Mintel in the Media – this week's highlights

Mintel in the Media is a weekly review, bringing together a selection of the most high profile press stories showcasing Mintel’s data and analysis from around the world. Highlights this week include:

UK:

• Bloomberg: Bird Flu Fears Mount in China as Herbal Remedies Run Out. Chinese consumers, especially older ones, tend to believe in traditional formulations especially when it comes to cold and flu remedies, said Iwona Mamczur, an analyst at Mintel International Group Ltd.
• Financial Times: Call to regulate ‘cosmetic interventions’. The report reserves its strongest criticism for non-surgical procedures such as dermal fillers, Botox injections and laser treatments. They account for 75 per cent of a market that shows “explosive growth” – rising from £720m in 2005 to £2.3bn in 2010 and a projected £3.6bn in 2015, according to research by Mintel quoted in the report.
• The Daily Telegraph: From here to maternity. Mintel, the retail analysts, reported earlier this year that “growth in the maternity wear market has, despite the rising birth rate, remained stunted as a result of the uncertain economic climate, with mothers cautious about spending too much on themselves when faced with the cost implications of having a baby. Women are buying fewer items of specific maternity clothing and are delaying purchases.”
• Financial Times: British designers: young talent in need of better opportunities to flourish abroad. The British fashion industry is valued at £21bn a year, while UK fine jewellery is worth £3.2bn according to Mintel, the market research group, so the scale of help for beginners is different.
• The Mirror: Hotels call last orders on minibar as guests complain of high prices. Mintel drinks analyst Chris Wisson said minibars, introduced in the 60s, were “rather a relic of the industry”.
• The Daily Telegraph: Inside the beauty baskets of the UK’s online shoppers. The way we shop for beauty is changing; one in five of us in the UK now shops for new products online, and sales reached a staggering £606 million last year. We’re expected to spend even more this year too, with market research company Mintel estimating a total sum of £715 million by the end of 2013.
• Drapers: Russian Agent: The value of the Russian clothing market stood at £36.41bnin 2010 and is estimated to reach £39.94bn this year, according to figures from market research firm Mintel.
• The Daily Telegraph: How did we get into such a twist over buying knickers?  Less than 80 per cent of British men change their pants every day, and nearly 30 per cent are still wearing the pairs they bought more than five years ago. “There’s a distinct whiff of laziness,” sighs Mintel’s Richard Caines, “among men when it comes to underwear.”
• Which?: Customers stick with bank account for 16 years. These findings reflect a market with high customer inertia and low levels of competition. Recent research from Mintel found that nearly 90% of the market is concentrated with the big five banking groups, Lloyds TSB Banking Group, RBS Group, Barclays, HSBC and Santander. Consequently it has been a focus of UK regulatory bodies to enhance competition on the UK high street.
• Scotsman: Leader: The legacy of Scotland’s big wheel will endure. Sales of bikes in the UK, already reckoned by Mintel to be at an all-time high, are set to gain momentum over the next five years to increase by 23 per cent over this period to reach £800 million by 2016.
• BW Confidential: Men’s Skincare. A recent Mintel survey polled American men between the ages of 18 and 34,who shop for beauty online. The study revealed the following. One in 10 men who shop online say they have purchased skincare through the channel in the past year.
• Evening Standard: New threads for the fellas. In 2011, a Mintel study noted that the British menswear market had increased by 3.2 per cent to a value of £9.9 billion and credited the surge in sales to the British man’s new-found affection for experimentation with high-end fashion.
• BBC Radio 5 Live: Broadcast interview with Richard Perks, Mintel’s Director of Retail Research on Tesco results.
• Sky Radio: Broadcast interview with Richard Perks, Mintel’s Director of Retail Research on Tesco results.
• Channel 5 News: Broadcast interview with Richard Perks, Mintel’s Director of Retail Research on Tesco results.
• Jeff Randall Live: Broadcast interview with Richard Perks, Mintel’s Director of Retail Research on Debenhams retail sales.

APAC:

• The Telegraph: Green to be seen-some consumers only going green to impress others, reports Mintel. New Mintel research on green consumer habits suggests that they might be motivated to go green to improve their image, as roughly one in five (19%) survey respondents say they believe it’s important for others to perceive them as being “green.”
• Caijing.com.cn 财经网: Mintel: Total retail value of wine in China set to rise over 100% by 2017 英敏特：国内红酒零售总额至2017年将增加100%以上
• Shanghai Business News Online 上海商报在线: Chinese Wine Consumption to double in next 5 years 中国红酒消费总额未来5年将翻倍
• City Evening Post 城市晚报: In the future, wine may steal market share from baijiu未来葡萄酒或抢占白酒市场份额
• International Finance News 国际金融报: Industry Outlook 产业前瞻
• China Quality Daily 中国质量报: Picture Description 图片报道
• www.wine.cn 逸香网: Mintel: Total retail value of wine in China set to rise over 100% by 2017 英敏特：中国葡萄酒零售总额至2017年将增加100%以上
• Money.163.com 网易财经: Mintel: Total retail value of wine in China set to rise over 100% by 2017 英敏特：国内红酒零售总额至2017年将增加100%以上
• China Daily 国际频道（中国日报: Mintel: Total retail value of wine in China set to rise over 100% by 2017 英敏特：中国葡萄酒零售总额至2017年将增加100%以上

US

• Huffington Post: Coffee and tea taste trumps convenience and price, Harris poll finds. But a single study rarely tells the full story — a 2012 Mintel study suggests that Starbucks outperformed competitors like Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme, smaller chains and independent outfits.
• New York Times: That coconut scent, no bikini required. A recent report on sun protection from Mintel echoed the sentiment. “Added skin care benefits like antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients generate high reported interest among consumers, particularly women,” the report read. “As the lines between skin care and sun care continue to blur, it stands to reason that more sun care brands will offer skin care benefits in their products.”
• Bloomberg Businessweek: Consumer corner: safer spring cleaning. While consumers say time is of the essence when it comes to cleaning, 56 percent of shoppers say they are concerned about the healthfulness of their cleaning products, market research firm Mintel said. “Currently, just 13 percent of housecleaners agree strongly that environmentally friendly surface cleaners are as effective as conventional cleaners — but there is opportunity for natural cleaners with disinfecting power,” Mintel said in a release.
• Huffington Post: Social media’s green marketing works best on younger people, trends company says. If you’re hoping to woo true environmentalists with your green products or services, you should aim for social media tactics that target younger people, who have larger social circles and are more prone to take action, according to Mintel, a company that tracks trends worldwide.
• New York Times: Celebrating black beauty and advocating diversity. In a 2009 report about marketing to black women, market research firm Mintel noted that during the 1950s, whitening creams were marketed in the United States with “after” photographs featuring lighter skinned women, but such an approach became taboo in the 1960s, when “cosmetic companies began to emphasize the blemish-fading properties of bleaching creams and de-emphasize the ‘light skin is better’ strategy.”
• Marketwatch: 10 things Coke, Pepsi and the soda industry won’t say. From 2009 to 2011, sales of regular soft drinks declined by 1.9% to $27 billion, according to a 2012 report from market research group Mintel. “It would seem that the category has seen its peak and is now retreating,” the study reported.
• Fox Business: Social media influencing green buying. Mintel’s research showed that of those who value being perceived as green, 24 percent admit to having purchased a green product just to show others that they are environmentally conscious (vs. a 9 percent average), and 20 percent admit to having concealed recyclable trash that they had mixed in with their regular garbage (vs. an 8 percent average).
• Chicago Tribune: Lights, cameras…nappies. According to Mintel, sales of baby durables in the US were $2.7bn in 2011. The market is expected to grow 15 per cent between 2011 and 2016, reaching $3.1bn.
• Bloomberg: Fido goes organic as private equity eyes pricey pet food. About 79 percent of pet owners consider the quality of pet food to be as important as the quality of human food, according to market researcher Mintel.
• Marketwatch: When men buy underwear, economists smile. Some 37% of men make impulse purchases when shopping for beauty products online, versus just 26% of women, according to consumer research group Mintel.
• Boston.com: The sneaky side of sodium. According to research from Mintel, about six out of every ten Americans are trying to watch the sodium in their diet by cutting back on the amount of salt that they cook with and use to season their foods at the table
• Nation’s Restaurant News: Operators talk craft beer strategy. “Outpacing its competitive beer segments of domestic and imported beer brands, craft beer has kept an upward trajectory throughout the economic downturn and subsequent slow recovery,” said Jennifer Zegler, beverage analyst with the Mintel market research consultancy in a December report.

EMEA: 

• Glamour: Ou Sont les hommes? le bureau international d’etude de narche’ Mintel estime que le secteur des soins beaute’ pour hommes atteindra les 7,2 milliards d’ici 2014
• De Morgen: Koffie kan goedkoper en lekkerder. Toch verwacht Deguelle geen prijsdalingen, omdat de vraag uit China zo hard stijgt. Volgens onderzoeksbureau Mintel groeit de chocoladeconsumptie er met 18 procent. In Indonesië gaat het nog harder: 25 procent. In Europa daalt de vraag, vorig jaar met 3 procent.
• De Volkskrant: Koffie kan goedkoper en lekkerder. Volgens onderzoeksbureau Mintel groeit de chocoladeconsumptie er met 18 procent. In Indonesië gaat het nog harder: 25 procent. In Europa daalt de vraag, vorig jaar met 3 procent.
• L’Observatoire des Cosmétiques: Soif de beauté: le boom des allégations hydratantes. 2/3 des soins de la peau ont affiché des revendications relatives à l’hydratation en 2012. Du fait des conditions météorologiques et du stress qui perturbent les routines de soin de la peau des consommateurs, les produits de beauté portant des revendications d’hydratation n’ont jamais été aussi recherchés, selon le cabinet d’études Mintel.
• Professional Beauty: Moisturising skincare dominates new product development. Chris Lindsley, global skincare analyst at Mintel, said, “Provenance as well as functionality has become an important feature. Claims regarding water sources are becoming increasingly ambitious.
• Cosmetic Design Europe: Water on the brain: hydrating and moisturising the most popular skin care claims. According to new research from Mintel Beauty and Personal care 66% of all new products launched globally in the skincare market in 2012 had a moisturising and hydrating claim.
• Cosmetic Business: Market researcher Mintel highlights growing potential for natural beauty products in China. With facial skincare accounting for 92 % of the total skincare value market in China, demand for new product innovation in the beauty space has never been more important, market researcher Mintel reported.