Ticking all the boxes in the run up to Christmas and the New Year is key, and the earlier it’s done the better, says suppliers. From menus with festive limited editions for all meal occasions with specific point of sale material and deals, to extra storage space for range extensions, everything has to be in place now for cafés and grab and go operators.
However, the message in the Lynx Purchasing Market Forecast autumn 2015 edition is “hold your nerve”. “The temptation is to agree the prices being quoted by wholesalers and suppliers in order to secure supplies of core festive menu items,” explains managing director John Pinder. “However, with inflation low and producers benefiting from lower feed and transport costs, we think there’s definitely scope for some old-fashioned haggling.”
For example, the forecast singles out turkey as the cost of producing a 5.5kg turkey has fallen by around 4% this year due to lower feed and fuel costs, while pork is another value item “with prices flat and ample supply expected going forward”.
With the economy perking up, people are now more willing to go out and spend a bit more at this time of the year. That’s the view of Bidvest Foodservice, which kicked off its analysis of Christmas 2014 in January with the help of researcher Horizons and it now offers guides on trends, statistics, average menu prices and menu ideas for each of the different foodservice channels.
Horizons’ Christmas Dining Review found that 80% of eating out occasions over the 2014 Christmas period was in restaurants or QSR outlets, the average spend per meal in QSR increasing by 4.9% to £9.43. The review also flagged up breakfast as a huge opportunity for operators to offer a Christmassy start to the day.
Bidvest’s Simply Christmas package offers more than 50 new products plus an extended range of vegetarian and gluten-free options. “All our customers want new ideas at Christmas time – they liked what they had last year, but they may want a different flavour this year,” comments campaign and activation manager, Gail Bridgeman. “We’ve focused on giving them something a bit different that meets consumers’ needs or trends.”
For a stress-free experience, Young’s Seafood foodservice sales director, Garry Roche, recommends its canapés wrapped in Scottish smokehouse salmon that offer a no fuss, quick and easy option that saves outlets preparing from scratch at this time of the year. “As they are frozen they are perfect for catering during seasonal highs and lows while helping to minimise waste,” he explains. “Time saved particularly during the busy festive season will prove invaluable.”
Each pack contains 30-strong assortment including soft cheese and cucumber wrapped in smoked salmon, soft cheese and smoked salmon, and soft cheese, smoked salmon and paprika mousses.
Growing dietary requirements are another major consideration and many suppliers are flagging up the top ones that need attention over Christmas and the New Year.
For example, Jason Rodriques, Maggi brand manager at Nestlé Professional, says that with 15% of households now avoiding gluten and wheat, demand for gluten-free options over the festive season is set to be greater than ever. “For lunchtime operators looking forward to a busy Christmas period, ‘going gluten-free’ has never looked more profitable,” he comments. “In fact, catering for intolerances is set to be one of the biggest trends to dominate the festive season.”
In response, Nestlé now offers Maggi gluten-free vegetarian gravy mix that can be prepared in two minutes.
Vegetarian Express, however, is urging caterers to give more prominence to vegetarian dishes. “With gross profit margins typically greater on vegetarian dishes than on meat options, giving more thought to vegetarian menus will make for an even more profitable Christmas,” comments managing director Will Matier.
He says that research showed that 62% of diners felt two or three meat-free options would give a better choice, while 27% thought this didn’t go far enough, with 34% of 18-34 year olds wanting even more. To satisfy these needs, the company’s frozen range includes cranberry and brie puffs, feta cheese and black bean parcels and Caribbean vegetable patties.
As festive sweet treats are a must, Lisa Boswell, trade marketing manager at CSM Bakery Solutions, says it is working with caterers earlier every year to ensure it has the right menu.
“We know from data that retail sales of cakes, cookies and doughnuts in December last year totalled £169.1m in the four week period running up to Christmas and ending on January 4 2015, an increase of 7.2% from £157.7m in the same period the previous year, so there’s a big appetite for them,” she comments.
“There is also an increase in the number of times that people eat out; that ranges from breakfast right through to afternoon tea. Meeting with friends and small-scale Christmas parties are popular and therefore businesses should cater for increased numbers.
“If you have healthy sales in sweet treats all year round then offering Christmas-themed biscuits and cakes will work well,” she adds. “Use menu boards to highlight dishes for that week and create a separate Christmas menu to go alongside the every day range. Include a dish of the week or partner a festive cake with spiced coffee at a special price.
“This year has seen huge growth in sales of shortbread, and this will continue into December. Cupcakes are growing in popularity because they suit all taste buds and can be easily adapted with a seasonal theme. Cup cakes during the 2015 festive period grew by 16% on the previous year.
“We’re also predicting that Christmas sweet treats from around the world will be more popular this year. For example, Pepparkakor is a spiced ginger biscuit traditionally served on December 13 and is becoming popular here.”
Christmas is also perfect for limited editions and impulse buys, and many operators are already offering sweet treats and serving Christmas-style sarnies to get people in the mood. Christopher Huggon, brand manager for Président at Lactalis Foodservice, recommends Lingot brie for grab and go operators as they will find its rectangular shape perfect for quickly slicing for a classic turkey, brie and cranberry sandwich filling.
Meanwhile, Mondelez International’s Cadbury Christmas campaign backed by a whopping £10m marketing package has already kicked off and focuses on impulse buys, such as Cadbury Dairy Milk snowmen in vanilla and chocolate mousse variants, and Snow Bites in bags, which are being offered as the must stock items to eat on the go.