Many food products are experiencing high growth rates but it is important that forecourt retailers understand which they should include in their limited shop space. Based on Datamonitor's consumer products database and customer research, this brief identifies the fastest growing food markets and the opportunities for forecourt retailers therein.

Scope

Growth in sales of four of the fastest growing food categories through forecourt shops between 2000 and 2006, with forecasts to 2011. Analysis of the consumer trends which are driving growth in selected categories and how they are particularly relevant to forecourt retailers. A detailed overview of some newly-launched products which are suitable for the forecourt shop and are amongst the fastest growing categories.

Highlights

Cereal bars stand out as a category which forecourt retailers are well placed to exploit due to the increasing numbers of consumers that want to eat on-the-go. Furthermore, as Europeans' average commuting times are set to increase from 67 minutes in 2006 to 72 minutes in 2011, the snacking on-the-go trend is expected to become even more important. Chilled ready meals represent a strong growth area for service station shops and have been expanding at a particularly rapid rate in Ukraine and Russia. As consumers increasingly engage in 'top-up' shopping, ready meals will remain a strong growth area for forecourt retailers. Sales of speadable fats have been enjoying robust growth and the range of product types on the market has never been wider. Functional spreads have become particularly popular with butter and margarine products increasingly being enriched with a range of vitamins and minerals.

Reasons to Purchase

Measure which food categories are growing in popularity through the forecourt shop channel and generate ideas for new product introductions. Uncover the key drivers behind the growth rates of different product categories and gauge how forecourt retailers can best exploit these. Identify the markets in which key food categories are growing at the quickest rates and forecast how this is expected to change in the future.