As the European food-to-go market continues to record strong growth, confectionery and one-portion cake products, available to consumers at the checkout tills, offer one of the best point-of-retail margins for retailers operating in the food and drinks sector. "Customers receive the product, in the established packaging format, which gives the best margin to the wholesalers, and in return, the best value to the retailer - offering one of the best POR (point of retail) margins for retailers in the chocolate sector," Matthew Stephenson, managing director of chocolate manufacturer Sweetdreams told ESM.
Sweetdreams recently expanded its private-label Choc Nibbles range for wholesalers and retailers with the launch of two new products. According to the firm, the newly-launched Posh Original Choc Nibbles and Jammie Choc Nibble were developed to extend brand penetration and open up new opportunities in specific areas of retailing such as pic ’n’ mix and discount stores.
"One area of new growth that we wish to gain access into is the continuously growing ‘discount’ sector. Our range has the added bonus of being able to support above-average profit to our customers; we feel this, along with its uniqueness, offers something of interest to this retail channel," he said.
In other convenience news, cake manufacturer PopKakery brings new concepts to baking to meet consumer hunger for ‘on–the-go’ food with a range of new 'pop cakes' - also known as cake pops - as well as gluten-free brownies and cake truffles. The PopKakery cakes are bite-sized balls of sponge, coming in a number of different flavours, retailing at €2.00/£1.50 each.
Commenting on the innovative single-portion cake range, Melissa Damjanavic, co-founder of PopKakery, told ESM: "We turned our idea into an international success within a year. We are proud of our brand, and feel passionate about what we are doing in this popular food category."
Meanwhile, in a recent survey, Canadean tracked the influence of different motivators when consumers are selecting what to eat. Across food markets, the research firm recorded how British consumers selected over £8 billion worth of food in 2013, because it was the most convenient product.
Speaking on the results, Ronan Stafford, senior analyst at Canadean, said: “Consumers want instant convenience, particularly young adults looking for a quick solution." Packaging of food-to-go products now needs to reflect this growing demand for convenience in the food markets across Europe.
@ 2015 ESM - European Supermarket Magazine
