A huge surge in popularity for hot breakfast solutions is helping retailers make more money, with porridge sales doubling in value since 2008, but how can c-stores best take advantage and what else will be driving the sector this winter?
Porridge was once the forgotten man of breakfast. Not so now. Since 2008, sales of hot cereals have doubled to £241m and with a recent Mintel report indicating that half the nation regularly eats porridge, with one in four people saying that they eat it almost every day, then the chances are that figure is going to rise again. While sales peak amongst consumers between 45 and 54, four in ten 16-24 year olds also enjoy oats for breakfast, with porridge bucking the trend, as consumers trade up for premium and on-the-go porridge products.
One major change to the sector that has helped drive this are single serve options and on-the-go products such as Quaker Oats-so-simple.
Scottish company Hamlyns of Scotland is getting ready to take a chunk of this market with its latest launch. Porridge Pots and Single Portion Sachets are launching for this winter in three flavours – Original, Golden Syrup and Mixed Berry. The company will also be pushing its range of porridge oats and oatmeal.
Hamlyns Scottish Oatmeal is the market leader in Scotland, and their Scottish Porridge Oats is one of the fastest growing brands.
Managing Director, Alan Meikle said: “We’re absolutely delighted to add two new ranges to the Hamlyns of Scotland family. We have spent a lot of time perfecting the recipes, and are confident that both products really are the very best on the market. We now have a very comprehensive range of products, from traditional oatmeal and porridge oats for those who like making porridge from scratch, to pots and sachets for those looking for a more convenient product at home, and for those on the move.
“The new varieties and added convenience will introduce our brand to a new range of consumers. However we know that we have a very loyal customer base, who both love our products and the fact that we’re a Scottish brand, and we’re confident that they will enjoy our new products as much as our traditional range.”
The launch is being supported by a trade and consumer advertising campaign, and in a series of consumer press competitions. The Hamlyns’ sampling team will be giving out samples of new products at events including the 50+ Show in Glasgow, and samples will also be given to Scottish Slimmers’ members attending classes throughout Scotland in November.
Packaging on the rest of the Hamlyns of Scotland range will be re-designed early next year, reflecting the design of the new products.
In the meantime, Hamlyns have teamed up with VisitScotland, with an on-pack short-break competition on Hamlyns Scottish Porridge Oats and Scottish Oatmeal running from now through to the new year, when the focus will switch to one-third extra free packs on both products.
The breakfast section is one which the ‘free from’ food industry has made advances into. Porridge has long been a favourite among diabetes sufferers and as World Diabetes Day approaches on 14 November, a new cereal has been launched for consumer who are looking for an occasional change from porridge, which has a low GI, reduced sugar and a high fibre content. Containing whole-grain barley and oats, Keep Me Going has a GI of just 50. It contains only 8.9% sugar, which makers claim is significantly less than many rival cereals. Richard Paterson, Joint MD of the product’s manufacturer, Freedom Cereals says “What we’re really excited about is the fact that all this goodness – including added vitamins and minerals but absolutely no artificial colours or preservatives – is not at the expense of tastiness.”
And if you’ve got customers who don’t have time for a proper breakfast, or who want to top up their breakfast, then Yakult is going to be doing a lot of shouting this winter, which will put it front of mind. Yakult has launched a new range of original recipes, designed to help brighten up breakfast across Britain! From quick and easy snacks to ‘grab and go’, to hearty meals that the whole family will enjoy, the new range contains recipes for anyone who feels stuck in a breakfast rut.
Of those questioned in Yakult’s Brighter Breakfast survey, almost half (47%) admitted that they failed to eat breakfast every morning – with just 10% citing it as their favourite meal of the day.
Putting the crunch into breakfast
The rapid rise of the breakfast biscuit market is the sort of thing marketers dream of, and Belvita Breakfast is aiming to grow its sales with a number of launches including the new Cranberry breakfast biscuits and Strawberry and Yogurt Duo Crunch variants. Belvita Breakfast launched an exclusive format for the convenience channel, with a new 150g pack aimed at top-up shoppers.
The new packs, available in Milk & Cereals and Honey & Nut flavours, contain three 50g packs of breakfast biscuits.
Getting the milk right
With pouring over breakfast cereal one of the top three uses for milk (drinking and topping up tea and coffee being the other two), It’s a little surprise how integral the white stuff is to the breakfast category. Simple point of sale in the cereals section reminding customers to pick up milk is a hugely effective example of cross-category promotion. In line with the aforementioned growth of hot cereals, the amount of milk servings used in breakfast are up by 77 million since 2011 according to AC Nielsen, with consumers showing they are more open to being inspired and educated about cooking breakfast options, with more people staying at home for breakfast than 2011.
The challenge for retailers and dairy companies is to encourage consumers to see milk as a healthy option, both for on-the-go (and select it over soft drinks and water in addition to their traditional milk product) and for use at home, especially at breakfast. The iconic Müller Wiseman ‘Black and White’ range of products, as well as orange juice is available in 250ml and 500ml sized versions, to allow their placement to be flexible and encourage cross-promotion. Sandy Wilkie, Müller Wiseman Sales and Marketing director says: “ The Müller Wiseman 250ml range of products are ideal for retailers to place in the sandwich or soft drinks fixture – they are a great solution as an ‘on the go’ breakfast option and are the perfect size with cereal or for the lunchbox. Milk is a commodity product and is purchased at all times of the day.
To maximise their sales we advise retailers to ensure that their milk cabinet remains well stocked, clean and that stock is constantly rotated. Another top tip is to keep the larger, better selling 2 litre/4pint bottles at eye level and within easy reach of consumers to help maximise sales.” According to him!, milk is the number one top-up mission product in therefore it is important to ensure that the milk fixture is well stocked and can cater for every taste. To that end, Müller Wiseman says modern milk fixtures should have ‘the complete solution’ offering a range of products similar to that of the major multiples to meet the demands of a varied customer base.
