The cost of living crisis has put pressure on the UK snack bar market. Price rises in the category and the role of these snacks as discretionary will have made them likely candidates for cutbacks amid the income squeeze. The limited scope for trading down given the sparse own-brand offering has added to this.
UK Snack Bar and Breakfast Biscuit Market Trends
Competition from other snacking categories has put pressure on the cereal/snack and breakfast biscuit market and will continue to do so. For example, the strong growth of the protein bar market shows little sign of easing. Further HFSS restrictions loom and stand to have mixed effects on the market. While they will lend an edge to compliant products, they will also fuel ongoing NPD in the wider BFY snack space, adding to the competitive pressures.
Disrupting the shopper journey is crucial for cereal/snack bar and breakfast biscuit brands. While most users and buyers usually visit the cereal/snack bar and breakfast biscuit aisle when doing their main grocery shop, over half pay little attention to the rest of the products on the shelf when buying their favourite brand. This points to the need for brands to ensure they stand out in the aisle, to make the most of the passing traffic.
Key Issues Covered in this Report
- Performance of the market and the impact of the rising cost of living
- Where and when cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits are eaten
- Key attributes associated with cereal/snack bars, breakfast biscuits, and protein bars
- Key trends in recent launch activity and future product development opportunities such as consumer interest in naturalness and flavour variety
- Behaviours related to the eating and buying of cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, and related opportunities including disrupting shopper behaviour and how to support health-conscious shoppers
Purchase Mintel’s full report for a complete analysis of the UK snack bar market, including consumer insights and innovation and marketing activity. Readers of this report may also be interested in The Future of Snack Bars.
Meet The Expert
This report is written by Claire Finnegan, a Food & Drink Analyst at Mintel. Claire joined Mintel in 2022, writing and producing reports covering a variety of topics in the food and drinks market. Prior to joining Mintel, Claire obtained a BSc in Nutrition, Food and Business Management from the University of Galway. Alongside her studies, she also gained food industry experience while working for a food producer in Ireland.
High inflation has fuelled value growth in the market, amid falling volumes. Interest in freshness and variety multipacks point to opportunities for NPD.
Claire Finnegan
Food & Drink Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the cereal/snack bar and breakfast biscuit market
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: leading brands’ value sales in the cereal/snack bars market, 2021/22-2023/24
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 2: frequency of eating breakfast biscuits and cereal/snack bars, 2023
- Graph 3: where breakfast biscuits and cereal/snack bars are eaten, 2023
- Graph 4: when cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits are eaten, 2023
- Graph 5: concepts of interest in cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, among users and non-users, 2023
- Graph 6: concepts of interest in cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, among users and non-users, 2023
- Graph 7: attributes associated with cereal/snack bars, breakfast biscuits and protein bars, 2023
- Graph 8: behaviours related to eating and buying cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2023
- Innovation and marketing
- Graph 9: cereal/snack bars’ share of all snack product launches, 2018-23
- Graph 10: new product launches in the cereal/snack market, by top flavour components, 2018-23
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Graph 11: retail value sales of cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2018-23
- Graph 12: retail volume sales of cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2018-23
- Market forecast
- Graph 13: retail value sales of cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2010-15
- Market share
- Graph 14: leading brands’ value sales in the cereal/snack bars market, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 15: leading brands’ volume sales in the cereal/snack bars market, 2021/22-23/24
- Macro-economic factors
- Graph 16: GDP, 2021-23
- Graph 17: CPI inflation rate, 2021-23
- Graph 18: “Have you been affected by any of these issues over the last two months? Please select all that apply.”, 2023
- Graph 19: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Graph 20: the financial confidence index, 2016-23
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- Graph 21: frequency of snacking, 2020-23
- Graph 22: selected behaviours related to eating and buying cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2023
- Graph 23: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-22
- Graph 24: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2018-28
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Frequency of eating cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits
- Graph 25: frequency of eating breakfast biscuits and cereal/snack bars, 2023
- Graph 26: overall usage and frequency of eating cereal/snack bars, by age, 2023
- Graph 27: overall usage and frequency of eating breakfast biscuits, by age, 2023
- Graph 28: overall usage and usage at least once a week of cereal/snack bars, by selected demographics, 2023
- Where and when cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits are eaten
- Graph 29: where breakfast biscuits and cereal/snack bars are eaten, 2023
- Graph 30: when cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits are eaten, 2023
- Concepts of interest in cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits
- Graph 31: concepts of interest in cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2023
- Attributes associated with cereal/snack bars, breakfast biscuits, and protein bars
- Graph 32: attributes associated with cereal/snack bars, breakfast biscuits, and protein bars, 2023
- Behaviours relating to eating and buying cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits
- Graph 33: behaviours related to eating and buying cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2023
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Graph 34: cereal/snack bars’ share of all snack product launches, 2018-23
- Graph 35: new product launches in the cereal/snack market, by launch type, 2018-23
- Graph 36: share of new launches in snack/cereal/energy bars, by selected health claims, 2018-23
- Graph 37: new product launches in the cereal/snack market, by top flavour components, 2018-23
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Graph 38: above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, 2020-23
- Graph 39: above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cereal/snack bars and breakfast biscuits, by advertisers, 2020-23
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Appendix
- Supplementary data: market share
- Supplementary data: market drivers
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Report scope and definitions
- Methodology
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