Page 40 - RetailWorld-May2021-Tobacco-Updated

DELI & SMALLGOODS TAKING A OF THE ACTION Following a successful, albeit challenging, year, manufacturers of smallgoods products are homing in on emerging trends and launching new segments to maintain rising consumer interest. BIy Hailey Settineri. n a year hit by two pandemics – Covid-19 and the ‘global pork pandemic’ – the smallgoods category has fared remarkably well. Smallgoods was one of the top five growth categories in total supermarkets over the latest MAT, according to data provided by Don. Pre-pack is driving category growth, up $249.1 million in the latest year, which accounted for 84 per cent of the value growth. While the deli category plays a key role for retailers in terms of winning in fresh and helping them to differentiate, it’s down 2.8 per cent in volume, and in growth up four per cent in value (Nielsen Scan MAT data to 14/3/21 Aus scan markets). A heightened move to pre- packaged smallgoods versus the deli has been driven by key factors such as convenience, portion size and freshness, along with the ability to navigate and choose items via branding. Product information has also contributed to significant change in the overall category. Don Head of Grocery Sales Greg Wooller says the biggest trends influencing the overall category performance over the past 12 months have been price inflation off the back of the global pork pandemic driven by African swine flu (ASF), and the behavioural changes in response to Covid-19 . “Clearly with Covid-19 forcing a change, with people spending more time in-home (i.e., working from home, “We need to unlock more occasions and trade customers up with clearly differentiated offers.” 38 RETAIL WORLD MAY, 2021