Gareth Helm

Tesco accounting for nearly half of total market sales growth is the key take-out from Worldpanel by Kantar's UK market data for 12 weeks ending 1st September released this morning. A slightly shorter review this period as I take a break in sunny Paxos! 12-wk sales grew by 3.0%, up from the last 12-wk period figure of 2.3%, with Grocery inflation at 1.7% in the last 4 weeks. #tesco has achieved their highest market share since January 2022. Their £469M growth in sales YoY accounts for 49% of total market sales growth whilst #sainsburys growth contributes 29%. #asda continue to struggle with sales down % YoY. The rate of fall in share is escalating. In March this year their share was down by 0.5% points YoY (14.3% to 13.8%). By June it was down by 0.9% points. Now it is down by 1.2% points. The question is when will this bottom out? Plans are in place to improve store standards and availability, but will these be sorted in time for the golden sales period of Christmas? #morrisons performance has been steadily improving since the Spring, but they still lag behind total market growth. They recently jumped on the ‘loyalty card exclusive price offers’ bandwagon, announcing over 2000 More Card price promotions, and added more items to their ‘Aldi & Lidl Price Match’ scheme. This will help, but I can’t stop thinking that a renewed push on their long-time USP, that of the unique Market Street in-store concept, will help them differentiate and potentially gain new customers who are bored with most of the main supermarkets all taking similar strategies. #aldi’s growth rate has been behind total market growth for the last 8 periods. Granted, they are annualising against 17% YoY growth this time last year, but concern will be high at head office level, especially as seasonal orders for Q4 this year may well be based on expected growth whereas the opposite is happening. #lidl’s growth of 9.1% remains impressive – in particular as they too are annualising against strong growth this time last year (16%). Their re-introduced ‘free bakery item’ offer (via the Lidl Plus App) was run throughout August – likely one reason for this further period of good performance. All eyes will be on the Christmas ranges being introduced over the next few weeks. Exciting NPD is expected, but will all the retailers deliver? #ukretail #supermarkets #competition #waitrose #coop #brands #privatelabel International Private Label Consult (IPLC)

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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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Shambolic end to this video, as you’ll see… Recently, I spoke about listening to your customers and how important this is to deliver great marketing. YouTube adding A/B thumbnail testing is an example. The second, which I fluff at the end, is Float Cash Flow Forecasting which added a much requested “endless forecast” feature. When you sell technology, these gestures or actions reinforce trust and create reasons to say “we were good, but we’re even better and thank you for helping us get there”. I still have some way to go with my on camera career 😂 #marketing

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🚨 Only 8 days to go until our next Q&A Webinar so sign up now... How to Sell to Supermarkets: a Buyer <> Seller Q&A - Thursday 14th November at 12pm (UK time) - its free Do you need some help to grow your brand in 2025? 👇 Click on the link below to sign up & ask YOUR question... https://lnkd.in/eDHAmFmF I'm an ex Buyer (Sainsbury's, Tesco) & will be joined by Paul James Harvey who has almost 30 years experience working in Sales, unlocking new distribution & driving growth for a range of leading UK drinks brands before moving on to enjoy similar success in a number of other sectors. Here's just a few of the questions on the list so far:- ❓ How do Retailers make choices about which Suppleirs to grow, and which to pull back from? ❓Should I be investing in Retail Media? ❓What are the key measures of success for a Retailer when it comes to promo mechanics, and how do we align these with the KPI's suppliers use? ❓How can you apply classic FMCG Category Management principles to the Fresh / Primary Foods category? ❓How do you answer a retailer who says you need to sacrifice one of your own SKUs to secure a new listing when you know there are other products with lower performance? ❓What is your view on the best way to drive rate of sale for a smaller brand once it does get listed? ❓How to you get a listing and additional space if you have a USP, but no funds to activate in store? ❓What annoys Buyers the most (i.e. whats one thing you should avoid when it comes to interacting with Buyers)? ❓How to break through to a Buyer that is avoiding Suppliers during the range review process? ❓If we are considering investing in data for the first time, where should we start? ❓❓ What question do YOU want us to answer ❓❓ ♻️ finally, if you think someone else may find value from attending, please like & share it with your network. #CategoryManagement #Sales #FMCG #CPG #RetailerEngagement #Training

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Tomorrow, I go for 2024 StartUp of the Year, change in the Coffee sector is coming ✊🏼 6 months ago, Perk were crowned the Retail Startup of the Year in the South East 🙌🏼 Thanks again Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE & Francesca James 🤍 Tomorrow we go for both the National crown & Overall Startup of the Year at the official StartUp Awards. 2 years ago when I founded Perk, this sort of recognition seemed way off 🚀 There would be days we wouldn’t even reach 20 sales across 9 hours. The location was wrong but so was the, ✊🏼 Brand ☕️ Product 🪧 Advertising Now, win or lose, I’m happy to know, we have a Brand which will truly REVOLUTIONISE the sector. In doing so becoming the largest Coffee company in the UK 🌱 Never give up & exciting times will come. Stay tuned, it’s going to be some ride 🔥 Key learnings: → Everyone starts somewhere — Wherever you are in your journey, don’t focus on others. Build step by step & you’ll surpass your competition faster than you could ever believe → Continually evolve — You must be big enough to admit your mistakes, learn from them & go again. Doubling down will only end one way → Take risks — You can’t change the game if you tow the line. Be brave, get out your comfort zone, be the change you want to see → Never give up — Persistance always beats resistance. The journey will be hard, there’s no getting around it, but YOU CAN DO IT! → Never settle — Think you’ve made it, go again, big corporates get lazy, that’s why they can be challenged. Don’t become one of them ————————— Who else is up for an award tomorrow night? Who’s won before?

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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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For Hundreds if not thousands of years Alcohol has had centre stage but almost every occasion. And with good reason for many people, Alcohol is a fun facilitator of good times. As an Englishman, I drank, when I was happy I drank when I was sad I drank when I won and I got drunk when I lost. I drank when someone was born and I got very drunk when someone died. Even somewhat ironically at the wake of someone who died of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol has owned so many moments of my life. Now we hear that there is a a new sobriety movement, one if I’m honest, I don’t actually believe in, can exclude yourself from something you don’t have interest in in the first place? This new endeavour by Heineken as a sage warning of what listening listening to focus group does to a brand The more I see reports from strategic specialists marketing experts and social gurus. The more utterly unhinged it looks so far detached from reality but it makes you wonder if they know if they’re phoning in or not? If so many people in so many companies I just finishing the next project around them before the House of Cards of nonsense statistics dead end questionnaires and do nothing data comes to haunt them. And I think this is one of the key reasons that Beverage is struggling is because it’s losing its grip on reality, because when we look at beverage, it should surprise it should delight it should excite and it should be a utility for people, simply put liquid is a human necessity. If you look at the data and you come away with ‘people spend a lot of time in the digital realm even when they are busy in the physical’. You have to ask if the real solution to that is Phone without apps, destined be sad, branded landfill. Rather consumers telling you that they’re bored with your offering and they can’t have that attention capture anymore because what we’re really looking at is a generation of people that are tired for settling for mediocrity. And anyway, I need apps on my phone because I need to be able to get home from the pub and whether that’s Uber or TFL you’ll need an app for that P.S If you are kind of person that is now going to correct me, and say if I’m reposting this if I’m talking about it then it’s doing a good job. Then, you are one of the people I’m talking about, because you’ll say there’s no such thing as bad publicity but I’d ask how the guitarist of lost prophets feels about the statement.

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Ever wondered what makes franchises so successful? It's not just the branding – it's a proven mindset and operational model. In our latest podcast, we chat with Danny Hanlon, COO of Granite and Trend Transformations UK, to extract the key lessons YOU can apply to YOUR business: • Proven strategies for sustainable growth • Essential leadership skills and the power of passion • How operations manuals and ongoing support can transform your business • Mastering the art of delegation and decision-making Whether you're a solopreneur, a small team, or a service-based business ready to scale, this episode is packed with actionable insights. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/dtm7mRrG #franchisemindset #businessgrowth #leadershiptips #entrepreneurship

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"You may fuel your car once a week, but you fuel your body three times a day." In this short video the one and only Frank Gleeson sums up how convenience and foodservice is merging and the key building blocks for success, giving the consumer what they want, in different day parts, on different meal occasions. ✅ It all starts with a great customer offer - what do they want to buy at different times of the day? ✅ Operational efficiency - can you keep your shelves stocked, can you do a really good job on the standards of operation? ✅ Third thing, most importantly, is it financially profitable for the retailer? As we search the globe for "The Best Foodvenience Store in the World" together with Invenco by GVR, we see well trained teams, highly engaged management in a completely dynamic industry. Supported by our sponsors The Moseley Group and, newly announced, The Coca-Cola Company we are going to seek out and showcase the very best in our industry worldwide and move the dial for what is clearly an on-going transformation. Let the competition begin! #foodservice #bestfoodveniencestore🌎 Elaine P. Kanak Alan English Ganesh Kalpundi Harry Milloff Oliver Delaney Global Convenience Store Focus Insight Research More details to enter: https://lnkd.in/eZYSBY6b

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In the UK, the price gap between the #discounters and the #supermarkets has notably closed over recent years, as the supermarkets have increased their competitive position largely due to the #pricematch schemes now seen in all of the "big 4" retailers. Whilst just 7 years' ago, #aldi was over 20% cheaper on a basket of everyday goods, now they are just over 10% cheaper (The Grocer 33 weekly shopping basket analysis - August 2017: 21.1%, July 2024: 10.7%). Most standard KVIs (Known Value Items), such as milk, bread, and sugar are nowadays the same price across all the main supermarkets, so it is important at #seasonal times for a retailer's margin mix to be enhanced using #valueadded #privatelabel products, the prices of which are less commoditised and known by the consumer. I'm interested to see the range of prices on one of the key volume ambient #christmas products right now - the 6-month matured 800g Christmas Pudding. Whilst specifications vary slightly, prices vary significantly. Against #sainsbury's and #tesco, Aldi and #lidl are over 30% cheaper. Compared to #asda and #morrisons they are 15% cheaper. And the difference in prices against #waitrose and #marksandspencer is approaching 50%. No doubt some promotion prices will appear over the forthcoming weeks, likely through #loyalty schemes, but - for now - the discounters can enjoy price gaps they were used to in the past, or maybe it's the supermarkets who are enjoying profit margins they were used to in the past? #ukretail #competition #festiveperiod #pricing #ownbrand International Private Label Consult (IPLC)

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This week, is all about Ideas Fest, The Glasto For Business 🔥 Forget conventional conferences, the festival style event, brings together top entrepreneurs from all over the country to, 🫱🏻‍🫲🏿 Connect 💡 Learn from each other 🌱 Grow the next series of innovative brands The festival represents everything that’s good about disruptive business, ⭕️ Community ✊🏼 Revolution 🧠 Drive The UK should be at the heart of development but sadly we’re lagging behind. Events like this are vital to ensure that creative independent businesses have the necessary, ⛑️ Support 👩🏼‍💼 Mentorship 📈 Financial backing To make their positive impact on the world. Thanks to Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, Francesca James & the whole team at Ideas for bringing this together 👏🏼 Key Learnings: → Do not see this as another conference — Forget what you know about traditional conferences. This is a festival of entrepreneurs. As a challenger brand you should want to be there → GO GRAB YOUR TICKET — Tickets are running very low. Do not miss out → Set your objectives — To get the most out the festival you must go with a clear aim. Connect with people, obtain a mentor, gain funding… → Plan your day — There is a huge variety of sessions, make sure you know who’s talking, where & when. James Watts talk, surely one not to be missed → Don’t waste your learnings — Debrief after. What have you gained & how can you use it to develop your brand ————————— Whose joining me in Tring? What innovative session are you most excited about?

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Value for money is more important than ever in today’s foodservice market. Is it an opportunity for new players? Top fast food chains are introducing budget-friendly deals to attract price-conscious customers, but there are also some new players to watch. I visited today Ikea’s new restaurant in Hammersmith, which operates as a stand-alone dining experience, not just an in-store canteen. Their prices are hard to beat: - Salads for £2.95 - Cakes: Cheesecake for £2.95, Apple Cake for £1.60, Chocolate Cake for £1.50 (compare to McDonald's Apple Pie at £1.69 from nearby store) - Cappuccino for £1.75 (versus £1.99 at McDonald's) - Main dish: Traditional Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and peas at £5.50 (569 kcal), comparable to a McDonald’s wrap meal but with fewer calories - Kids’ meal: Smaller meatball portion for £1.95 - Ice cream: £0.75 (compared to McDonald's cheapest option at £1.29) - Hot dogs: Vegetarian for £0.60, meat for £0.85 Ikea seems poised to capture a unique niche with these low-cost, quality meals, appealing especially to families and lower-income consumers. The kids’ food options also feel healthier, with proprietary drinks that are low in sugar and no carbonated options. This move could present a real challenge to existing players in the fast-food space.

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LinkedInLinkedIn News The Grocer Marketing Week Mark Ritson Dean Murley Julie Murley So many excellent insights from YouGov regarding what influences consumer behaviour in choosing their supermarket(s). 1. Price. 2. Proximity to where I live. 3. Carries Products I need (Low / Middle Income brackets) / Wide variety of products (Household incomes of £100K+ specifically). 4. Loyalty Card Programme. 5. Has high quality products (specifically cited by Household incomes of £00K+ My takeaways from this: 1. If price is such a key factor. The supermarket needs to be as efficient as possible through the entire "value chain". 2) Product & Category Strategy is key. Understanding the everyday needs and the role of innovation (90% of new products fail). 3) Loyalty Card - a recent The Grocer Survey found that "special prices" are actually top priority. Again, margin eroding. 4) Brand Loyalty particularly matters to affluent shoppers. With interest rates hardly coming down, the cost of Grocery shopping is fundamental in household budgets, regardless of income. What influences you in your grocery shopping habits? What other macro factors need to be considered? Look forward to your comments. Me? I'm a Sainsburys / Tesco shopper - driven by price & loyalty offers. Product quality natters too. I love innovation as well.

What channel could add nearly 5000 stores to a food & drink #manufacturer's customer base? The fastest growing bricks & mortar channel currently has to be "Variety stores" - those discount stores traditionally associated with selling vast ranges of #generalmerchandise at amazing prices - but who now are expanding their #food and #drink ranges rapidly. In the #privatelabel sector, UK retailers such as B&M Retail, Poundland & Dealz, and TJ Morris T/A Homebargains, have launched some great #ownbrand products over recent years, with many new products appearing in 2024. 🔅Many categories are covered, especially ambient, pet, and household. 🔅We are now seeing some PL in chill, such as #foodtogo and #readymeals in Home Bargains. 🔅Designs are appealing, packaging quality is good, and "exclusive brands" are used, much in the same way as at #aldi and #lidl. 🔅Prices are on occasions lower than Aldi, but are mainly pitched in between the discounters and the main supermarkets. 🔅Quality is OK - but definitely an opportunity to work with them on improvements. Last week I saw the first PL product in the fastest growing European retailer, Action - coffee pods under the Palazzo exclusive brand. Action's volumes are huge - an attractive proposition for any PL manufacturer. B&M have around 755 UK stores currently, targeting 1200. Poundland have 845. Home Bargains have nearly 600, targeting 800-1000, and Action have 2650 across many European countries. Surely a sector for all #suppliers to have on their radar right now. #supermarkets #ukretail #competition #opportunity #sales #FMCG #discount #brands International Private Label Consult (IPLC)

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I try and read the papers in the morning before doing a PT session or taking the dogs for a [very muddy walk]. Always keen to read up on what’s going down in Consumer Products and Retail and of IBM’s clients. The foodservice sector is ginormous, with various sectors. It plays a vital role in supporting businesses, schools, healthcare, and events providing catering and facility management solutions. It is a dynamic industry shaped by evolving consumer needs, increasing demand for convenience, and a growing emphasis on sustainability abd innovation. Companies like our client Compass Group lead the way in adapting to these trends, offering tailored services that range from office canteens and event catering to unstaffed food solutions. Compass operates in about 30 countries and employs over 580,000 people. Dating back to 1941, it has evolved into a global powerhouse, serving diverse clients from schools and offices to hospitals, sports venues, and oil platforms. They reported revenues of $42 billion for year ending September 2024. That’s a lot of chicken katsus (for some reason this is the archetypal dish whenever an example is needed when talking with them). In November 2024, Compass announced its $500 million acquisition of 4Service, a Norwegian catering and facman business. This follows Dupont Restauration SAS, a French food services company, for $300 million earlier that month. These deals are part of a $1.7 billion investment in European acquisitions over the past year, which included Germany’s Hofmann-Menü, a pre-prepared frozen meal producer, and the UK’s CH&CO, known for catering to prestigious venues like Kew Gardens and the Royal Opera House. Compass is building its European operations to replicate the success achieved in North America, where it holds a dominant market share. This acquisition-driven model has seen Compass focussing on growth sectors, such as creative arts, media, small businesses without kitchen facilities, supported by advanced frozen food technology. Financially, Compass reported a 16.4% increase in operating profit to $3 billion, alongside a 10.6% revenue rise to $42.2 billion reflecting a higher demand for office catering as employees return to the office, as well as increased spending on events and festivals. The company is also developing innovative solutions like unstaffed “open cafés” in office spaces to meet evolving consumer preferences. Compass is reallocating resources from less profitable markets, such as Chile, Mexico, China, Brazil, to strengthen its European footprint. Its focus on sustainability, innovation, and growth ensures it remains at the forefront of the industry. Fascinating. If you want to know more, this Compass fact sheet is excellent: https://lnkd.in/eaqBgnnW World’s largest caterer Compass chases further deals in Europe | https://on.ft.com/3ViDo02 / Financial Times | Eri Sugiura #TheCPGGeek #IBMRetail #IBMConsumer #FoodService #Retail #RethinkRetailTopExpert #NRFRetailVoice #Compass

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Welcome back to Battle of the Brands, where we we assess the strengths and weaknesses of leading brands in a specific category using our syndicated data. Today, we’re highlighting the lunch and snack kits category, pitting Sargento Balanced Breaks and Hillshire Snacking against one another in an intense showdown for top communication performance. When it comes to communication, we’ve discovered that successfully conveying key product attributes that drive purchase has an 88% correlation with in-market sales performance. Which lunch and snack kit, Sargento Balanced Breaks or Hillshire Snacking, has the most effective communication according to consumers? #designmeetdata #battleofthebrands #packagingdesign #packaging #analytics #cpg #visualdesign #redesign #brand #branding #branddesign #consumerinsights #marketresearch #datadriven #data Hillshire Brands

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