When McDonald’s makes the news with a story that mini hash browns are being added to its breakfast menu, you know the UK is serious about its morning meal.
Yes, that’s right. People were beside themselves after hearing that mini hash browns will be available from October 16 for a limited time. But, as with everything breakfast at McDonald’s, you will only be able to get them from 6am to 11am.
Meanwhile, at Greggs, the autumn menu includes a new All Day Breakfast Baguette which, as the name suggests, is available all day. Advertising the new line Greggs even has a little dig at the likes of McDonald’s by saying: “Why should breakfast end at 11am? Our All Day Breakfast Baguette means you can tuck in to the tastiest meal of the day, all day.” The baguette contains cheese omelette, sausage, bacon, Cheddar cheese and ketchup.
Food-to-go consultant Matt Cundrick says he’s a big fan of a forecourt breakfast – and of Greggs. “Favourites for me are definitely in one of the many Greggs popping up, as they nail the breakfast bap better than anyone due to the production method used. This means that the quality is always a massive step above the other hot bacon rolls found in hot cabinets. Other than that, a freshly baked morning pastry – croissant or pain aux raisins – next to the coffee machine will normally catch my eye and get me to trade up.”
Outside of Greggs, Cundrick says Tim Hortons does an excellent fresher version of the “drive thru” breakfast. “And Pret or Pure do a wonderful job of variety with healthier and fresher pot-based breakfasts like overnight oats and birchers.”
Cundrick says cross selling would be his number one tip to increase breakfast sales: “Always think of cross selling, with breakfast pastries displayed as close to the coffee machines as possible. Remember, coffee is the foundation of the breakfast offer so maintenance and filling of machines is critical.” He also advises retailers not to ignore other core hot products. “One retailer I worked for sold 18% of their steak bakes for the day between the hours of 6am and 9am,” he explains.
Phil Carratt, head of marketing and strategy, at Country Choice, is with Cundrick when it comes to coffee: “Coffee is a great way to grow breakfast business. The majority of coffee is purchased during a breakfast mission so linking a coffee with a best-selling food item, be that a hot food-to-go item or pastry, as part of a meal deal, can drive incremental sales.”
Driving growth
Carratt says that according to a recent Lumina Intelligence report, food to go increased its mission share by +1.3ppts year-on-year, with breakfast and lunch occasions driving growth thanks to a reduction in travel disruption and recovering tourism.
“The same report says that breakfast and lunchtime food-to-go occasions are on the rise, driven by hybrid working patterns and the need for quick, convenient options during travel or office days. With four in 10 consumers now working in offices full-time, it reports that once again many commuters are grabbing breakfast from their local symbol or forecourt during their daily commute.”
He believes consumers are looking for breakfast items such as pastries, coffee and bacon rolls, often as part of a meal deal.
“The importance of value for money has increased significantly in the last year due to the rising cost of living and meal deals are one of the most popular ways for convenience retailers to offer value to their consumers. In the morning a meal deal is likely to involve a savoury or pastry item paired with a tea, coffee or hot chocolate.”
Full English on a pizza
Meanwhile, to capitalise on the popularity of the full English breakfast, as well as eating on the go, Country Choice introduced a Sausage, Bacon & Egg Breakfast Pizza as part of its Flatstone Pizza Co. concept.
“With easy-to-follow preparation, this breakfast pizza is a great addition to the options available to convenience retailers who are looking to capitalise on sales during this part of the day while also creating a genuine point of difference,” says Carratt.
Once cooked, the pizza should be sliced into eighths and placed inside the branded half pizza box (four slices per box), before being finished with the appropriate label.
“Seal the deal by placing the pizza in a hot cabinet where it can be kept piping hot for customers for up to two hours. For a finishing touch, serve with a sachet of tomato or brown sauce,” says Carratt .
He explains that personalisation remains popular, with consumers wanting to customise their food-to-go orders, including breakfast items, by being able to choose their own bread, toppings and sauces. “Our experience tells us that retailers who offer this option are much more likely to see customers become regular visitors.”
He believes that to grow their breakfast business, forecourt retailers should get to know their customers’ routines. “The products included in their breakfast range should be appropriate to the customer. Hot breakfast items should be held in a well-maintained heated unit with clear ticketing detailing the price and any allergen information. A hot food-to-go range should include a good variety of items including rolls, turnovers, baps, and hot boxes, while the in-store bakery range should include breakfast favourites such as croissants, pains au chocolat and Danish pastries.”
Breakfast biscuits
Some people prefer a no-mess, grab-and-go breakfast which is where products such as BelVita come in. The breakfast biscuits, soft bakes and bars are made with carefully selected ingredients including five wholegrains. They are a source of fibre and magnesium and don’t contain any colours or preservatives.
The five-pack multipack of BelVita’s Soft Bakes Choc Chips flavour, which is the brand’s number one product across its entire range, is now available in a £1.99 price-marked pack for the first time.
Susan Nash, trade communications manager at Mondelēz International, says this new launch will help forecourt retailers tap into additional sales from value-conscious shoppers, driving this popular pack’s visibility and communicating price reassurance.
In addition, all belVita Soft Bakes flavours are now non-HFSS following recent recipe changes which brought Choc Chips and Choco-Hazelnut variants in line with the rest of the range. This means the new multipack will also help retailers to boost their healthier snacking offering.
Mondelez has launched a bespoke competition just for independent convenience retailers to help mark the launch of the new format. Retailers can visit the Mondelez website (www.snackdisplay.co.uk) to enter for their chance to win a top prize of a £500 Amazon gift voucher. There will also be four runner-up prizes of free stock including the new belVita Soft Bakes Choc Chip PMP multipack as well as Cadbury Brunch Choc Chip PMP packs, Grenade, OREO, Ritz and Mikado with a retail value of over £150.
