CHEDDAR is champion and Scottish c-stores are staying ahead of the game as the value of cheese sales falls, says Cathedral City brand owner Dairy Crest.
Central shopper marketing manager Amy Fisher said: “Cheddar dominates the UK convenience cheese market at 56% of all volume and 52% of all value.
“At a total grocery level, cheddar volume share in Scotland mirrors that of the rest of the UK however value share stands at 51% which would suggest that price deflation has had a slightly lesser impact north of the border relative to that in other cheese sectors.”
She went on to explain, quoting IRI figures to the end of January, that in convenience stores while cheddar volume is up by 3.4% value is down by 3.7%. That is against total Scottish grocery figures of a drop in volume of 0.3% in volume and value being down by 5.7%.
She said Cathedral City continues to outperform the cheddar market, adding: “Now worth over £275m across the total market and bought by over 57% of all UK households Cathedral City is now bigger than all other cheddar brands combined.”
Dairy Crest also said that, while top-ups provide the main reason for shopping in c-stores, meal-for-tonight shopping is growing rapidly.
Fisher said: “Cheese features in 5.5bn meal occasions each year and convenience retailers have an opportunity to encourage customers to buy cheese more often by offering a credible range for meal preparation including sliced, grated and recipe cheeses.”
Earlier this year Dairy Crest relaunched Cathedral City with a new look backed by a campaign that takes a light-hearted look at consumers’ relationship with cheese.
The £4m campaign includes TV ads as well as press and social media activity.
From watching bubbling cheese melt under the grill, to eating the last bit that’s too awkward to grate, the ads carry the tagline ‘Love Cheese, Welcome to the Club’.
