Western Europe’s slowing performance of FMCG continued in 2019—declining from +2.2% growth in 2017 to just +1.2% in 2019.
Germany grew by just +0.7%, France and Italy experienced +0.8% growth each, and the UK grew by +1.4%.
This slowdown is driven in part by where we shop, with e-commerce growth much slower than the US or Asia, whilst discounters are still performing strongly in the UK and France.
This has caused the continued ascent of private labels which account for 37.6% of value share in the region (vs. 14.7% share globally).
La Boulangère, France La Boulangère is an industrial Bread and Pastries brand among the top 100 FMCG brands in France. It saw a +12% increase in CRPs in 2019. With an additional 1.1% penetration point increase, achieved mainly through strong performance in the hypermaket and Online channels, the brand reaches 30% of French households.
Growth came through its Organic 2.0 range, which integrates CSR—a key consumption trend in France. This range sources locally, guaranteeing good pay for producers and an ecological position. La Boulangère has increased its media investment to communicate local fair-trade engagement.
Central Lechera Asturiana – Spain Central Lechera Asturiana is the leading Dairy brand in Spain.
It increased CRPs by +5% in 2019, with growth driven by an increase in new buyers. The brand added 380,000 new shoppers, reaching more than 10 million households.
Key to its success has been growth through its “Classic Milk” product across all demographics, but especially family households.
The brand has also extended its range into Functional Milk, launching the first Bifidus Milk product in the market.
Central Lechera Asturiana invested in TV campaigns, using famous journalists to highlight the natural properties of its products. It also supports local farmers with the tagline: “Mi prado es tu casa” (My meadow is your home).
Dove, Portugal In 2019, Dove bet strongly on reaching more men. From campaigns aimed at Father's Day, as well as other debates that promote the extension of paternity leave worldwide, Dove has taken several actions to bring the brand closer to their male targets—but without ever forgetting the importance of their key female audience.
In 2019, Dove reached 41.0% penetration, an increase of +2.3% penetration points due to its good performance in Deodorants and in Hand & Body Wash. In Deodorants, Dove is reaching a greater variety of targets and increasingly gaining traction with younger men.
The brand also managed to increase purchase occasions, with an increase of +11% amongst male shoppers and +6% with women.
Dove is also increasing its presence in the different regions of Portugal, especially recruiting buyers in the south.
MAKVEL, Greece MAKVEL is a traditional pasta brand from Greece, dating back to 1939. For several years the production of MAKVEL pasta had stopped, but in 2017 the brand was re-launched and has followed a very positive growth path since then. “Greekness” is highlighted on the packaging and this, combined with the brands lower price, has worked very well for the brand.
Over the past couple of years, the number of households that purchased MAKVEL pasta has doubled and the brand reached 19% penetration in 2019.
Apart from shopper base expansion, the brand also built its loyalty, as purchase frequency increased by +7%. Consequently, MAKVEL achieved a +60% CRP growth. In recent years, the brand has invested in the growing health and wellness trend. In October 2018, the brand launched a new line of Wholegrain Pasta called MAKVEL 5 Cereals that further developed penetration.
Denny, Ireland Denny is a traditional Irish brand, dating as far back as 1820. It remains a household name for Breakfast and Sliced Cooked Meats. The founder, Henry Denny, is the inventor of the rasher, bringing bacon curing methods from Co. Waterford in Ireland to the rest of the world. Denny has seen strong CRP growth of +6% this year, maintaining its spot as the fourth most chosen brand in Ireland. This was achieved through both penetration growth – gaining +0.6 penetration points and now purchased by 64.7% of the Irish population – as well as strong frequency growth of +4.2%.
Launching a new craft-style range has helped Denny stand apart from competitors and attract new shoppers to the brand.
Product ranges in the Master Craft Selections include Butcher’s Style Sausages, Heritage Cure Rashers & Dry Cure Sliced Cooked Meats – offering a twist on the traditional while attracting a more premium shopper.
Pringles, UK Global snack brand Pringles, grew its CRPs by +9.7% in 2019.
The brand was bought by 54.4% of UK households, an increase of +2.4% penetration points.
This represented one of the strongest gains in UK FMCG, and certainly the biggest gain for a brand already bought by over half of UK shoppers.
Last year, Pringles launched Rice Fusions. It was worth over £10 million—placing Rice Fusions at fourth in the Kantar UK FMCG Innovation ranking. The product offered a healthier option for the snack occasion—a key need of British consumers. Available in four versions, and inspired by Asian meal concepts, it played into the trend for strong authentic flavours.
