IRI SalesOut Weekly News Update: 16th October 2020

Sales at Boots fell by 30% in the three months to the end of August, losing market share in every category it operates in apart from beauty, as shoppers chose to pick up products such as shampoo and soap during their supermarket shop. However, during the three month period, online sales rose by 155%.

Plant-based products and sustainability feature prominently in Tesco’s latest selection of seven brands being added to its Incubator programme. Tesco also revealed that it was also extending its support for three brands from last year’s programme: Mara Seaweed, Simply Cook, and Rascal and Friends.

Morrisons has created what it is claiming to be the UK’s “easiest-to-buy Christmas dinner” with a "luxury" Christmas dinner box that shoppers can order online from the 13th October and get delivered in time for Christmas Day. The box contains 16 festive staples for £50 including delivery all from Morrisons’ premium The Best own label range.

According to the Grocer, Lidl will be dissolving Lidl Digital Logistics, a legal entity created to house digital logistics assets and was "actively exploring" ecommerce in the UK. The retailer has said it will continue to explore digital opportunities but within the existing structure.

Amid heightened hygiene concerns during the pandemic, Unilever’s Persil brand has launched a new Antibacterial Laundry Sanitiser which is claimed can kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, even at low temperatures. The product is now exclusively available at Asda, followed by a listing on Ocado in November, with a nationwide launch planned for 2021.

In response to shopper feedback, Upfield has reintroduced buttermilk into its Flora Buttery variant. Having reformulated its entire range a year-and-a-half ago with 100% plant-based ingredients. shoppers say they preferred “the familiar taste profile” and buttery taste of the line’s previous incarnation. Although Upfield’s mission is to continue to ensure plant-based eating became more accessible, they have conceded they needed to offer choice.

Hunter & Gather is launching a trio of sauces it claims are the UK’s first “truly ketogenic ketchup”. Co-founder Amy Moring said other no added sugar-claiming ketchups on the market showed “an alarming natural sugar presence” from added syrups, sugary fruits or sweeteners. The launch follows the supplier unveiling a new look earlier this month as it looked to underpin its position as “an optimal health brand”.

Plant-based brand collective The Livekindly Co has raised $135m (£104m) to accelerate its mission to transform the global “unsustainable meat-centric food system”. The majority of proceeds from the latest capital fundraising will be used to increase capacity and accelerate the 2021 nationwide US launch of portfolio brands The Fry Family Food Co, LikeMeat and Oumph, which is currently available across the UK major mults.

A ground-breaking “nudge tactics” trial by leading supermarkets, suppliers and the Oxford University has shown promotions to make healthier food cheaper can lead to double digit increases in sales. The report discusses the pilot scheme by the Consumer Goods Forum and Guys and St Thomas Charity Collaboration for Healthier Lives UK documenting trials run throughout Lambeth and Southwark in the promotion of fresh fruit and veg and the removal of free-standing promotional displays for Easter confectionery.

Recycling company Loop Industries has seen shares fall 33% on Tuesday following a report by short-seller Hindenberg Research that states Loop’s recycling technology capabilities are ‘fiction’. The report states that claims by Loop technology that can break down PET plastics is ‘smoke and mirrors’.

Global emissions decreased 8.8% in the first half of the year, according to a study published in scientific journal Nature Communications. Restricted movement and a slowdown in economic activity reduced emissions by 1.6 billion tonnes between January and June as transportation and aviation recorded the biggest drop.

A new standard for biodegradable plastic has been introduced in Britain, which is hoped to standardize confusing legislation for consumers. Companies promoting biodegradable plastics will now have to pass a test, as published by the British Standards Institution, which proves that it breaks down into a harmless wax with no nanoparticles or microplastics.