Veganuary
7 January 2020
Veganuary
Hello everyone, happy new year!
This year brings the launch of www.theretailbible.com which is our new image-based portal page, featuring free content and regular updates, with the ability to access our full image archive which is beautifully categorised and organised for your needs.
You can often tell how a retailer has performed at Christmas by how they exit the seasonal event and move into health, veganuary and everything else that goes with it. Of course, seasonal clearance is a hazard that all retailers have to deal with and managing these markdowns is part of the game now.
However moving into January, the focus turns to health and specifically, Veganism. Given the pace at which Veganism has come to the fore, retailers are all over this trend with new lines, new campaigns and a relaunched focus on these sorts of range after the high-calorie excitement of Christmas.
Aldi is notably strong in Vegan alongside their special buys offering, the Plant Menu range (both new and existing) are good in chilled foods and I also noted a fair amount of one-off lines in the centre of the store.
More cues as to how discounters continue to modify their offering and work hard on the centre of the store to offer more products within a special event in this assortment.
Plenty of activity in Aldi alongside M&S too, who are out on the front foot once more with regard to Vegan, their Plant Kitchen range saw numerous new lines added and Vegan Wines were also strongly displayed.
Their Popped Corn Triangles are another noteworthy product as they aim to entice younger customers in to their stores.
Sainsbury's have stepped on admirably post their Asda merger issues and relaunched a fair number of categories last year, including premium ranges as trailed on here. These looked strong at Christmas and indeed, into the new year.
They have an end for Plant-based lines, featuring numerous own label and branded products, a solid piece of work here for the masses of customers switching to Vegan for January, or longer....
Tesco have worked hard on their vegan efforts too, with Derek Sarno, the Plant Chef himself developing Wicked Kitchen and other products for the chain. Their efforts around merchandising and product development have been strong and this has translated into a good market share in this world.
Despite poorer than expected sales (despite the wider, trailed figure being c. -2.5%) at Morrisons, they pushed on with Veganism regardless, sidestepping the adverts for Kit Kat's in the doorway.... There is some solid work around the store, although own label does struggle versus branded lines, more and more brands are moving to the Vegan space (we have seen the same in Free From of course).
"Veganyouary" was trailed on the end featuring Ginsters (and big brands, low prices) with Frozen Foods (alongside fresh foods) featuring "The Best" lines that were Vegan. Lots of opportunity for growth in Morrisons, especially given their fresh food counters - perhaps not Butchery (although plant-based alternatives are in the meat aisle at Tesco) but their Greggs style counter features Vegan rolls!
A reminder of the prize is showcased when visiting Heron Foods (this was opened as a B&M Express, but has since reverted to Heron, with a lot of the non-food taken out). Their doorway signage features a Vegan range at a very strong price of £1.50.
Veganuary indeed, low and no alcohol remains a key part of things for January, as does healthier foods but Veganism is a growing trend and retailers are rapidly expanding their offer to take advantage.
Next, up - we'll look at the market over Christmas as we approach a busy week, post-Morrisons results and with everyone else (bar Asda) announcing their figures this week.
From the Grocery Insight newsletter archive, first sent to subscribers on 7 January 2020. Steve now writes at read.groceryinsight.com. See also the blog archive and briefings.