Mars drives the flavoured milk opportunity
FLAVOURED milk options present retailers with a strong opportunity to build up sales from across the chiller.
According to IRI data for the 52 weeks to 28 October, the total flavoured milk category in the UK sat at a worth of £628million, with sales in convenience growing by 13% during the time period and contributing 44% of the total category sales, too.
Clearly, the sector and the category are a strong match and Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats (MCD&T) reckons its range of drinks will help to bolster this in stores.
The firm said its range of licensed drinks will be able to stand out within busy chillers that stock a wide range of SKUs due to its attention-drawing brands that are already familiar with customers.
In addition to this, the use of licensed products could also help to bring more customers to the category in the first place from other sections in the store, in particular the confectionery category.
As such, MCD&T offers a wide range of licensed Mars sweets options across its range of drinks, including Mars, Mars Caramel, Maltesers, MilkyWay, Twix, Snickers, Bounty, M&M’s Brownie and Galaxy.
This wide range of flavours should appeal to demand as well, with chocolate flavoured milk the second-largest subcategory within the flavoured milk channel.
The MCD&T selection can also be stored ambient, with the range suitable for vegetarians.
However, flavour isn’t always everything when it comes to consumer choice and the cost-of-living crisis certainly plays its part across the category in store, too.
Much like the confectionery section, allowing for more permissible, affordable treats within flavoured milk will be important to consider as well, which is why MCD&T offers price-marked pack (PMP) options for its range.
Mortar Research found that two-thirds of 18 to 44-year-olds said they are likely or extremely likely to purchase a PMP, helping to turn considerations into sales in store.
Michelle Frost, general manager at MCD&T, said: “We believe that our range offers a winning combination – iconic brands in eye-catching packaging.
“The PMP and well-known brands draw attention to the product within what can be a crowded chiller.”
Energise the dairy section with coffee solutions
COFFEE across dairy-based drinks remains in growth and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) reckons its Costa Coffee range is ready to meet this demand.
Ready-to-drink (RTD) Costa Coffee has been a key performer in the dairy drinks category, according to Nielsen research, which found the brand was up 37.1% in value terms in the year to 9 September, outperforming the total market value, which only sat at 10.3%.
As such, CCEP has urged retailers to stay well-stocked on the range, helping to drive up sales in the category.
Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager at CCEP, said: “Costa has been the nation’s favourite coffee shop for 13 years in a row. This is a real positive within FMCG and, as a result, over the last year 89% of Costa Coffee RTD sales were incremental to the segment, demonstrating we are successfully bringing new shoppers in.
“Our RTD range is underpinned by a winning combination of Costa’s coffee credentials and CCEP’s soft drinks experience and expertise.
“As well as catering for a variety of consumer needstates, RTD coffee is relevant to more occasions than ever. It naturally lends itself to consumption on the move and, as a result, sales of RTD coffee single packs are up 19.9% over the last year.”
