Now Available: United Kingdom Food & Drink Report Q2 2013

New Food research report from Business Monitor International is now available from Fast Market Research

by Bill Thompson

(WireNews+Co) - Boston, MA - 20 March 2013

Although we believe that the UK economy will strengthen in 2013 compared with last year, with exports and investment being the main drivers, it still remains in a fragile state and is vulnerable to the government's fiscal austerity drive and turbulence in the nearby eurozone. Unlike previous recessions in which a strong rebound in consumer spending restored the economy to its previous growth trajectory, the household sector is certainly not up to the task this time around, with implications for food and grocery spend.

Headline Industry Data (local currency)

- 2013 per capita food consumption growth = +1.3%; five-year forecast to 2017 = +14.7%.
- 2013 alcoholic drinks value sales growth = +1.1%; five-year forecast to 2017 = +9.2%.
- 2013 soft drinks value sales growth = +3.4%; five-year forecast to 2017 = +18.9%.
- 2013 mass grocery retail sales growth = +1.6%; five-year forecast to 2017 = +11.2%.

Key Company Trends

View Full Report Details (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/552299_united_kingdom_food_drink_report_q2_2013.aspx?afid=201) (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/552299_united_kingdom_food_drink_report_q2_2013.aspx?afid=201)

Cranswick A UK Success Story: Shortlisted for the 2012 PLC Awards company of the year, Hull-based food producer Cranswick, which is mainly engaged in the production and supply of pork products to retailers, has been one of the great success stories in UK food and drink over the past year or so. With a business model that aims to bridge the gap between farmers and retailers, Cranswick produces private label products for a number of UK retailers and has continued to perform well even as pork prices have risen quite substantially.

Tesco Christmas Results Show Promise: In early 2013, UK retail giant Tesco, under pressure from its shareholders to address structural shortcomings that were brought to the fore by the landmark profit warning it announced in January 2012, reported encouraging UK like-for-like (same-store) growth of 1.8% year-onyear for the six week pre-Christmas period. Although the comparison period from a year ago was arguably not the toughest, this is a welcome step in the right direction for Tesco. However, much work remains to be done in 2013 to address some of the competitiveness issues that were brought to light in 2012.

Key Risks To Outlook

External Risks: There is no doubt that the ongoing eurozone crisis continues to pose a threat to investor confidence and to export demand. Although we have a somewhat more positive outlook for the eurozone this year, there remain risks of another major demand shock as a result of exacting fiscal austerity measures, with the UK far from immune.

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