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 from the past week include:

US

New York Times: Trying to bolster the image of frozen foods as sales lag. Total sales in the United States were $8.04 billion in 2013, compared with $8.48 billion in 2008, a drop of 5 percent, according to Mintel, a market research firm.

New York Times: A supplement retailer pumps up consumers. The vitamins, minerals and supplements industry in the United States grew from $8.82 billion in 2008 to $10.9 billion in 2013, an increase of 24 percent, according to Mintel, a market research firm.

Reuters: Chobani secures $750 million investment from TPG. Greek-style yogurt, which is thicker, creamier and often higher in protein than other types of yogurt, now makes up more than 40 percent of the U.S. yogurt market, worth $7.4 billion, according to research firm Mintel.

MarketWatch: Do fast-food chains have an identity crisis? In a move to attract this potentially lucrative demographic, traditional fast-food restaurants have added yogurt, salads and soups to their menus, says Julia Gallo-Torres, U.S. food service category manager at research firm Mintel. “These younger consumers are generally more health-conscious, and the group that tends to eat out the most,” she says. “If fast-food restaurants want to appeal to them, offering healthy fare is going to be a must.” Last year, for example, McDonald’s launched McWraps to reach the younger consumer. Burger King also launched a flame-grilled turkey burger aimed at millennials, she says.

Today.com: “Slow fashion’ movement: your closet needs a cleanse. Market research company Mintel says more than 20 percent of Americans bought clothes at a fast fashion retailer last year, up from 14 percent in 2010.

US News & World Report: Hello gluten-free, goodbye organic? Today, allergen-related claims like “gluten-free” on restaurant menus have increased 200 percent, according to the market research firm Mintel.

Huffington Post: Not as much value in today’s value menus. According to a report from the research firm Mintel, the number of menu items priced at $1 or less has fallen 26 percent over the past three years.

Chicago Tribune: Butter’s comeback churning big sales. “Margarine has a reputation for being less natural with more artificial ingredients,” according to Mintel.

Yahoo! News: Hello gluten-free, goodbye organic? Today, allergen-related claims like “gluten-free” on restaurant menus have increased 200 percent, according to the market research firm Mintel.

Seattle Times: Butter’s comeback churning big sales. “Margarine has a reputation for being less natural with more artificial ingredients,” according to Mintel.

Think Advisor: Is college worth the debt? More consumers say no. A report released Thursday by Mintel, a global research firm, found just 20% of consumers think student loans are a good investment, down from 54% in 2012.

Modmods: Meet the new beauty boxes that match your skintone. The latest Colour Cosmetics US beauty report from July 2013 by Mintel revealed that beauty boxes are a popular new trend to watch. Thirty-four per cent of women asked said they are interested in beauty box subscriptions, which increased notably with young women (41% of 18 to 24-year-olds were attracted to beauty boxes.)

The Packer: Millennial men hold untapped marketing potential. In fact, according to Mintel, more than half of men age 18-64 claim to be the primary grocery shopper in their household.

UK & Ireland

Bloomberg Businessweek: General Mills Explores Peas in Search of the Next Superfood.“The bulk of the growth is often available in the early days,” says Chris Brockman, an analyst at Mintel. “By the time the big players often get on board, the trend is already waning and offers less return.”

Daily Express: To have and to hold. It’s so pricey in fact that last year we Britons spent a whopping £1.2 billion on handbags alone, according to consumer analysts Mintel, an 11 per cent increase on the year before.

The Times: Show Zone to step out into public arena. The British footwear market rose by 4.8 per cent to £8.7 billion last year, according to Mintel, the researcher, and is forecast to grow at 3.8 per cent a year between 2013 and 2018.

The Independent on Sunday: Britons take to their two (more expensive) wheels. The figures by Mintel market research analysts suggests cycle sales have reached a saturation point after many years of increasing sales, buoyed by the successes of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton, and fellow racers.

Stylist: Made in Brazil. “Brazil offers a bonanza for beauty manufacturers. Of a population of 186 million people, 114 million are consumers,” explains Vivienne Rudd, senior beauty analyst at global consumer research company, Mintel.

BBC Radio 2:  Michael Oliver live in the studio on Simon Mayo’s drive time show.

Metro: Inspiring Wiggo sets off a £900m chain reaction. ‘Sales show no sign of slowing down and are predicted to reach £909 million by 2018, according to a study by the consumer analyst Mintel.

The Daily Telegraph: Wiggins effect still setting the pace for bicycle sales. ‘Sales show no sign of slowing down and are predicted to reach £909 million by 2018, according to a study by the consumer analyst Mintel.

Daily Express: Wiggo in bike push. Inspired by the Olympic gold medallist, cyclists spent £745 million last year – up from £639 million in 2008. Quality is also up with an average bike now costing £233. Michael Oliver of consumer analysts Mintel, said: ‘The market is poised to see good growth.’

The Independent: Hey, big spenders: how men are saving fashion. Richard Cope, a researcher from research group Mintel, agrees: “Taking pride and taking greater confidence from maintaining a well-groomed appearance now defines what it is to be ‘a man’ in today’s society. Rather than being in a minority, men who buy grooming products to boost self-esteem or feel more attractive are now in the majority.”

British Baker: UK’s chocolate consumption habits revealed. Figures published by research group Mintel show that 17% of UK consumers eat chocolate four to six times a week, with only 5% saying they never eat the sweet stuff. Almost a quarter of consumers aged 25-34 eat chocolate daily.

The Daily Telegraph: Homemade fudge exports hit the sweet spot at last. In confectionery terms, fudge is a cottage industry. Market research giant Mintel hasn’t seen fit to give it a standalone category, lumping it in with boiled sweets.

EMEA

Food Navigator: Sangria can shake ‘rock bottom’ party price tag and premiumize: Mintel. ‘Sangria has a ‘golden opportunity’ to shed its image as a cheap party drink and go upmarket, says Mintel analyst Jonny Forsyth, who notes the drinks exciting growth prospects in the US, Europe and China.’

Beverage Daily: ‘It seems Hawaiian Punch is sort of dying’: Analyst tells Dr Pepper. ‘…a recent Mintel report notes that fruit juice and fruit drink players are experimenting with exotic blends, to strengthen their appeal to Millennials and US consumers keen on ‘local’ tastes.

Drinks Business: Tequila embraces bling. Mintel’s Jonny Forsyth investigates the astonishing rise of ultra premium Tequila in the US and how P.Diddy threatens to turn it into the new Scotch.

Brazil

Supermercado Moderno: Cresce consumo de chocolate entre jovens. Pesquisa recente da Mintel – empresa global de inteligência de mídia – mostra que vem crescendo o consumo da guloseima pela geração mais jovem, entre 16 e 24 anos, especialmente do sexo feminino.

Cosmética News: In-Cosmetics na Alemanha comemora edição de maior sucesso fora de Paris. As palestras foram ministradas por Daniel Oliveira, Gerente de Inteligência de Mercado da ABIHPEC; Emanuelle Moeglin, Analista de Cuidados Pessoais e Perfumaria da Mintel; Andreas Clausen, Gerente de Suporte de Tecnologia da Beiersdorf; e Bruno Bernard, Research Fellow na L’Oréal.

Mundo do Marketing: Como incentivar o consumo de massas entre o público masculino. O recém-lançado relatório Massa Alimentícia, da Mintel, revela que enquanto 78% das mulheres consomem espaguete de massas secas, a proporção entre os homens é de 72% e enquanto 76% das mulheres consomem macarrão instantâneo, a proporção é de apenas 67% entre os homens. No caso do macarrão instantâneo, o consumo dos homens tende a ser mais retraído, pois normalmente este segmento não proporciona tanta saciedade quanto as massas convencionais.