The latest findings from Roy Morgan Research reveal that 84 per cent of Australian grocery buyers buy some kind of cheese in an average four weeks and for the key segments – block, grated/shredded and sliced – private label is popular.
Block cheese is the most popular kind of cheese by far, purchased by 9.4 million grocery buyers in an average four-week period. Some 2.3 million of them buy supermarket-brand blocks, edging out Bega blocks (2.2 million buyers) and well ahead of Coon blocks (1.1 million).
Just over 6.3 million Aussies buy grated/shredded cheese in an average four weeks and, once again, 2.3 million of them buy supermarket brands – almost triple the number who buy second-most popular brand Bega (837,000 people). Bought by 712,000 grocery buyers in any given four weeks, Perfect Italiano is the third-most popular choice in this category.
Meanwhile, 5.4 million grocery buyers purchase sliced cheese in any given four weeks, with 1.6 million opting for supermarket brands. Again, Bega comes in second (1.3 million buyers), followed by Kraft (1.1 million).
Roy Morgan Research General Manager – Consumer Products Andrew Price says Australian grocery buyers are not, on the whole, becoming more open to supermarket-brand products. Cheese, however, is a striking exception.
“Driving the home-brand movement are grocery buyers from the 35-49 age bracket, who are consistently more likely than those from any other age group to buy supermarket-branded cheeses across all three categories,” he said. “Living in a household with children under 16 also increases a grocery buyer’s likelihood of buying supermarket brand cheese [of course, many of these shoppers would fall within the 35-49 age range].
“With Australia’s supermarkets currently at ‘war’, jostling for greater market share, home brands are one of the key battlegrounds. Attracting consumers with a quality, affordable range of own-brand products is a positive way for supermarkets to prosper in this challenging climate and, though this is easier said than done, the popularity of home-brand cheese is cause for optimism.”