You are on page 1of 10

focus on...

bbq
44 A grilling 47 Healthy cues 48, 50 My sides, my sides
Kantar Worldpanel analyses the How are the latest health and We select eight of the most
data to reveal whats becoming clean eating trends influencing outstanding innovations
more popular on the barbecue what goes on the barbecue? designed to enhance barbecues

Rain on the parade


With such lousy summers, barbecues are being washed away. So
can a summer of sport finally offer retailers a ray of sunshine?
Gavin Cleaver struggling to make their way on to the bar- a family affair, in recent years people have
bie as consumers savour what little sunshine been banding together in bigger groups for

W
hy does it always rain on me? there is by diversifying their meat portfolios social occasions based around the barbie.
asked Travis at the height of their with something a little bit more memorable The occasion now hugely over-indexes in
fame in the 1990s. The answer, and exotic. social and celebrations as reasons to crack
reliably provided by the British So, whats behind the decline in traditional out the coals, with together time the biggest
weather, is that someone thought it might be barbecue staples? Can the low-and-slow motivator responsible for 27% of barbecues
a good idea to fire up the barbecue. Americana barbecuing trend give the sector in 2015 [Kantar].
The summer of 2015 was, according to the a boost? And what have brands and retailers The weather may have led to fewer such
Met Office, the coldest and wettest for three got up their sleeves to help grow sales in sum- occasions in the past year, but the good
years, putting a definite dampener on the mer 2016 come rain or shine? news is Brits are splashing out more on pre-
nations barbecuing habits. While barbecues used to be something of mium cuts. Consumers are trading up to
Brits managed to get a barbecue going on more premium food and drink options, says
14.7 million fewer occasions between June Richard Harris, sales & marketing direc-
and August 2015 than in the same period in
2014 a decline of 22.4% [Kantar Worldpanel].
With a summer full of tor for Standard Brands, which owns Zip
Firelighters. Average spend is reported to
Not even a late burst in the 12 weeks up to 8 sporting occasions, have increased from 17 five years ago to 35
November could help alleviate barbecues
woes as annual occasions dropped by 11%
hopes are high for a per barbecue during the last season.
For standard burgers and sausages, how-
[Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 6 December 2015]. more successful season ever, this trend is problematic. Burgers took
Whats more, bangers and burgers are a battering last year, featuring in 10.2

Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 26 March 2016 | The Grocer | 43


focus on... bbq

Number of occasions (million) When it comes to


Turkey burgers, quality options
1.6
1.1 Beef
are increasingly
30.3 46.4 important
35.0
24.7
Lamb Pork Chicken
8.2 50.5 33.8
million fewer barbecues, while sausages
5.7 42.7 31.6
6.3 saw 7.6 million fewer occasions. They are
30.1 15.5 being replaced by whole cuts of meat as con-
sumers look for that wow factor. Beef bar-
Vegetarian becue occasions are up 0.5% but the real
Fish 4.0 winner is pork which featured in 1.7% more
3.1 4.6 occasions, driven by a successful Agriculture
Sausages 3.4 +14.9 and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
40.6 +9.3 campaign pushing pulled pork.
33.0 On a cross-category level, however, tak-
18.7 ing into account burgers, sausages as well as
more premium cuts, none of the main meats
Table Sauces are growing (see left). Instead, vegetarian
24.2 Burgers Cheese products and fish are growing fast as consum-
14.7 40.0 6.0 ers choose options perceived as healthier.
39.2 29.8 6.4 Other barbecue habits are changing too: fruit
25.4 +6.6 and cheese are replacing sauce and salad
as the barbecue accompaniment of choice,
while healthy options draw market share
away from previously burgeoning sauces.
The meat sector isnt letting a washout 2015
Ambient Salad Vegetables get it down, though. With a summer full of
Accompaniment 51.0 sporting occasions ahead, hopes are high
11.4 44.1
8.8 for a more successful season this year, says
13.6
23.3 Mike Whittemore, head of trade marketing for
AHDB Beef & Lamb. Indeed, combine a hot
summer with the biggest-ever Euro 2016 and
retailers could be looking at a bigger payday
than Wayne Rooneys latest contract.
52 w/e 07 Dec 14 52 w/e 06 Dec 15 % change
Quality and originality
Hot sunny days, when occasions later in the million occasions. Not relying on the weather to bring sales, and
you can eat and drink year between September In fact none of the hoping to put family favourites back on the
outside with friends and and November. Milder main meat proteins are barbecue, AHDB believes retailers should
family, are obviously temperatures at that time in growth. Instead it is focus on quality and originality. When it
the primary motivator are likely to have had an vegetarian products and comes to burgers, it is becoming increasingly
for barbecues. But with effect. The Rugby World fish that are experiencing important to offer quality options, as that is
temperatures in summer Cup, from 18 September an uplift of 14.9% and 9.3%, what consumers want, says Whittemore.
2015 lower than in previous to 31 October, also created respectively as consumers The research we conducted in 2015 found
years, there were only 50.9 some inspiration. seek healthier options. that nearly all the burgers available from mul-
million occasions during Sausages and burgers Table sauces also tiple retailers were part of a premium tier
the peak season of the 12 remain the most popular suffered, featuring in 39.2% range, which is a very positive sign.
weeks to 16 August 2015 25 meats to cook on the BBQ, fewer barbecues, while However, there is still room for improve-
million fewer year on year. although their share of salad accompaniments fell ment, which Whittemore believes can be
Adults aged 16-24 are the occasion has dropped. 23.3%. Cheese, meanwhile, targeted through cut-specific options. Its
contributing most to the Burgers suffered the popped up more frequently, Gourmet Burger range was developed for this
decline, having 6.1 million most with a 25% decline, appearing at 6.4 million purpose. Our research showed that mincing
fewer barbecues last year, featuring in only 29.8 occasions over the year. trim from the rump, chuck or brisket can sig-
down 32%. million occasions, while Claire Pullinger nificantly improve margin potential, as well
These 12 weeks sausages fell 19% to 33 Kantar Worldpanel as create appealing taste and texture pro-
accounted for nearly 50% files, he adds.
of barbecue occasions Retailers are also focusing on quality.
throughout the year. We have simplified the barbecue range this
The take-home snapshot is produced by Kantar Worldpanel. Kantar Worldpanel monitors the grocery
However, there was a retailer take-home purchasing habits of 30,000 demographically representative British households.
year, giving our customers a great breadth of
small uplift in barbecue Call 020 8967 0007 or visit www.kantarworldpanel.com for details choice, while concentrating on quality

44 | The Grocer | 26 March 2016 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk


focus on... bbq

The halo effect for


pulled pork was much
stronger than we
normally see for fmcg

and recipe improvement for core flavour


profiles, says Adam Rockingham, barbecue
product developer at The Co-op. We want
shoppers to be able to shop easily with us,
especially as barbecue items can be such a
spontaneous, weather-dependent purchase,
so the packaging will really stand out. Where
appropriate, we have also improved shelf life
on suitable products with the use of skin-pack
packaging.
Multibuys also remain important to the
sector, because barbecuers want quantity as
well as quality for social occasions. We ran
a successful 2-for-7 promotion last year, and
have recently announced our commitment to
cutting the price of British meat and poultry,
which will continue throughout the year and
includes a new multibuy offer of 2-for-6 on
certain lines, says Rockingham.

Pork shoulders are sizzling


While burgers are having to get away from a
predictable, staid image to regain lost market
share, pork shoulders are going full steam Health and solutions and innovation at
IRI, which estimates 25m
Womens Health magazine.
Sauces are moving
ahead to conquer the market. AHDB Porks
pulled pork TV campaign resulted in a 7.8m quality rise has been wiped off sales.
But sausage brands arent
to a healthier profile
too, with free-from and
uplift in fresh pork sales, the body claims.
It has been the most joined-up campaign up the BBQ taking the hit lying down
and are working hard to
no-added-sugar options
gaining prominence (see
that Ive ever seen in my long association with
the MLC, Bpex and now AHDB, says Andrew
agenda prove they can be healthy.
Debbie & Andrews made
Innovations p44).
Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Saunders, agriculture director at pork pro- The clean eating trend all of its premium sausages 50% Less Sugar has racked
ducer Tulip. This sea change in approach is taking grocery (and gluten, wheat and dairy up over 5.7m in sales since
has made a big difference. barbecues) by storm as free as of January 2016. its launch in September
The campaign helped lift pork shoulder consumers seek out foods This is a major move 2015 [Nielsen 11 October
sales by an impressive 19.2% on volumes up perceived as healthier. for the brand, underlining 2015] and is taking a fresh
21.4% [Kantar Worldpanel 6 w/e June 7 2015], Vegetarian and fish our commitment to bring shot at rival Hellmanns
a real success in a market with so many fewer products, for example, have great sausages to the widest with Seriously Good Mayo,
occasions. Predominantly focusing on the featured on 14.9% and 9.3% possible audience, says launched in February.
low and slow trend with pulled pork, AHDB more barbecues over the MD Ian Bagnall. It also Hellmanns, meanwhile,
claims the halo effect it had on the category past year as the traditional recently partnered with says it is listening to
as a whole was much stronger than normally burgers and bangers saw consumers looking for a
seen for classic fmcg brands. sharp declines. more natural proposition.
In fact, the scheme proved so successful Sausage sales have Consumers are looking
AHDB is bringing it back, airing it in two suc- been hit hard following for healthy options but
cessive bursts from February to May. This the publication of a WHO are concerned about
time, the push will consist of a TV ad backed report in October that artificiality when it comes
by PR, social media and in-store activity, as classified some types of to light propositions,
well as new recipe ideas on lovepork.co.uk. sausages, alongside bacon, says Hannah Webb, brand
Red Tractor also plans to go big on barbe- as carcinogenic. manager for Hellmanns
cue promotions this year. It is looking to give Sales of bacon and UK, noting the addition of
away one snazzy barbecue worth 500 a day sausages continue to Hellmanns with Olive Oil
for eight weeks across the summer, backed decline since the WHO to its range in March 2015.
by its biggest-ever promo push. Consumers report was released, says It offers a more natural
who want to bag a barbie will have to buy a Martin Wood, head of proposition from an iconic
Red Tractor-marked product. Our 2015 strategic insight for retail brand, with fewer calories.

Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 26 March 2016|The Grocer|47


focus on... bbq

We expect to see Red


Tractor products flying
off the shelves this
summer

autumn promotion, which ran across all


Red Tractor packed products (on about 10
million packs), smashed all records, result-
ing in more than 111,000 competition entries
and 12.2 million brand impressions via social
media, says Red Tractor marketing manager
Andy Thompson. By extending our barbecue
promotion to cover all Red Tractor products
and also making it available to the foodser-
vice sector, we expect to see Red Tractor prod-
Curried Chicken & Mango Chipolatas ucts flying off the shelves this summer and
consumer interest higher than ever.
Launched: Summer 2016 Manufacturer: Debbie & Andrews
With a flavour chosen from the social media #makemysausage campaign, Debbie & Its all about low-and-slow
Andrews Curried Chicken & Mango Chipolata (rsp: 3.00) will launch this summer. Retailers and suppliers are also hoping the
It offers consumers something different in a struggling sausage market, with the low-and-slow trend, which took the barbecue
added bonus of being wheat, gluten and dairy-free. Research with our fan base market by storm last year, will be a source of
demonstrated a demand for chicken as long as it was as juicy and mouthwatering as further growth and premiumisation. Low
all our other sausages, says MD Ian Bagnall. and slow is most definitely here to stay as
the UK public has embraced it in the same
way American grill aficionados have for dec-
Everyday Favourites Spicy Bean Burger ades. Look at the amount of pulled meats on
sale in supermarkets for proof of that, says
Launched: March 2016 Heather Soutar from Jack Daniels Sauces.
Manufacturer: Bidvest Suppliers keen to make the most of this
Bidvest is boosting its BBQ credentials this summer with include Santa Maria, which launched pulled
a slew of new products, including its on-trend Everyday pork and pulled chicken kits in November
Favourites Spicy Bean Burger. With more consumers containing a smoky and spicy meat season-
choosing vegetarian meals as part of a lifestyle choice, it is ing mix, an ovenproof cook bag to infuse the
essential summer menus also cater for this demand, says flavours, barbecue sauce, red onion season-
Gail Bridgeman, Bidvest campaign & activation manager. ing and eight mini flour tortillas.
This kit taps the burgeoning pulled meat
consumption spike, while also appealing to
Goat Meatballs and Sausages consumer desires to eliminate lengthy cook-
ing processes and make pulled meat an eve-
Launched: Summer 2016 ryday dinner experience, explains Bhavika
Manufacturer: Cabrito Thakrar, Santa Marias UK marketing man-
Following a successful launch into Ocado in 2015, Cabrito ager, who notes its 90 minute cooking time
plans to launch a range of meatballs and sausages. compared with a typical four-hour roast.
Britain is finally waking up to what the rest of the world The kit has the added bonus of not being
has known for a long time; goat meat is delicious, says weather dependent. Concepts such as Santa
founder James Whetlor, formerly of River Cottage, whos Marias Pulled Dinner Kits tap the catego-
supplied goat meat to the restaurant trade since 2012. rys need to provide an all-year-round, all-
weather solution for adventurous home cooks
with a taste for US styles of cooking, adds
Quinoa & Cilantro Falafel Burgers Thakrar.
British kings and queens of the grill are
Launched: March 2016 already looking across the Atlantic for the
Manufacturer: The Fry Family Food Co next trend to adopt. In America this year,
Frys Family is launching Quinoa and Cilantro Falafel barbecue fans are proving that there can be
Burgers (rsp: 4.95) as part of its new Natures Plant smoke without fire, adds Soutar. Smoking
Protein range made entirely from vegan ingredients. The is the new way to do outdoor cooking and
brand says it is targeting those following a flexitarian its pretty certain to take off in a big way
lifestyle as well as vegetarians and vegans. Listed with over here, too. We have seen with the rise of
Holland & Barrett, Morrisons and Ocado. low and slow that where America leads,

48 | The Grocer | 26 March 2016 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk


focus on... bbq

Smoking is the new way


to do outdoor cooking
and its pretty certain to
take off over here, too

British barbecuers will follow.


Charring is also one to watch, according
to Zip Firelighters Harris. Fruits, vegetable
and meats will be subject to lengthy stints
on the coals in 2016 to meet changing con-
sumer tastes.

A big year for sauces


Americanisation is becoming increasingly
prominent in sauces as well, with the likes of
Hellmanns full solutions range The Co-op dipping into this trend. There is
an increasingly popular trend for BBQ mari-
Launched: April 2016 Manufacturer: Unilever nades and rubs our ambient range sold
The nations biggest mayonnaise brand is kicking off its egg-based shackles with really well last summer, says Rockingham.
a 10-strong range of sauces (rsp 1.69-1.89). The range features three Smooth & We have developed a Signature BBQ fla-
Creamy variants, four Grill Sauces and three Hot Sauces, which will be backed by a vour profile this year, matching our ambient
10m multichannel summer marketing blitz. Each sauce will be paired with a specific BBQ marinade on two lines.
food, and Hellmanns hopes to encourage consumers to try something a bit different, Unilever is certainly relying on a big year
with the aim of getting shoppers to glaze, marinade and dip as well as pour. for sauces, with Hellmanns putting up its
biggest-ever summer ad spend. The 10m
multimedia campaign will support its core
Foraging Fox Hot Beetroot Ketchup mayonnaise range as well as its new Full
Solutions sauce range of 10 brand new prod-
Launched: February 2016 ucts (see innovations, left). Each variant
Manufacturer: The Foraging Fox within the range has been paired with a spe-
The Foraging Fox has spiced up its Beetroot Ketchup. It cific food, which will be highlighted on pack
packs a beetroot and a half into every bottle, and plays and instore via on-shelf PoS, to inspire and
on sector-wide trends of reducing sugar. Chilli flavours educate shoppers to use the range of sauces
are synonymous with summertime so we are hoping in a whole host of ways, explains Hannah
the ketchups versatility will make it a perfect barbecue Webb, brand manager for Hellmanns UK.
condiment, says co-founder Frankie Fox. The range even includes a Brazilian BBQ
variant. With the Olympics on the horizon
we know that consumers will be eager to cre-
Meat Lust Diner-Style range ate their very own Brazilian style barbecues
at home, adds Webb.
Launched: April 2016 As consumers look to wow friends and fam-
Manufacturer: Flava-it ily with new, exciting barbecue fare, be that a
Meat Lust is repackaging its sauces into diner-style pulled pork shoulder, a fancy healthy sauce,
squeezy bottles (rsp: 2.50). The new range includes Green or even a vegetable or two, industry experts
Sweet Chilli, Chinese BBQ and BBQ Mop and the company are clear: the best way retailers can sup-
claims the launch will be accompanied by a three- port this is to move away from the old-fash-
pronged guerilla marketing and sampling campaign ioned banger and burger barbecue towards a
across summer 2016. more elaborate, premium offer, prominently
flagged up on sunny days.
Its a crucial summer for the category, with
Mary Berrys Vinaigrette both the European Championships and the
Rio Olympics giving people a reason to get
Launched: April 2016 together for big social gatherings, watch the
Manufacturer: RH Amar sport, and throw some meat on the barbecue.
RH Amars Mary Berry brand is forecasting a healthier Provided, of course, the weather plays ball.
summer with an attempt to extend its reach beyond the No amount of sport and beer can overcome
popular Bake Off judges current range of dressings, sauces a wash-out, but if the sector gets consumers
and mayonnaises. The new vinaigrette variants, Roasted excited about new barbecue options, it will
Garlic & Onion, Honey & Balsamic and Lemon & Mustard be more resilient against the Great British
(all rsp: 2.99), will launch in Sainsburys this summer. Summer than in previous years.

50 | The Grocer | 26 March 2016 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk

You might also like