Warburtons tops FMCG rankings

Warc, 19 May 2014

LONDON: Warburtons, the family-owned bakers, has been named the UK's most-chosen FMCG brand after being picked an average of 25 times a year by 86% of UK households, a new brand ranking report has shown.

According to the UK sample of the Kantar Worldpanel Brand Footprint, several other leading UK brands joined Warburtons in the top 10, confirming a global trend the research agency identified of domestic brands growing at twice the rate as their global rivals.

These included McVities biscuits in third (bought 14 times a year by 89% of UK households), followed by bakers Hovis (15 times by 74%), then fellow bakers Kingsmill (14 times by 74%), Walkers crisps in eighth (11 times by 73%) and Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate in tenth (nine times by 73%).

But US food giant Heinz was the second most popular brand in the UK (16 times by 90%) and the other global brands rounding out the top ten included Birds Eye (12 times by 80%), Muller (12 times by 65%), and Coca-Cola (11 times by 61%).

Kantar Worldpanel director Alison Martin attributed the success of UK brands to their understanding of their consumer base, their appealing marketing and knowledge about domestic preferences.

"Classic British brands such as Warburtons and McVities have a rich understanding of their consumers, create products that are tailored to the tastes of their home market and deliver marketing and messaging that appeal to the domestic audience," she said.

"The lesson for large global brands is to adapt their products to suit local tastes and create campaigns which connect with local culture," she continued.

"Conversely, British brands looking to grow overseas will need to think carefully about whether their product and messaging translates abroad and consider the challenges that different retail environments pose."

Mirroring the picture in the UK, Irish food brands also appealed more for domestic consumers than global brands with even Coca-Cola not making it into the top ten despite being named the top brand in the global ranking, the Irish Independent reported.

Avonmore, the food and drink company, remained Ireland's most popular brand with 81% of consumers choosing it 27 times a year while baker Brennans and Denny, the meat company, took second and third places respectively.

Soup maker Knorr was the most popular global brand in Ireland, coming in fourth, while Muller, Heinz and McVities were the other non-Irish brands to make the top 10.

Data sourced from Kantar Worldpanel, Irish Independent; additional content by Warc staff