European customers have already coped with rocketing meals costs and empty cabinets and now new analysis from Mintel reveals they’ve a smaller share of recent foods and drinks merchandise to select from.
In keeping with Mintel GNPD (World New Merchandise Database) for the UK, the share of retail foods and drinks launches that are totally new merchandise (eg versus new flavours, new packaging and many others) has slumped to simply 16% of all launches within the yr to September 2023, down from 33% of all launches within the yr to September 2014. The image is comparable throughout Europe (together with the UK), the place the share of real new foods and drinks launches has slumped to 26% from 42% over the identical interval.
In the meantime, the share of UK launches that are packaging redesigns has jumped from 20% to 31%, and the share of relaunches has elevated from 4% to 10%. European producers are selecting to relaunch present merchandise with new bundle designs too – these account for over 1 / 4 (27%) of European foods and drinks launches, up from one in seven (15%) in 2013.
Total, the kind of foods and drinks launches which arrive on cabinets are largely prone to be new types of present merchandise, or vary extensions, reasonably than real new foods and drinks merchandise.
For shoppers, this decline in precise new merchandise in shops is disappointing information, as greater than a 3rd of UK (37%), Italian (35%) and Spanish (34%) customers look out for brand new meals/flavours all or more often than not. This illustrates the enjoyment and satisfaction many shoppers really feel when discovering a brand new meals or drink product on shelf.
Crumbs of consolation in long run?
Mintel Director of foods and drinks, Alex Beckett, defined that the decline in new foods and drinks launches was a symptom of the challenges producers have been experiencing.
“Confronted with hovering vitality and ingredient prices, and labour shortages, producers have had no selection however to concentrate on the underside line and, to some extent, this has come at the price of R&D and sustaining a busy innovation pipeline.
“For customers, that is robust, as a lot as buying could be a chore, there’s a thrill to discovering a brand new thought on the shelf or chiller. Particularly now with issues so difficult, individuals respect originality. Nonetheless, additionally they respect affordability, and that’s what producers and retailers are attempting to prioritise.
“Happily, there are indicators that meals inflation prices will ease over the following few months.”
