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What customers will love this Valentine’s Day
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The season of love is just around the corner, offering retailers a chance to cash in on a renewed desire for luxurious treats as well as guilt-free indulgence. And it’s a big opportunity: 2021 was the biggest ever Valentine’s for food retail, with total food and drink sales up £85m in the two weeks to 14th February compared with 2020, according to Kantar.
Food is central to the Valentine’s Day experience, with 55% of Brits saying they have a special dinner on the big day, and more than two in five (44%) saying they give chocolates and/or flowers, according to a YouGov survey.
Last year, despite – or perhaps because of – the UK being in lockdown, the trend for comforting indulgence drove sales of boxes of chocolates up 18%, with 3.8 million Brits picking up a sweet treat. Retailers can freshen up their ranges by offering options that appeal to a range of consumer buying habits: traditional, moreish confections for the nostalgic eaters; innovative new free-from products for the health-focused; ethical options for conscious consumers; and top-of-the-range gifting selections for those who are simply overwhelmed with choice.
Speciality Food’s January issue, available for free here, unpicked the current trends in chocolate, finding that while health and sustainability are huge on consumers’ list of wants, taste is still king. And unique flavours – like sour and sweet or bitter and umami – are turning heads. Meanwhile, novel flavour pairings are also emerging in spicy, herbal and botanical notes.
Discover the brilliant brands and must-know trends behind all things sweet in the latest issue of Confectionery & Chocolate Buyer.
While gifting a partner a box of indulgent treats is tradition, Valentine’s Day isn’t all about chocolate and romantic dates anymore – a shift away from coupledom means “Valentine’s is turning into a new #selflove and #selfcare opportunity for brands and retailers,” explains Izzy Pugh, head of human and cultural practice at Kantar. Over in the US, adults are shifting to focus on ‘self-care’ items and marketers are expanding advertising messages to include more than just romantic partners.
There is also Covid-19 to contend with once again. Last year, the UK was in lockdown over Valentine’s Day, which was likely a factor driving the biggest ever Valentine’s for meat, fish and poultry. Steaks performed “exceptionally” with a retail volume uplift of 26%, according to the AHDB. Will Brits take a leaf out of last year’s Valentine’s playbook and treat themselves with a meal at home? With inflation running rampant, it’s very likely that your customers will be looking for a lower-key alternative to a big night out.
As well as stocking the butchery with high-end cuts of meat – last year, fillet (+29%), ribeye (+29%), and sirloin (+34%) steaks saw the biggest uplifts – offer customers another savoury option in the form of a Valentine’s cheeseboard. In 2021, cheese volumes were up 23% on the previous year’s Valentine’s period, with speciality and Continental varieties up a whopping 40%. Brands like Godminster cater specifically to the Valentine’s Day market with special heart-shaped cheeses. This year, the cheesemaker predicts sales of its 200g hearts will be up 41% globally as consumers indulge post-Veganuary.
With specially selected cheeseboards and curated ranges of chocolate, retailers will have something for everyone to enjoy this February.
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Courtney Goldsmith, News & Content Editor
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Claim your free samples with Taste Direct 2022
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Are your shelves ready for a new year refresh? Taste Direct is here to help with 10 new and exciting hand-picked samples, completely free of charge.
Claiming your free samples is simple: all you need to do is fill in the form here, and they’ll be delivered directly to your shop. With Covid-19 back on our radars, Taste Direct offers a simple and safe way to discover fantastic new food and drink products.
This year’s 10 producer partners offer an exciting array of products, from eco-friendly brands to vegan-friendly formulations and health-focused ingredients to functional credentials. Sign up to receive your free samples today.
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Fine food business news across the media
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A supermarket chain is removing ‘use-by’ dates from milk to slash food waste
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| “Whilst immunity became an ongoing concern for many people during 2021, now we are all much more in tune with the need to protect our immune defence and gut health, and we’re more than happy to see immune-supportive ingredients incorporated into the everyday products that we pick up off the supermarket shelf”
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