Why British shoppers still seem to buy British when it comes to food

There are many products that claim to be the best thing since sliced bread. But none of them have outdone it yet, according to new research.

 

Bread maker Warbutons is apparently the UK’s most popular food brand, picked an average of 25 times a year by 86 per cent of UK households.

 

According to Kantar’s Brand Footprint Ranking, which is based on 30,000 households across the country, local brands are being bought by the greatest number of consumers, the most often.  McVitie's biscuits, as well as Hovis, Kingsmill, Walkers and Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, features in the top 10 alongside Warbutons. 

 

However American Ketchup-to-Mayonnaise brand Heinz, Coca-Cola, Birds Eye and Muller are also staples in Britons’ shopping baskets. 

This trend is also occurring across the world, with domestic brands – those that exist in just that country – growing twice as fast as global brands. In America these are Coca-Cola and confectionery group Kraft while in Italy it is Mulino Bianco, the snack and biscuit company, and pasta maker Barillo.

 

“The world consumer market continues to be dominated by a small number of global brands, but in Britain we’re opting for local names.  Classic British brands such as Warburtons and McVities have a rich understanding of their consumers, create products that are tailored to the tastes of their home market and deliver marketing and messaging that appeal to the domestic audience,” Kantar Worldpanel director, Alison Martin, said.

 

“Warburtons’ ‘One’s bun is done’ advertisement – which tied into the royal birth of Prince George – is a particularly good example of a bespoke campaign. In the post-horsegate world we’re more conscious than ever of provenance and look for brand names that we know and trust,” she added.