DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 14| 2020

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. CONSUMER TRENDS DURING CRISIS 

Consumers are found to be ditching nutritious eating habits during the coronavirus pandemic, choosing instead to stockpile on comfort foods. GlobalData has found that 83% of global consumers are “quite/extremely concerned” by COVID-19, in a survey conducted this week. Stress and uncertainty seem to be influencing purchases, as sales of alcohol and snack foods have increased. However, GlobalData analysts believe interest in health and wellness will return in force once the crisis eases. Consumers will be looking for guilt-free and ‘healthy’ comfort foods to satisfy cravings.  

2. DRIVE-THRU HELPING US TO GET-THRU

Some of the world’s leading food brands are playing their part to protect their customers and employees and are finding ways to aid others during COVID-19. Global QSR’s are providing meals via delivery services or drive-thru options to distribute food in a safe and convenient way. Burger King is encouraging customers to be ‘Couch Potatriots’ by ordering in. The brand salutes all frontline workers with free burgers and is waiving all delivery fees. Taco Bell in the US are keeping their drive thru windows open to continue feeding customers safely, with 95% of their restaurants still operating under new safety measures.

3. TAKEAWAY IN A PACKET OF CRISPS

Walkers crisps have teamed up with some of the UK's biggest restaurants brands to transform their best-selling dishes into crisp flavours. The five new Taste Icons flavours are inspired by Nando’s ‘PERi-PERi Chicken’, Las Iguanas’ ‘Chilli Con Carne’, ‘Katsu Curry’ from YO!, ‘American Hot Pizza’ from PizzaExpress and Gourmet Burger Kitchen’s classic cheeseburger. The limited-edition packs all come with restaurant vouchers that can be used when the brands reopen. 

4. STAY AT HOME & MAKE YOUR OWN

With restaurants on lockdown, popular foodservice restaurants are sharing their signature recipes online for fans to recreate at home. McDonalds have generously shared instructions on how to make one of their best-selling items, the Egg McMuffin. PizzaExpress have shared their recipe for their Dough Balls and Pret has provided their cookie recipe to the world. Wagamama has gone a step further and launched a ‘Wok from Home’ segment which features a variety of online pan-asian cookery lessons presented by their executive head chef. In addition, Greggs has launched its own DIY online baking tutorials which they call, GIY, Greggs It Yourself.

5. CHICK-FIL-A HYGIENE ACTIONS

American QSR chain, Chick-fil-A, has added handwashing stations at all of their drive-thru and shopping centre locations as a COVID-19 hygiene measure. This follows the recommendation from the U.S Centers for Disease Control that the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus is by washing hands regularly with soap and water and maintaining a physical distance from others by at least six feet. Workers have been instructed to wash their hands at least every 30 minutes or any time they handle cash while also frequently disinfecting all surfaces and are allowed to wear face protection if they choose. 

6. EURO ZONE RETAIL SALES JUMP

February saw a huge leap in Euro zone retail, just one month prior to when COVID-19 prevention measures were implemented across the continent. Shoppers, keen to ensure they had an abundance of food stocks in their homes, loaded up on food and drink thereby increasing their online spending. January saw a 3% year-on-year increase, of 0.9%, a 12-month high as reported by Eurostat, whereas economists had forecast a rise of 0.1%, with a year-on-year increase of 1.7%. Food, drink and tobacco sales drove the increase with mail order and online purchases also seeing a sharp rise. 

7. LOCKDOWN IMPACT ON MEALS

While most of the world is confined to their homes, analysts at Kantar and AHDB are looking at the impact this has on eating habits. Firstly, more in-home meals will be consumed with many cooking hearty, comfort meals such as stews and curries. Consumers are making fewer trips to the store and buying more in that single visit, picking up ‘essential’ items such as ambient and frozen goods. In terms of breakfast, people will have more time to cook and eat at home, leading to an increase in bacon and sausage sales. Lunch will see the biggest impact as this is the category most consumers ate out-of-home for. The dynamics of meals are changing which present unique product and service opportunities.

8. SIGNALS FROM CHINA 

Export figures for beef and pigmeat into China increased in March reports the Irish Farmers Journal, with exports of pigmeat from the US to China up seven fold. The shortage of shipping containers appears to be the main barrier to business. Pork prices in China increased by 116% year on year, according to official figures. Businesses in China are reopening, with 95% of restaurants having resumed service, albeit with reduced footfall. McDonald’s has already reopened 95% of its stores, with a survey by the catering institute reporting that 49% of restaurant owners believe it will take 3 months for demand to fully recover. Local governments are implementing promotional schemes, such as coupons, to complement various in-store promotions to increase consumption.

9. RETAILERS WORK TO MEET DEMAND

Morrisons has teamed up with Deliveroo to kick-off deliveries by bicycle and motorbike across its 130+ stores, with retailers battling the online grocery gridlock due to the sudden increase in orders. Meanwhile, M&S has doubled the number of stores in which customers can self-scan and pay via smartphone, to ensure social distancing, minimising contact with staff. More than 700 Spar stores have registered for the NHS Volunteer Responders programme, supporting the more vulnerable, referred by health professionals or local authorities. Sainsbury's is the latest supermarket to cut back on buying restrictions as stock levels return to normal and panic-buying eases up. With an increase of over 145K online delivery slots, Tesco has ramped up efforts to meet demand, employing over 45,000 extra staff and offering its own employees an increased discount and an incremental 10% pay bonus. 

GDPR took effect Friday 25th May 2018. At Dawn Farms we take your privacy seriously. We keep your data secure and do not pass this information on to any other organisation for marketing purposes. You will always have the option to opt-out from the TOP 9 by clicking on the unsubscribe link which is located at the bottom of every issue.
Many thanks for continuing to be a valued reader of the Top 9 weekly Newsletter.

If you would like to read our privacy policy please do so by visiting www.dawnfarms.ie/privacy-policy/