Schaaf Barbara Lezzer Magdalena Edyta Przewoźnik Aoife Mc Donald Breda Kelly Erika Minaguchi Mark Allen David Walsh

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Food & Drink Wales Insight Programme: September Economic & KANTAR Grocery Market Update This month the Bank of England held interest rates at 5% due to concern over services inflation. This means more pain for longer for borrowers. Meanwhile, public sector pay rises agreed by the new Government will put upwards pressure on wage inflation. At the same, time there is concern that the new Government has been talking down the economy with potential to dampen consumer sentiment which fell sharply in September ahead of the October budget. Third quarter business optimism has also fallen back a little while Government debt has reached 100% of GDP again and planning approvals have fallen to a 10-year low. Unemployment has fallen slightly to 4.1%. GDP growth has been 1.3% across the first two quarters of 2024. Mortgage possession claims are now rising quite strongly albeit still below 2019 levels. The challenge now is to get through the budget, keep consumer confidence up and develop a plan for sustainable economic growth. Grocery market insights from Kantar: - Take-home grocery sales were up 3.0% in the 12 weeks to 1 September compared to last year. - Grocery price inflation fell from 1.8% to 1.7%. - Spending on promotions continues to rise. - Ocado has the strongest annual growth at 12.9% followed by Lidl at 9.1% - ASDA’s has the strongest decline at 5.6% on the year with symbols and independents down 1.8% and the Co-op down 0.7% on the year. - Sainsbury’s has seen the strongest growth of the major multiples at 5.7%, just ahead of Tesco at 5.3% - Morrisons and Waitrose have both seen growth of 2.7% and 4% respectively, though for Morrisons this is behind the overall market. #FoodDrinkWales

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📈 New Insights: Scotland Outperforming in Wholesale Channels Exclusive data from TWC and HDI, commissioned by the Scottish Wholesale Association, reveal that Scotland is outperforming England and Wales across key wholesale channels, especially in convenience retail and foodservice. Thank you to Hospitality Data Insights (HDI) and TWC Group for sharing these valuable insights to SWA members at the webinar on Tuesday. Key takeaways: 🔹 Scottish wholesalers lead in value growth within the convenience sector, boasting the largest regional share of sales in GB. 🔹 Strong growth across seven out of 10 retail categories, particularly in impulse buys. 🔹 Hospitality sales grew by 2.1% year-on-year, with pubs and bars leading the charge. Despite economic pressures, the Scottish wholesale sector remains resilient and optimistic about future growth opportunities.

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Happy Weekend! Sales Of "No-And-Lo" Beer Set To Hit Record Levels New figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) confirm that demand for no and low alcohol beers is soaring, with the number of pints sold set to reach record levels this year. In 2023, more than 120 million pints of no-and-lo beers were drunk across the UK, with BBPA statistics estimating that sales could rise by a further 20 million by the end of 2024. The data shows that sales in pubs of no-and-lo beer in December 2023 amounted to 12% of all no-and-lo beer sales for that year alone, up from 11% in 2022. And with the industry serving up more options and sales thriving, this year’s festive season is expected to see further gains. With no-and-lo options growing in popularity, the BBPA stated that it is important that the government takes meaningful steps over the coming months to address the disparity in UK descriptors compared to other markets. The trade association is calling on the government to align existing no and low thresholds with those of other nations to help drive sales and boost the economy. “Whether someone is choosing moderation, keeping pace with many Christmas festivities, or just doesn’t drink alcohol, these sales show brewers and pubs are catering to all,” said Emma McClarkin OBE, CEO of the BBPA. “With the popularity of no and low increasing, we stand ready to support the government in taking the necessary steps to align our no and low alcohol descriptors with other markets. This important move would allow the category to continue to flourish, benefit the consumer, and allow the pub to continue being a home away from home.” In the UK, the existing threshold for ‘alcohol-free’ is 0.05% ABV, whereas many other nations define alcohol-free as 0.5% ABV. The BBPA stated that aligning the thresholds will provide a level of fairness for UK brewers and will help to contribute towards the government’s commitment to drive economic growth. The trade association noted that taking this step would raise awareness of the no and low options, support innovation, and provide greater choice for consumers. 🍺 All Beer & Skittles in the No-Alcohol Drinks Space: https://lnkd.in/ecJj4FE6 🍻 When is A Non-Alcoholic Drink Alcohol-free?: https://lnkd.in/e982yc9m 🍺 Carlsberg Buys Britivic Continuing Beyond Beer: https://lnkd.in/ecmk4KAS 🍻 The UK’s Number One Beer: https://lnkd.in/eB7R_FgP #NoAlcoholBeer #LoAlcoholBeer #BBPA #TheCPGGeek #IBMRetail #IBMConsumer #FMCG #ConsumerGoods #Luxury #Fashion #Retail #Proud #RethinkRetailTopExpert #NRFRetailVoice RETHINK Retail #RethinkRetail National Retail Federation #NRF

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Great article from Laura Willoughby MBE of Club Soda in Drinks Retailing on the path to low/no success Supermarkets, listen up! With three in four adults moderating their drinking, the UK sales growth for alcohol-free is forecasted at 10% from 2022-2026 and the market already worth an annual £255 million. So, stocking a good quality range of low/no drinks within the BWS aisle is a no brainer!! Shoppers who buy alcohol-free also increase the amount they spend on alcohol. Sounds like it’s time to catch their eyes when they scan the shelves, and remind them that there are far more exciting choices then soft drinks to enjoy at home. At CROSSIP we always champion being unapologetically bold, and have a whole catalogue of low / no recipes to enjoy at home on those nights of moderation - so go and grab a bottle from Club Soda and start experimenting! CROSSIP Recipes: bit.ly/3WjbfaI #crossip #crossipdrinks #CGA #insight #deseasonlisation #salesgrowth #ontrade #UKontrade #nonalcoholic #lowandno #nonalc #nonalcaholicdrink #nonalcaholicbeer #nonalcaholicdrinks #founderlead #dryjan #dryjanuary #categorygrowth #investment #angleinvestment #growth #FMGC #NPD #News

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Latest British #GroceryMarketShare data out today. Sainsbury's market share has risen by 0.5 percentage points over the 12 weeks to 4 August, compared to the same period last year – its largest year-on-year share gain since July 1997. It was again the fastest growing of the traditional supermarkets, with sales increasing by 5.2%. Britain’s largest grocer Tesco has now maintained its streak of winning share every month since August 2023. Its hold of the market climbed by 0.6 percentage points to 27.6%, while its sales jumped by 4.9%. Asda now takes 12.6% share, while Morrisons stake stands at 8.6%. For the full update with the latest #inflation figures from Fraser McKevitt read here 👉https://lnkd.in/erMh7yvg #fmcg #retail

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An exciting entrant to the convenience sector. This will drive the innovation which is crucial to the development of the sector.

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📶 UK Independent Drinks Sector in 2024: SEVEN takeaways from a CGA and Duppy Share report    Independent Beverage brands are increasingly optimistic about the future despite ongoing trading challenges, according to an exclusive new survey from The Duppy Share in association with CGA by NIQ.     273 UK indie drinks brands answers an in depth survey... heres what we learned (see comments) 👇  

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