Bread dominates list of UK’s most-shopped brands

Bread brands have again taken three of the top spots in a list of Britain’s most chosen brands.

Warburtons, Kingsmill and Hovis dominate a table listing of the brands being bought most frequently by the most consumers – although only Kingsmill has increased its standing this year.

The latest annual Brand Footprint UK ranking, produced by retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel, showed Warburtons was the most popular UK fmcg brand, with 84.2% of the population buying it an average of 25.2 times a year (see table below).

Warburtons has lost some ground compared to last year, however, with its number of Consumer Reach Points (CRP) – a Kantar Worldpanel measure of how many households around the world are buying a brand (penetration) and how often (frequency)  – falling slightly.

In contrast, Kingsmill’s CRP has risen to make it the fastest-growing fmcg brand in the Brand Footprint top 10.  Shoppers have been buying it 8.7% more often than the year before – 15.5 times a year from 14.3 the previous year.

Kingsmill’s success, and a slight fall in CRP, has pushed Hovis down from fourth place in the top 10 last year to fifth this year.

Kantar’s research also revealed that brands are coming under increasing pressure from own-label products, with total branded sales falling 1.6% while own-label sales have risen 1.7%. Although some brands, including KIngsmill, have seen purchase frequency increase, the percentage of the population buying the brands in the top 10 has fallen.

“It has been a challenging year for brands across all fmcg sectors,” said Kantar Worldpanel retail and consumer insight head Fraser McKevitt, adding that retailers have ramped up their own-label offer as shoppers demand quality goods at low prices. 

McKevitt said the growth of Aldi and Lidl’s market share has also played a role as consumers become accustomed to seeing non-branded products on the shelves.

“Brands and manufacturers need to keep pace with changing consumer behaviours if they are to succeed,” he added. “Today’s shoppers want to be healthier, happier and have their lives made easier, so brands will need to innovate in a way that matches these needs – easing busy lifestyles and tapping into consumer concerns around health and wellbeing.”

Kantar Worldpanel’s annual Brand Footprint study is based on research from 73% of the global population; one billion households.