The rise of the discount supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi has been sensational and made shoppers stop, think and truly evaluate what the big supermarket chains have been doing.  Falling sales and declining market share among the mainstream – whether Tesco’s in the UK, Carrefour in France or Albert Heijn in the Netherlands – may not be a purely price driven reaction to the recession. Lidl is offering excellent value, and carving out a reputation for quality (fresh fruit and vegetables) and interesting locally sourced brands and produce.  The rise of the discounter is shaking up supermarket shopping and offering highly attractive alternatives that will outlive the economic recession.  In their German home market, the discounters have around 40{1f220ac64b9f6618bf0eb6cb6c1308cba7a01755811f72c92eb8a9a5d4c07adf} share, so there’s some way to go until other markets catch up. You know it makes sense.

To find out more about latest trends, contact Rob.

Freya and her family and friends from Sylvanian Village have been delighting children for 30 years. We’re working with manufacturer Epoch to understand the heritage of the Sylvanian Families brand and to build the strategy that connects to today’s generation of children and their parents.

Read more →

From weekly supermarket purchases to big ticket items you might only buy once every four years or so, getting the price right can be a minefield of category norms, competitive pressures and consumer expectations.  We start by determining all the relevant competitive market price parameters for your product category.  And then work out the price that works best for potential consumers and makes sense for your brand as well.  The methodology also sorts out the likely impact on your definite buyers (must have it) versus your possible buyers (thinking about it).
Read more →

The trend for Asia’s growing middle class to consume premium mass market products as markers of status is now well established.  And it’s now stepping up a gear to go beyond familiar ‘MASSTIGE’ to embrace a new kind of mass market exclusivity.  Welcome MASSCLUSIVITY, where experience, artisan backstories and rich brand narratives are adding new layers of premium and delivering greater sophistication for middle class consumers across Asia.
Read more →

15{1f220ac64b9f6618bf0eb6cb6c1308cba7a01755811f72c92eb8a9a5d4c07adf} of the world’s food is grown in urban areas.  And there are 800 million people currently involved in urban agriculture around the world, growing food for more than 3.4 billion people living in towns and cities.  That’s a lot of food coming out of small plots, allotments, and from balconies, window boxes and city gardens.  And with the added advantage of practically zero food miles and the knowledge of how the food has been grown, it offers a way for those who want to choose fresh and organic to access good food at affordable prices.
Read more →