Best of British: Home-grown favourites lead the way

In its latest annual barometer of the nation’s most chosen FMCG brands, Kantar Worldpanel has revealed that four out of the top five brands are home-grown UK favourites with Bolton-based bread maker Warburtons leading the way. Other British favourites in the ranking include McVities, Hovis and Walkers.

The 2015 Brand Footprint ranking measures which brands are being bought by the most consumers, the most often. Warburtons, which heads the table, has seen its products picked an average of 25.2 times a year by 85.7% of the population. New products including its ‘extra special’ premium loaves and increased popularity of its ‘thins’ range have helped increase the frequency that consumers buy Warburtons by 2.1% compared with last year. This growth in loyalty has helped Warburtons to secure the top position in the ranking for the third year in a row.

In third place is another British success – McVitie’s, bought 14.7 times a year by 88.8% of the population. The brand has seen a 5% increase in purchase frequency, which has pushed it closer to its nearest rival, Heinz (16.3 times by 91.0%), which came second. In fourth place is Hovis (16.0 times by 74.2%), followed by Kingsmill (14.4 times by 75.5%) completing the top five brands.

In the worldwide Brand Footprint ranking, first place is held by drinks giant Coca-Cola. However, the success of domestic brands means it is the only brand in the global top 10 to make it into the British equivalent, where it sits in ninth place. While the top 10 UK ranking is made up exclusively of food and drink brands, the global ranking tells a different story. Compiled using data from 35 countries, the global top 10 includes a more diverse range of FMCG brands, from health and beauty favourites such as Colgate and Dove to household and hygiene products.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “It’s been an excellent year for British brands, which have beaten a number of major global names as consumer favourites. All the domestic brands appearing in the top 10 have worked hard to secure their positions in the ranking through targeted new product development and attention-grabbing marketing campaigns. Some of the most successful have been playing to their British strengths. Hovis, for example, has focused on promoting its commitment to using 100% British wheat where possible, and has seen its products bought 8.8% more frequently than last year – the greatest increase in the top 10.”

As well as boosting British brands, UK consumers are benefitting from the more affordable cost of everyday items such as bread, milk and eggs, which have been continuously falling in price for nine months. Fraser McKevitt continues: “We’ve been seeing grocery deflation since September 2014, meaning shoppers are paying less for many of their staple goods than they were last year. The average price paid for wrapped bread has fallen by 3.8% in a year and it’s evident that consumers are taking advantage of this, as Warburtons, Hovis and Kingsmill – all of which feature in our top 10 – have seen an average increase in purchase frequency of 5.8%.”

Mark Simester, marketing director at Warburtons, explains: “We are honoured to have been named as the UK's top brand, as it's down to the hard work of our team of bakers and delivery drivers who work around the clock, 362 days a year, in order to get two million loaves of fresh bread into 16,000 stores every day. This commitment is at the heart of our business and is testament to the fact that we've been awarded this title for three years running. We believe the everyday heroics of our bakers and drivers could only be matched by a Hollywood action hero. It is this thinking that led us to develop the sector’s biggest ever marketing campaign, with none other than Sylvester Stallone.

“Warburtons is committed to investing in the quality of our products and meeting the needs of British families with great tasting bakery goods, exciting innovations and captivating marketing campaigns, which is why consumers continue to choose us every day."

Kantar Worldpanel’s Brand Footprint Ranking reveals the strength of brands in 35 countries around the world, across the food, beverage, health and beauty and homecare sectors. It uses an insightful metric called Consumer Reach Points which measures how many households around the world are buying a brand (its penetration) and how often (the number of times shoppers acquire the brand).

This unique calculation of penetration and frequency helps FMCG manufacturers to clearly understand their UK and global reach in terms of actual basket reach and provides a vital guide on which regions present the biggest opportunities.

The top 10 UK FMCG brands revealed by the Brand Footprint study are: