Home-grown FMCG brands are proving most popular with British consumers, according to Kantar Worldpanel’s latest Brand Footprint ranking, with bread maker Warburtons securing the top position in the ranking for the third year in a row.
In this latest annual barometer of the nation’s most chosen FMCG brands, Kantar Worldpanel revealed that four out of the top five brands are home-grown UK favourites - Warburtons, McVitie’s, Hovis, Walkers and Kingsmill.
The 2015 Brand Footprint ranking measures which brands are being bought by the most consumers, the most often.
Warburtons has seen its products picked an average of 25.2 times a year by 85.7 per cent of the population.
New products including its ‘extra special’ premium loaves and increased popularity of its ‘thins’ range have helped increase the frequency that consumers buy Warburtons by 2.1 per cent compared with last year.
In third place is McVitie’s, bought 14.7 times a year by 88.8 per cewnt of the population. The brand has seen a 5 per cent increase in purchase frequency, which has pushed it closer to its nearest rival, Heinz - 16.3 times by 91 per cent, which came second.
In fourth place is Hovis - 16.0 times by 74.2 per cent, followed by Kingsmill - 14.4 times by 75.5 per cent, completing the top five brands.
In the worldwide Brand Footprint ranking, first place is held by drinks giant Coca-Cola.
While the Top 10 UK ranking is made up exclusively of food and drink brands, the global ranking tells a different story. Compiled using data from 35 countries, the global Top 10 includes a more diverse range of FMCG brands, from health and beauty favourites, such as Colgate and Dove, to household and hygiene products.
Commenting on the study, Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: "It’s been an excellent year for British brands. All the domestic brands appearing in the Top 10 have worked hard to secure their positions in the ranking through targeted new product development and attention-grabbing marketing campaigns. Some of the most successful have been playing to their British strengths."
He continued: "Hovis, for example, has focused on promoting its commitment to using 100 per cent British wheat where possible, and has seen its products bought 8.8 per cent more frequently than last year – the greatest increase in the Top 10."
UK consumers are also benefitting from the more affordable cost of everyday items such as bread, milk and eggs, which have been continuously falling in price for nine months.
"We’ve been seeing grocery deflation since September 2014, meaning shoppers are paying less for many of their staple goods than they were last year. The average price paid for wrapped bread has fallen by 3.8 per cent in a year and it’s evident that consumers are taking advantage of this, as Warburtons, Hovis and Kingsmill – all of which feature in our Top 10 – have seen an average increase in purchase frequency of 5.8 per cent.”
Mark Simester, marketing director at Warburtons, said that being named the UK's top brand was down to the hard work of its team of bakers and delivery drivers who get two million loaves of fresh bread into 16,000 stores every day.
"Warburtons is committed to investing in the quality of our products and meeting the needs of British families with great tasting bakery goods, exciting innovations and captivating marketing campaigns, which is why consumers continue to choose us every day," he concluded.
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