DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 24 | 2018

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. WORLD CUP 2018

UK World Cup fans are expected to spend £240m on food watching the tournament at home. Outside the home, event sponsor McDonald's is the leading brand among global World Cup fans, alongside close competition from KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks - visited by 59% and 42% of the fan base respectively. For sponsorship trend insights – click here>> McDonald’s sponsor the tournament for a sixth time this year, they've  released their World Cup burgers, one for every day of the week and representing a different country. KFC is the official sponsor of the French team – look out for the "Fiers d'Être Bleus" buckets and collectible mini balls featuring football stars.

2. DOMINO’S WORLD CUP DELIVERY

Delivery operators are making sure convenience is key for 2018’s World Cup. Domino’s has employed 3,000 additional staff to cater for hungry football fans - expected to order 7 million pizzas during the sporting event. Its new Meatfielder pizza features pepperoni, ham, chorizo,  meatballs and smoked bacon, drizzled with Dominos secret sauce. It’s also giving away a Pizza-Nini sticker album. Just Eat has launched its first World Cup campaign #PutItOnAPlate, featuring John Barnes and a giveaway of limited edition football plates – click here to view>>

3. GO BOLD OR GO HOME

Mintel has identified 4 major trends this summer – diverse barbecues from global to vegan, better-for-you ice cream, to ‘bolder’ and more intense beer snacks (see Walkers Max Strong, Pringles Loud) and flavoured sparkling waters.  Goodbye sugar, hello flavour is the message coming through for soft drinks – (see LaCroix – US, or Smart Chimp in France). Click here to find out more from Mintel’s summer trends>>

4. LATINO DISRUPTORS ON THE HORIZON

Latin America is about to upset the global franchise arena – according to a recent study. Peruvian sanguches, completos and plátano mixto are named as key foods that will change the fast food landscape. Hispanic versions of hot dogs and doughnuts are also expected disruptors. There are several key chains that are in growth – ones to watch include Baleadas Express, The Californian Burrito Company, Pasquale Hnos and Doggis.

5. CARREFOUR-GOOGLE PARTNERSHIP

Carrefour and Google have announced a new digital partnership to drive growth. Carrefour will contribute its logistics and sales expertise while Google will offer its technology and online skills. The partnership will increase Carrefour’s presence on Google’s platforms, making it the first French retailer to partner with Google for online grocery shopping. French shoppers will be able to buy Carrefour products via Google Assistant, Google Home and Google Shopping. Carrefour will open an innovation centre with Google Cloud in Paris to develop new AI-based services. Working with Google will allow Carrefour to accelerate their digital growth and create an omni-channel customer approach.

6. GEN Z PUSHES 24HR DINING

Flexible opening hours could boost the hospitality sector by £6.75bn a year, according to Barclays. Businesses need to adapt to changing work patterns; 22% of British workers want restaurants, hotels, bars and gyms to change their opening times. Rewards are up for grabs where restaurants could benefit from £2.2bn per annum, takeaways £2.1bn and pubs, bars and clubs £1.2bn. The frustration comes from mainly ‘Generation Z’, with 37% keen for delivery between 11pm and 5am. One third said they expect 24 hour services, compared with one quarter of millennials, showing the shift in consumer expectations. 

7. JJ’S NEW HEAVYWEIGHT

US sandwich chain Jimmy John’s has launched a new 16-Inch sandwich – the Giant - double the size of its original sub. It targets ‘hungrier customers’ including construction workers and college students; it also appeals as family share option. It’s also upgrading its condiments – fresh sliced pickles and a new ranch sauce made in store. According to Kalsec’s 2018 Heat Index, 1 in four US consumers are eating spicy foods more often than they did a year ago (vs 1 in 5 Europeans). Tapping into this, Jimmy John’s has fired up the ubiquitous ranch sauce with a new Kickin’ Ranch version made with fresh buttermilk and pureed hot cherry peppers – watch the clip here>>

8. MCDONALD’S DIGITAL DWELLERS

McDonald’s is continually modernising its business with plans to expand its self-order kiosks, mobile order technology and even table service. Over the next couple of years, the burger chain will upgrade 1,000 of their US stores in the USA every quarter in its aim to “build a better McDonald’s”. Markets like the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany are already almost completely transformed. For a sense of the bigger picture behind digitalisation strategies click here>> according to McKinsey, the adoption of technology contributed 0.4 to 0.6 percentage points to GDP growth between 1990 and 2016, worth about €15bn a year.

9. CHEESESTEAK MASH-UP

This New York pizzeria has created a novel mash up between the iconic Philly Cheeseteak sandwich and pizza. Click here to see the cheesesteak pizza hybrid taking shape>>