Spilling the tea on sweet biscuits

The biscuit category continues to present significant growth opportunities for convenience retailers. Impulse outlets delivered a staggering £267m of sweet biscuit sales in the past year, but channel growth has started to slow to 1.8% YoY (the wider market grew by 3.8%) .

Impulse stores can do more to take advantage of trending biscuits and drive growth: big cookies, chocolate biscuit bars and everyday treats are all seeing growth slower in impulse outlets [NIQ].

Key insights from retailers

The overall sweet biscuit category grew by £105m [NIQ] in the past year, driven by specific segments. The fastest growing major segment of sweet biscuits last year has been big cookies, with an 18% increase in value year on year [NIQ].

Whether retailers are looking to increase visibility, boost impulse purchases or maintain strong year-round performance beyond seasonal peaks, Fox’s Burtons Company (FBC UK&I) are spilling the tea with retailers to share industry expertise, providing actionable insights to help them make the most out of their biscuit fixtures.

Hear first-hand insights from Julie Kaur, owner of Jules Convenience, Telford and Serge Notay, owner of Notay’s Convenience Store, Batley to find out how they merchandise their biscuit fixture to drive sales, as well as insights from Robin Norton, head of category insight at FBC UK&I.

Serge Notay at Notay’s Convenience Store shares his approach to a successful biscuit fixture, outlining what brands are best to stock and how he uses point-of-sale in store to help drive sales and customer engagement.

Here are FBC’s top takes from its first ‘Spilling the Tea’ videos:

1. Strategic merchandising

Effective merchandising starts with a well-considered range and clear layout to make biscuits as visible as possible to encourage quick decision-making among shoppers.

● Position well-known brands like Fox’s and Maryland in high-visibility areas to attract shopper attention and drive purchase decisions.
● Follow a recommended planogram to ensure a balanced variety that provides choice and reflects customer favourites.
● Group everyday treat biscuits together, such as Maryland Cookies and Fox’s Crunch Creams
● Place more luxurious premium treat biscuits like Fox’s Cookies and Fox’s Chocolatey Rounds on the top shelves, first in flow to drive impulse sales.
● Implement point-of-sale materials like shelf-edge stripping, shelf talkers and FSDUs to create eye-catching displays.
● Use price-marked packs like Jammie Dodgers, and promotional offers to emphasise value and reassurance to customers.

Secondly, Julie Kaur at Jules Convenience Store shares how she uses strategic product placement to encourage gifting bundle purchases.

2. Beyond the fixture

Consider how secondary placements of biscuits throughout the store can engage shoppers at different stages of their journey to help increase visibility and prompt impulse purchases. For example, positioning biscuit displays near till points can encourage customers to make last-minute purchases as they complete their shopping.

Introducing cross-category merchandising helps transform individual purchases into complete experiences, ultimately driving higher basket spend. Strategically place single-portion biscuits like Jammie Dodger Giant in lunchtime meal deals to capitalise on the food-to-go trend, or with your coffee machine to encourage shoppers to grab an on-the-go treat.

Position small portion biscuit options, such as Maryland Minis, alongside other lunchbox staples to offer shoppers convenient grab-and-go snacking solutions that complement their main purchases. Tap into the gifting occasion by positioning premium treats such as Fox’s Chocolate Rounds next to greetings cards or flowers to establish clear connections between sweet biscuits and gifting, encouraging shoppers to create a gift bundle for loved ones.

3. Maintain AYR gifting relevance

While seasonal periods such as Easter and Christmas offer natural sales peaks, maintaining strong biscuit performance throughout the year helps to encourage shopper engagement and repeat purchases. Retailers should keep core SKUs that reliably sell all year round stocked up, such as Fox’s Cookies, while introducing new flavours like Maryland White Choc to keep customers engaged and excited.

To find out more about how to maximise your biscuit fixture in-store with FBC’s range visit: https://www.fbc-uk.com/