Mintel brings you the latest biscuit market research and UK consumer insights in this comprehensive market report. The UK Sweet Biscuits Market Report contains in-depth market dynamics, including UK biscuit market size and UK biscuit market share, expert analysis and recommendations for future growth opportunities. Purchase this report today and get the insights you need to stay ahead of your competition.
Key Issues Covered in this Report
- Performance of the market and the impact of the rising cost of living, including changes in the frequency of eating sweet biscuits and products bought.
- Key trends in recent launch activity and future product development opportunities.
- Most important reasons for buying sweet biscuits and factors influencing choice of one product over another, including flavour, price and brand.
- Consumer behaviours and attitudes related to the eating and buying of sweet biscuits, including shopping behaviour and product preferences.
- Usage of selected brands and attitudes towards them.
UK Biscuit Market – Current Landscape
Volume sales being up 1.5% in 2023 points to sweet biscuits proving resilient to cost of living pressures, as well as HFSS product location restrictions introduced in October 2022. Their strong image as an affordable treat is a notable strength for the market, reflected in usage at least three times a week standing on a par among those with ‘ok’ and ‘struggling/in trouble’ finances. However, more frequent biscuit eating among those in healthy finances also speaks to these snacks’ role as a discretionary item.
UK Sweet Biscuits – What’s Next For The Market?
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are the latest health foe in the limelight. Over two-thirds of UK sweet biscuits consumers would choose sweet biscuits with less processed ingredients over regular ones. While this finding should be taken with some caveats, it nonetheless suggests that further coverage around UPFs stands to put pressure on the category.
While new flavours sway only a fifth of buyers, seasonal/limited edition biscuits prompt over half of buyers of sweet biscuits to purchase more overall. This points to a desire for ‘safe adventure’ in the category, and reaffirms limited edition variants as a valuable vehicle for brands to drive engagement. The limited-time nature of these adds an element of urgency that no doubt contributes to their triggering incremental purchases.
Purchase the full report for a complete overview of the UK biscuit market, including the latest innovation and marketing activity, and brand research into the market leaders. Readers of this report may also be interested in Mintel’s A Year of Innovation in Biscuits, Cookies and Crackers Report.
Expert Analysis from a Food Industry Specialist
This report, written by Richard Caines, a leading Food & Drink analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends in the UK sweet biscuit market and add expert context to the numbers.
Volume sales of sweet biscuits proved resilient in 2023. Seasonal biscuits, single-serve packs and biscuits that hero healthy ingredients offer scope to grow sales.
Richard Caines
Principal Analyst, UK Food & Drink Research
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- Key issues covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the sweet biscuits market
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by segment, 2021-23
- Graph 2: leading brands’ value sales in the sweet biscuits segment, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 3: leading brands’ value sales in the chocolate biscuit bars segment, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 4: frequency of snacking, 2020-23
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 5: types of sweet biscuits eaten in the last three months, 2022 and 2023
- Graph 6: frequency of eating sweet biscuits, 2022 and 2023
- Graph 7: reasons for buying sweet biscuits, 2023
- Graph 8: factors influencing choice of sweet biscuits, 2023
- Graph 9: behaviours related to eating and buying sweet biscuits, 2023
- Innovation and marketing
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Graph 10: retail volume sales of sweet biscuits, 2018-23
- Graph 11: retail value sales of sweet biscuits, 2018-23
- Market forecast
- Graph 12: retail value and volume sales of sweet biscuits, 2010-15
- Market segmentation
- Graph 13: retail volume sales of sweet biscuits, by segment, 2021-23
- Graph 14: retail value sales of sweet biscuits, by segment, 2021-23
- Market share
- Graph 15: leading brands’ value sales in the sweet biscuits segment, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 16: leading brands’ volume sales in the sweet biscuits segment, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 17: top-selling McVitie’s products, 2022/23 and 2023/24
- Graph 18: leading brands’ value sales in the chocolate biscuit bars segment, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 19: leading brands’ volume sales in the chocolate biscuit bars segment, 2021/22-23/24
- Macro-economic factors
- Graph 20: GDP, 2021-23
- Graph 21: CPI inflation rate, 2021-23
- Graph 22: consumer price inflation for other bakery products and all food, 2022-23
- Graph 23: “Have you been affected by any of these issues over the last two months? Please select all that apply.”, 2023
- Graph 24: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Graph 25: the financial confidence index, 2016-23
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- Graph 26: frequency of snacking, 2020-23
- Graph 27: drinking of different types of tea at least once a day, 2018 and 2023
- Graph 28: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-22
- Graph 29: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2018-28
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Types of sweet biscuits eaten
- Graph 30: types of sweet biscuits eaten in the last three months, 2022 and 2023
- Graph 31: types of sweet biscuits eaten in the last three months, by age, 2023
- Frequency of eating sweet biscuits
- Graph 32: frequency of eating sweet biscuits, 2022 and 2023
- Graph 33: frequency of eating sweet biscuits, by age, 2023
- Graph 34: frequency of eating sweet biscuits, by financial situation, 2023
- Reasons for buying sweet biscuits
- Graph 35: reasons for buying sweet biscuits, 2023
- Graph 36: frequency of eating sweet biscuits, by reasons for buying sweet biscuits, 2023
- Graph 37: top reasons for snacking, 2023
- Factors influencing choice of sweet biscuits
- Graph 38: factors influencing choice of sweet biscuits, 2023
- Graph 39: favourite and new flavour as factors influencing choice of sweet biscuits, by age, 2023
- Graph 40: new launches of sweet biscuits/cookies, by leading flavour components, 2023
- Graph 41: “seeing seasonal/limited edition sweet biscuits makes me buy more sweet biscuits overall”, by age, 2023
- Behaviours related to eating and buying sweet biscuits
- Graph 42: behaviours related to eating and buying sweet biscuits, 2023
- Graph 43: healthy ingredients and health claims as choice factors for sweet biscuits, 2023
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Graph 44: new launches in sweet biscuits/cookies, by launch activity, 2018-23
- Graph 45: new launches in sweet biscuits/cookies, by top flavour components, 2018-23
- Graph 46: new launches in sweet biscuits/cookies with premium and economy positionings, 2018-23
- Graph 47: new launches in sweet biscuits/cookies making selected better-for-you claims, 2018-23
- Graph 48: new launches in sweet biscuits/cookies making vegan/no animal ingredients and plant based claims, 2018-23
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Graph 49: above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on sweet biscuits/cookies, 2020-23
- Graph 50: above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on sweet biscuits/cookies, by advertiser, 2019-23
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Brand Research
- Graph 51: eating of brands in the last 12 months, by age, 2024
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Appendix
- Market share
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Launch activity and innovation
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Methodology
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