UK Ethnic Foods

UK Ethnic Foods

Key Note estimates that the total UK ethnic foods market (including rice) grew by 3.5% in 2006 to £1.38bn at retail selling prices (rsp). Excluding rice, the ethnic foods market rose by 3.7% to £1.15bn at rsp. Sales growth slowed slightly between 2003 and 2005, although the market is thought to have recovered a little in 2006 as a result of higher levels of demand for ethnic foods outside the two main market sectors of Indian and Chinese food.

The ethnic foods market can be split into two main sectors — ethnic foods and rice. The ethnic foods sector is split into six subsectors. These are: Indian, Chinese, Mexican/Tex-Mex, Thai, Caribbean and other types of ethnic foods. Indian food is the largest subsector, followed by Chinese. These two subsectors have dominated the market for many years, although they are relatively mature and other subsectors are currently demonstrating higher levels of growth. Some of the faster-growing subsectors are included under the heading of other types of ethnic foods, which includes varieties such as Malaysian, Japanese and Indonesian. This also includes Polish foods, which one supermarket has recently described as being the fastest-growing ethnic food range it has ever launched in Great Britain.

New product development (NPD) continues to be one of the main drivers of sales in the ethnic foods market, with much of this innovation being influenced by the trend for healthier eating and for foods that contain lower levels of salt, fats and carbohydrates. Among the other factors influencing NPD are the desires of consumers for more authentic ethnic meals and consumer demand for more premium-range products. The introduction of more convenient packaging formats, such as microwaveable high-quality rice, is also helping to boost sales.

There has been some consolidation within the ethnic foods sector in recent years and several of the early pioneers of mass-market ethnic foods in the UK have been acquired by leading international food brands. In 2005, for example, Noon Products Ltd, a leading supplier of Asian food, was acquired by the Republic of Ireland-based Kerry Group and, in May 2007, Associated British Foods PLC acquired the Indian cuisine manufacturer Patak's from the founding Pathak family. In another deal, RHM PLC, which owns the Sharwood brand, was acquired by Premier Foods PLC.

The market for ethnic foods is forecast to show further growth between 2007 and 2011, with the factors determining the rate of expansion likely to include ongoing product innovations, continuing demand for convenience products, rising sales of premium ready meals, the introduction of more healthy ethnic meal options and increased numbers of regional and authentic dishes. Further increases in the number of people from overseas settling in the UK should also continue to provide a stimulus for the existing forms of ethnic foods and NPD.

1. Market Definition
REPORT COVERAGE
MARKET SECTORS
Ethnic Foods
Rice
MARKET TRENDS
Growing Market for Polish Ethnic Food
Consolidation Continues Among Ethnic Food Producers
Salt Reduction of Ethnic Foods
Indian Food Still Dominates in the UK
Main Factors Driving Demand for Ethnic Foods
ECONOMIC TRENDS
Population
Table 1: UK Resident Population Estimates by Sex (000), Mid-Years 2002-2006
Gross Domestic Product
Table 2: UK Gross Domestic Product at Current and Annual Chain-Linked Prices (£m), 2002-2006
Inflation
Table 3: UK Rate of Inflation (%), 2002-2006
Unemployment
Table 4: Actual Number of Unemployed Persons in the UK (million), 2002-2006
Household Disposable Income
Table 5: UK Household Disposable Income Per Capita (£), 2002-2006
MARKET POSITION
The UK
Table 6: Consumer Expenditure on Ethnic Foods and Rice as a Percentage of Household Final Consumption Expenditure on Food (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
Overseas

2. Market Size
THE TOTAL MARKET
Table 7: The Total UK Ethnic Foods and Rice Market by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp), 2002-2006
Figure 1: The Total UK Ethnic Foods and Rice Market by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp), 2002-2006
By Market Sector
Ethnic Foods
Table 8: The Total UK Ethnic Foods Market — Excluding Rice — by Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2006
Figure 2: The Total UK Ethnic Foods Market — Excluding Rice — by Sector by Value at Current Prices (%), 2006
Indian Food
Table 9: The UK Indian Food Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
Chinese Food
Table 10: The UK Chinese Food Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
Mexican/Tex-Mex Food
Table 11: The UK Mexican/Tex-Mex Food Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
Thai Food
Table 12: The UK Thai Food Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
Caribbean Food
Table 13: The UK Caribbean Food Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
Other Ethnic Foods
Table 14: The UK Other Ethnic Foods Sector by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2002-2006
By Product Type
Table 15: The Total UK Ethnic Foods Market by Product Type by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp and %), 2006
RICE
Table 16: The Total UK Rice Market by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp), 2002-2006
OVERSEAS TRADE
Table 17: Overseas Trade in Selected Ethnic Foods (£m), 2006

3. Industry Background
RECENT HISTORY
NUMBER OF COMPANIES
Table 18: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Food, Beverages and Tobacco by Turnover Sizeband (number and %), 2006
EMPLOYMENT
Table 19: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Food, Beverages and Tobacco by Employment Sizeband (number and %), 2006
REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN THE MARKETPLACE
DISTRIBUTION
Table 20: The Total UK Grocery Market by Share of the Leading Supermarket Chains (%), 12 Weeks Ending 20th May 2007
HOW ROBUST IS THE MARKET?
Table 21: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Food, Beverages and Tobacco by Age of Business (years), 2006
LEGISLATION
Food Safety Act 1990
Contaminants in Food Regulations 2006
KEY TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
British Frozen Food Federation
Chilled Food Association
Food and Drink Federation
Food Processors Association
Pickles and Sauces Association

4. Competitor Analysis
THE MARKETPLACE
Market Leaders
Associated British Foods PLC
Daloon Foods (UK) Ltd
Discovery Foods Ltd
G Costa and Company Ltd
General Mills Berwick Ltd
Greencore Group PLC
HJ Heinz Company Ltd
Mars UK Ltd
Noon Products Ltd
RHM Ltd
S&A (Property) Foods Ltd
Sco-Fro Foods Ltd
Tilda Ltd
Unilever PLC
Worldwing Investments Ltd
Other Companies
Honeytop Speciality Foods Ltd
Kikkoman Trading (UK) Ltd
Northern Foods PLC
Pride Valley Foods Ltd
RH Amar & Co Ltd
WT Foods Ltd
OUTSIDE SUPPLIERS
Exhibitions

5. Brand Strategy
INTRODUCTION
COMPANIES BRANDS
Leading Suppliers
Associated British Foods PLC
Masterfoods
Premier Foods PLC
Unilever PLC
Selection of Other Suppliers
RH Amar & Co Ltd
Discovery Foods Ltd
Kikkoman Trading (UK) Ltd
Tahira Foods Ltd
Tilda Ltd
MARKETING ACTIVITY
Main Media Advertising Expenditure
Table 22: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Selected Ethnic Foods and Rice (£000), Year Ending June 2007

6. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS

7. Buying Behaviour
CONSUMER PENETRATION
Chilled and Frozen Ready Meals
Table 23: Users and Non-Users of Chilled and Frozen Ready Meals† in the Last 12 Months by Sex, Age, Social Grade and Region (% of adults), 2006
Cook-In Sauces
Table 24: Frequency of Using Cook-In Sauces† in the Last 12 Months, by Sex, Age, Social Grade and Region (% of adults), 2006
Table 25: Usage of Cook-In Sauces† in the Last 12 Months by Type by Sex, Age, Social Grade and Region (% of adults), 2006
Instant Snack Meals
Table 26: Frequency of Using Instant Snack Meals in the Last 12 Months by Sex, Age, Social Grade and Region (% of adults), 2006

8. Current Issues
POLITICAL FACTORS
Office of Fair Trading Proposes to Refer Grocery Market to Competition Commission
HEALTH
Industry Aims to Reduce Salt Content in Food
FOOD LABELlING
GDA or Traffic-Light System
MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Green Market Opportunities for Ethnic Foods Businesses
Supermarkets Take a Greater Interest in Ethnic Foods
Export Opportunities for UK Ethnic Food Producers
CORPORATE ACTIVITY
Associated British Foods
RHM Ltd
Unilever PLC
Pak Supermarkets
THE ENVIRONMENT
Companies Pledge to Reduce Packaging Waste
Carbon Footprints

9. The Global Market
INTRODUCTION
ETHNIC FOODS
The US Market
The European Market
Rice
Table 27: World Rice Production, Consumption and Stocks (000 metric tons†), 2003/2004-2006/2007‡
Table 28: World Rice Production by Country (000 metric tons†), 2003/2004-2006/2007‡
Table 29: World Rice Consumption by Country (000 metric tons†), 2003/2004-2006/2007‡
Table 30: World Rice Imports by Country or Region (000 metric tons), Years Ending December 2003-2006
Table 31: World Rice Exports by Country or Region (000 metric tons), Years Ending December 2003-2006

10. Forecasts
INTRODUCTION
THE ECONOMY
Gross Domestic Product
Table 32: Forecast UK Growth in Gross Domestic Product in Real Terms (%), 2007-2011
Population
Table 33: Forecast UK Resident Population by Sex (000), Mid-Years 2007-2011
Inflation
Table 34: Forecast UK Rate of Inflation (%), 2007-2011
Unemployment
Table 35: Forecast Actual Number of Unemployed Persons in the UK (million), 2007-2011
FORECASTS 2007 to 2011
Table 36: The Forecast Total UK Ethnic Foods and Rice Market by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp), 2007-2011
MARKET GROWTH
Figure 3: Growth in the Total UK Ethnic Foods and Rice Market by Value at Current Prices (£m at rsp), 2002-2011
FUTURE TRENDS
Rising Food Prices
Less Salt in Ethnic Foods by 2010
Dominant Market Trends
Company Activity

11. Company Profiles
Associated British Foods Plc
Discovery Foods Ltd
General Mills Berwick Ltd
Mars Uk Ltd
Rhm Ltd
S&A Foods (property) Ltd
Tilda Ltd
Unilever Plc

12. Company Financials

13. Consumer Confidence
METHODOLOGY
KEY FINDINGS THIS QUARTER
THE WILLINGNESS TO BORROW
Confidence Improves
Table A: The Average Amount Consumers Are Willing to Borrow in Order to Purchase Expensive Items at Current and Constant November 2004 Prices (£ and £bn), February 2006-2007
Willingness to Borrow Slips Slightly
Table B: The Number of Adults Willing to Borrow in Order to Purchase Expensive Items (000 and %), February 2006-2007
SPENDING FROM SAVINGS
Slight Increase in Spending from Savings
Table C: The Average Amount Consumers Are Willing to Spend from Savings in Order to Purchase Expensive Items at Current and Constant November 2004 Prices (£ and £bn), February 2006-2007
Saving Grows in Relative Importance
Table D: The Average Amounts Adults Are Confident Spending to Purchase Expensive Items (£ and %), February 2006-2007

14. Further Sources
Associations
General Sources
Government Publications
Other Sources
Bisnode Sources