The Grocer – 13 January 2018

focus on... jams & spreads

52 | The Grocer | 13 January 2018 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk

is and with the explosion of posting images

and recipes on Instagram, we see how our

exciting brand packaging and design plus

quality product lend itself to this really well.”

As noted by IRI’s Wood, premium pre-

serve brands are performing better than their

peers. Bonne Maman’s value has inched up

0.6% on volumes that have sunk 6.1%, a feat

the brand puts partly down to the introduc-

tion of a Mirabelle Plum Conserve last sum-

mer, claiming overall sales have grown in

double digits in the past 12 weeks both in

value and volume.

With costs continuing to rise, other play-

ers are looking to premiumise and promote

jam & marmalade outside breakfast. Duerr’s

has introduced a new ‘globe’ shaped jar and,

like its counterparts in honey and peanut but-

ter, is marketing its conserves as a cooking

ingredient. “We’ve developed new recipes

to inspire consumers to do di erent things

with their jar of Duerr’s. These include a

chicken traybake using our Fine Cut Seville

Marmalade as a glaze, a spinach pancetta

and pecorino salad with a marmalade dress-

ing, and a variety of cakes and biscuits.”

The enduring popularity of home baking

is an attractive opportunity, say others. “To

counter declining breakfast sales, we have

promoted other opportunities, particularly

in conjunction with the home baking phe-

nomenon,” says Emma Macdonald, founder

of The Bay Tree preserves brand. ”

Nevertheless, most players in preserves

concede their core consumers tend to be

longer in the tooth than those driving the

explosive growth in peanut butter and other

on-trend spreads. They contend that the

development of exciting new products tap-

ping current culinary trends will be crucial

in addressing this issue.

“Many consumers are excited by inno-

vation ,” says Macdonald, pointing to the

recent launches of jam/marmalade fusion

range Marmajams and a lemon & elder ower

curd. Bay Tree has also launched boozy brand

extensions  g, rum & vanilla jam and lemon

marmalade with gin & lime (see p51) to tap the

growth in cocktail culture and cra spirits.

Such developments suggest jams & mar-

malades could begin to capitalise on the culi-

nary trends that inspired the Whole Earth nut

butter fondue bar or Nutella Café. Could we be

seeing a cra marmalade café or jam cocktail

bar opening up in Shoreditch?

“ To counter the decline in

breakfast we have

promoted opportunities

such as home baking”

The PR team for the world’s
biggest chocolate spread
has been busy.
Last January, it stepped
in to reassure consumers
Nutella was safe to eat
a er an EFSA report
linked processed palm oil

• a key ingredient in the
  spread – to cancer. Then,
  in November, it conceded
  it had tweaked its recipe in
  Germany (but not upped
  sugar content, as was
  claimed) and raised prices
  in the UK as a result of
  mounting cost pressures.
  Yet it’s still Britain’s
  bestselling spread and
  maintaining volume
  growth, with an extra
  40,000 kilos (0.4%) of the
  stu shi ed as value has
  dipped 1.1% [IRI 52 w/e 14
  October 2017]. What’s more,

the brand’s latest foray into

snacking, Nutella B-Ready,

is going great guns,

having racked up £1.6m

in its  rst few months on

shelf [Nielsen 52 w/e 9

September].

“Nutella cleverly

communicates nut

goodness while giving all

the taste and enjoyment

of chocolate,” says

Laurie O er, marketing

& development director

at branding agency

Cowan. “Its Instagram

feed is packed with

tasty recipes and bright

food photography.

They’ve clearly put a

lot of investment into

diversifying the product as

a cooking ingredient.”

This is a global initiative

by brand owner Ferrero,

which opened the doors

of the world’s  rst Nutella

Café in Chicago in May.

The venue boasts a menu

crammed with dishes

slathered with Nutella or

made using the spread,

ranging from gelato and

pancakes to wa es and

croissants.

The brand can’t a ord

to take its foot o the

gas, however. Just £501k

separated Nutella and

number two spread brand

Rowse Honey in IRI’s

bestsellers list as of the

year to 14 October. And

now, with brands such

as Meridian and Pip &

Nut having launched

chocolate and nut butter

blends to compete with

Nutella, the spread is

facing unprecedented

competition.

Nutella

de es PR

storm with

sales growth