There have been major developments in the retailing of non-foods by grocery multiples since Mintel last examined the market in June 2003. These include the development of deeper and wider ranges by leading grocers, store format and merchandising innovations, the further extension of own brands in several categories, and the addition of a growing number of non-food services.

One of the most significant developments in the past two years is the establishment of standalone store formats for non-food merchandise. Asda has already begun to build a chain of high street stores for its George range, and is trialling a non-food hypermarket. Tesco is now following suit with the launch of an out-of-town non-food format, the pilot due to open during 2005.

About the market:

There have been major developments in the retailing of non-foods by grocery multiples since Mintel last examined the market in June 2003. These include the development of deeper and wider ranges by leading grocers, store format and merchandising innovations, the further extension of own brands in several categories, and the addition of a growing number of non-food services.

One of the most significant developments in the past two years is the establishment of standalone store formats for non-food merchandise. Asda has already begun to build a chain of high street stores for its George range, and is trialling a non-food hypermarket. Tesco is now following suit with the launch of an out-of-town non-food format, the pilot due to open during 2005.

About Mintel’s research:

Fusing together the latest consumer research and freshest, most probing market analysis, Mintel's new report offers you all the insight and inspiration you need for conducting clever, creative and profitable marketing in the market. Use Mintel's research to:

Establish whether or not the supermarkets’ non-food ranges of sufficient interest and depth to draw customers to stores specifically to buy them, rather than being simply a sideline to the groceries

Discover whether the grocery brands are strong enough for consumers to trust these retailers in categories other than food,

Evaluate whether the dominance of Tesco will eventually start to work against it.

Determine whether the supermarkets now possess the expertise to sell products in areas such as electronics, while investigating categories that might provide expansion opportunities in the future.

Assess the retail strategies of the major grocery multiples in the UK, including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

Identify consumer attitudes to buying non-food items in supermarkets

Pinpoint key consumer groups for the market