Mintel in the Media – this week’s highlights

It’s Friday again. And like every Friday, here’s your review of the hottest Mintel stories of the week, in case you have missed any. As usual, we had a great deal of positive coverage in a number of national and trade publications on varied subjects, which showcased our breadth of expertise.

In the UK, the Mail on Sunday used our latest report on organic food in a piece on baby food and reported a comment from our food analyst Alex Beckett who talked about parental love and its effects on spending habits for their little ones. While an exclusive for Marketing Week resulted in an article on functional foods where Alex was extensively quoted.
Meanwhile, The Guardian referred to Mintel’s research on the UK electrical market, which is now worth £29 billion, in a piece on Best Buy, Comet and other electrical goods retailers struggling against competition online and challenging economic times.

Mid-week, Mintel’s Food Analyst Amy Lloyd was interviewed by BBC News on the amount of food we throw away in our homes. She said: “Consumers are shopping less so there is less temptation to buy extra food that will go to waste and they are actually planning. They are making a shopping list when they’re going shopping and they’re sticking to that list”. The story was also discussed on BBC Radio Tees during the programme Drivetime. Still with the BBC, Mintel was also quoted during the BBC Breakfast show on Wednesday following our “boomerang generation” story. According to Mintel, more than a quarter (27%) of students will be relying on their parents to provide a roof over their heads after they graduate. Moving on, Sky News showcased our data on whisky during the business programme, Jeff Randall Live, on Wednesday evening.

Following on from last week’s Christmas retail press release The Daily Telegraph (Business supplement, 18 Nov.) quoted our latest analysis on Christmas trading, which this year is expected to be better than feared, with retail sales growth of between 4% and 5% and Brand Republic mentioned the APA Mintel-authored report on the state of the customer publishing industry.

In the US, we achieved some impressive beauty and personal care coverage when we were referenced in a Happi article about the soap and shower products market and its expected growth in the coming years.

Then our data was highlighted in a piece in The Denver Post that discussed consumer willingness to undertake DIY home projects (60% of US homeowners have completed at least one in the past year). Meanwhile, last week’s press release on Black consumers and their hybrid and electric vehicle ownership continued to get attention in the press, appearing in The Boston Globe.

Not surprisingly, Marcia Mogelonsky, global food and drink analyst, was asked by The Financial Times to comment on the current success of the chocolate market, pointing out that the sweet confection is still seen as an affordable luxury. Meanwhile, Drug Store News used our numbers in a story about hair coloring products.

Also of note this week, we distributed a press release based on our Foodservice Green and Sustainability Initiatives report quoting Eric Giandelone. The story got the press talking and was picked up in various magazines, including QSR Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News and Food Management. Moreover, Mintel data was used in a Wall Street Journal article about mobile gaming and Beauty Packaging quoted one of our reports on the US candle market.

To conclude, our research on consumer reaction to the age of austerity was mentioned in the Kashmir Times and our animation video “Because We Are Mintel” appeared on the Kuam News, the Guam national broadcast.