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Contents
Report homepage
Contents
Issues in the Market
Insights and Opportunities
Market in Brief
Fast Forward Trends
Internal Market Environment
Broader Market Environment
Competitive Context
Strengths and Weaknesses
Who’s Innovating?
Market Size and Forecast
Market Segmentation
Companies and Products
The Consumer – Consumption
The Consumer – Attitudes Towards Lunch
The Consumer – Target Groups
Appendix
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'Food to go' Opportunities for the Lunchtime Trade - Ireland - December 2010
Table of Contents

Issues in the Market

Insights and Opportunities

Targeting cost-conscious young women in NI

Elevating the meal deal category

Rethinking packaging

Market in Brief

Recession stifles market growth

Demand for convenience continues

Focus continues on health issues

Salads lead value growth

Consumers seek quality, freshness and provenance

Supermarkets and coffee houses proliferate

Less eating out, more packed lunches

Opportunities/challenges in the food-to-go market

Fast Forward Trends

Trend 1: Growing a Longer Tail

What’s it about?
What we’ve seen
What next?

Trend 2: Cool Vending

What’s it about?
What we’ve seen
What next?

Internal Market Environment

Key points

Convenience in high demand as lunchtime shrinks

Figure 1: Agreement with the statement “Convenience often plays a part in my purchase decisions”, NI and RoI, 2006-10

Consumers seek quality and freshness

Figure 2: Agreement with the statement “I only shop at supermarkets that sell good quality fresh food”, NI and RoI, 2005-10

Taking a healthy slice of the lunch market

Figure 3: Agreement with statements relating to health, NI and RoI, 2010
Salt reduction targets set
Figure 4: UK Food Standards Agency 2012 salt reduction targets
Health lobby targets saturated fats
Cleaning up ingredients
Figure 5: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2005-10
EU moves towards GDA nutritional labelling
Greater regulation of health claims
Improving the health credentials of sandwiches and salads
Figure 6: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2005-10

Interest grows in origin, animal welfare

Figure 7: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2005-10
Demand for organic options
Figure 8: Agreement with the statement ‘It’s worth paying more for organic food’, NI and RoI, 2005-10

Lunchtime food-to-go goes green

Figure 9: Agreement with the statement ‘I would be prepared to pay more environmentally friendly products, RoI and NI, 2005-10
Government steps in to reduce waste

Hygiene a concern as food-to-go market expands

Broader Market Environment

Key points

Food-to-go market loses value in the recession

Food-to-go retailers feeling the recession bite
Economic outlook poor for RoI
Figure 10: Economic outlook, NI and RoI, 2008-10

Commodity ingredient costs an ongoing concern

Aging consumer base bodes badly for lunchtime food-to-go

Figure 11: Population demographics, by age, RoI, 2006-41
Figure 12: Population demographics, by age, NI, 2008-58
Growth in middle and third age numbers more promising

Competitive Context

Key points

Foodservice continues to suffer

Figure 13: Foodservice market* growth by outlet sub-categories, all-Ireland, 2004-09
Trying to attract more diners

Will lunch box austerity continue?

Figure 14: Agreement with the statement “I don’t have time to spend preparing and cooking food”, NI and RoI, 2005-10
Role reversal?

Competition from the ready-meals sector

School lunches a potential growth area

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Who’s Innovating?

Key points

Sandwich and pastry launches on par

Figure 15: Number of new lunchtime food-to-go launches, by sub-categories, UK and Ireland, 2005-11*

Range extensions lead NPD activity

Figure 16: Number of new launches, by launch type, UK and Ireland, 2005-11*

Own-label dominates activity, led by Tesco and M&S

Figure 17: new launches, by own-label v branded, UK and Ireland, 2005-11*
Figure 18: Number of new launches, by company, UK and Ireland, 2005-11*

Clean labelling and green claims most popular

Figure 19: Number of new launches, by top 10 claims, UK and Ireland, 2005-11*

Value offers target budgeting consumers

Tapping into foodservice downturn

Indian and South American cuisine popular

Local sourcing a hit

Manufacturers roll out healthier lines...

...but also heartier ranges

Recession fails to quell demand for ethical products

Innovating with size, food combinations and packaging format

Packaging goes green

Limited editions offer opportunity for innovation

Market Size and Forecast

Key points

Recession dampens growth in food-to-go market

Figure 20: Estimated retail and foodservice sales of lunch food-to-go, IoI, RoI and NI, 2005-15

Retail

Multiple grocers gaining market share

Foodservice

Crossover between retail and foodservice sectors
Figure 21: Estimated retail and foodservice value market share of lunch food-to-go, IoI, 2010

Market Segmentation

Key points

Salad leads growth from a small base

Figure 22: Estimated market segmentation of lunch food-to-go, RoI and NI, 2005-10

Sandwiches

Sandwich market driven by promotions and meal deals
Premium sandwich sales remain buoyant
Figure 23: Estimated retail sales of lunch food-to-go sandwiches, IoI, RoI and NI, 2005-15
Health drives and hinders sandwich market

Savoury pastries

Consumers turn to comfort food in the recession
Figure 24: Estimated retail sales of lunch food-to-go savoury pastries, IoI, RoI and NI, 2005-15
Manufacturers invest in health and innovation

Salads

Salad market growth stalls in the recession
Figure 25: Estimated retail sales of lunch food-to-go salads*, IoI, RoI and NI, 2005-15
Focusing on salad’s health credentials
Salad range broadens through innovative ingredients and flavours

Companies and Products

Key points

Manufacturers

Essenta Foods

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Kerry Foods

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Salad Fayre

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Freshways

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Multiple grocers

Dunnes Stores

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Tesco Group plc

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

M&S

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Convenience stores

Henderson Group

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Musgrave

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Barry Group

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Sandwich bars and coffee shops

Subway

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

O’Briens

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

The streat

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

Costa Coffee

Corporate profile
Brands and products
Brand strategy
Brand NPD and marketing

The Consumer – Consumption

Key points

Evolving main meal occasions

Figure 26: Time of day for main meal occasion, RoI and NI, 2005-10

Coffee shops and sandwich bars

Figure 27: Consumers visiting coffee shops and sandwich bars in last 12 months, RoI and NI, 2005-10
Figure 28: Consumers visiting coffee shops and sandwich bars in last 12 months, by gender and age, RoI and NI, 2010
RoI consumers show medium use of coffee shops
NI women more likely than men to visit coffee shops
Figure 29: Frequency of visits to coffee shops, RoI and NI, 2007-10
Sitting in vs. taking out
Figure 30: Purpose of visits to coffee shops, RoI and NI, 2007-10
Most sandwich bar users visit with medium frequency
Figure 31: Frequency of visits to sandwich bars, RoI and NI, 2007-10
Visitors to sandwich shops prefer to sit in
Figure 32: Purpose of visits to sandwich bars, RoI and NI, 2007-10

Four in five consumers have eaten takeaway in the last year

Figure 33: Takeaways eaten in last 12 months, RoI and NI, 2005-10
Figure 34: Frequency of eating takeaways, RoI and NI, 2006-10

The Consumer – Attitudes Towards Lunch

Key points

Consumers look for variety, value and health

Figure 35: Agreement with statements relating to lunch meals, NI and RoI, August 2010

Variety is the spice of life for RoI and NI consumers

Figure 36: Agreement with the statement “I vary what I have for lunch each day”, by gender and age, NI and RoI, August 2010
Variety in the type of food eaten also important

Men favour hot lunches

Figure 37: Agreement with the statement “I prefer a hot meal for lunch”, by gender, NI and RoI, August 2010

Few buy their lunch every day

Figure 38: Agreement with selected statements relating to buying lunch, NI and RoI, August 2010

Cutting back on lunch expenditure

Packed lunches seen as best way to save money
Figure 39: Agreement with the statement “I bring a packed lunch to work/school to save money”, by gender, NI and RoI, August 2010

Healthy appeal: both sexes are looking at nutrition

Figure 40: Agreement with selected statements relating to healthy lunches, NI and RoI, August 2010

The Consumer – Target Groups

Key points

RoI target groups

Figure 41: Consumer target groups, RoI, August 2010

Gentlemen Diners

Characteristics
Who are Gentlemen Diners?
Targeting Gentlemen Diners

Grab ‘n’ Go Workers

Characteristics
Who are Grab ‘n’ Go Workers?
Targeting Grab ‘n’ Go Workers

Health-conscious

Characteristics
Who are the Health-conscious?
Targeting the Health-conscious

Budget Buyers

Characteristics
Who are the Budget Buyers?
Targeting the Budget Buyers

NI target groups

Figure 42: Consumer target groups, NI, August 2010

Packed Lunch Parents

Characteristics
Who are Packed Lunch Parents?
Targeting Packed Lunch Parents

Cut-back Queens

Characteristics
Who are the Cut-back Queens?
Targeting the Cut-back Queens

Dining-out Gents

Characteristics
Who are Dining-out Gents?
Targeting Dining-out Gents

Appendix

Figure 43: Population projections, NI, by gender, 2006-20
Figure 44: Population projections, RoI, by gender, 2006-20
Figure 45: Population projections, by age, NI, 2000-20
Figure 46: Population projections, by age, RoI, 2000-20
Figure 47: Pound to euro exchange rate used (annual average), 2004-13

NI Toluna consumer demographics

Figure 48: Agreement with statements relating to lunch, by all demographics, NI, August 2010
Figure 49: Agreement with statements relating to lunch (continued), by all demographics, NI, August 2010
Figure 50: Agreement with statements relating to lunch (continued), by all demographics, NI, August 2010

RoI Toluna consumer demographics

Figure 51: Agreement with statements relating to lunch, by all demographics, RoI, August 2010
Figure 52: Agreement with statements relating to lunch (continued), by all demographics, RoI, August 2010
Figure 53: Agreement with statements relating to lunch (continued), by all demographics, RoI, August 2010

NI Toluna consumer typology data

Figure 54: Agreement with statements relating to lunch, by consumer type, NI, August 2010
Figure 55: Consumer types, by all demographics, NI, August 2010

RoI Toluna consumer typology data

Figure 56: Agreement with statements relating to lunch, by consumer type, RoI, August 2010
Figure 57: Consumer types, by all demographics, NI, August 2010