Speciality-Food-Magazine-September-2024

14 @specialityfood T he other day, I saw a giant poster in the Oxford Street branch of Clark’s shoe shop promoting their collaboration with the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. It got me thinking about brand collaborations and how impactful they can be. Fast food brands have always been brilliant at collaborating with non- food brands, particularly movie franchises, but it feels like there are wider opportunities for premium brands. At Unilever, I did several brand collaborations, some quite surprising. They included partnering Cif / Jif with a high street optician and offering reduced-price holidays to Surf laundry powder consumers. Each partnership allowed us to tell a specific story, capture data, drive sales and connect with local consumers. The key to good brand collaborations is thinking strategically. You need to understand why you are doing it and select the right brand for the task. Collaborations have a whole host of benefits. Firstly, they allow you to reach audiences loyal to the partner brand but may have yet to come across your brand. Secondly, they can enhance your brand’s equity, encourage people to see your brand in a new light or even allow you to enter a new category. Finally, there is a range of pure commercial benefits as it can lead to new listings, more shelf space, promotional features or even the opening of new distribution channels. Returning to The Clark’s collaboration with Stranger Things, you can imagine how this was a no-brainer opportunity. Clark’s is a brand with a long history but doesn’t exactly have the cult following that a Netflix series does. It makes Clark’s seem more on trend and means it can showcase its products in a new context. I doubt this collaboration was led by Clark’s and might have been a happy accident of wardrobe choices. Whatever this partnership's genesis, it can inspire us to think more creatively about who we might partner with. In the world of food, one of my favourite examples of recent years is the collaboration between one of OLLIE LLOYD ADVISOR “Growingup” my favourite ice creams, Jude’s and Battersea Dog’s Home, one of the most recognised charities in the UK. The partnership allowed Jude’s to enter a new category (dog ice cream) with credibility. The involvement of Battersea makes me believe that the product will be good and genuinely appropriate for dogs, not just a gimmick. It also highlights the brand’s belief in doing good; it is a B-Corp, after all. This kind of partnership, should also encourage retailers to look more favourably at this NDP as it has a great story at its heart. This should deliver more promotional space and feature and listings. Recently, a business I work with and have invested in, Botivo, has done its first collaboration. Botivo is a non-alcoholic drinks brand, or big sipping botanical aperitivo as they call it. It is genuinely delicious, and I know many foodies who are obsessed with it. It is now stocked in many independent retailers and an extensive range of high-end restaurants as they see it as a craft alternative to the mass market and, frankly, tasteless zero per cent crew! It is made with apple cider vinegar and a range of botanicals. The classic serve is with soda water and a slice of orange, but it can also be used in a range of alcoholic cocktails, with negroni being my favourite. They have collaborated with Maison Francois, a high end brasserie in central London that offers a wide range of classic French dishes, to create a special edition run of 650 bottles. The world of Pastis inspires the special edition and has a new flavour profile, including earthy artichoke, star anise and even camomile. Each bottle is hand labelled, numbered (1-650) and has a hand-dipped wax seal. As collaborations go, it is a brilliant example of celebrating a brand story in partnership with a key commercial partner. It is also the kind of approach that they can repeat with other partners going forward. Independent retailers and craft brands have many opportunities for collaboration. Retailers can partner with their key suppliers to create unique products that celebrate their collective stories and drive home their points of differentiation. Partnerships offer craft food brands opportunities to enter new categories and drive their joint businesses. These kinds of initiatives take time and can be complex, but the upsides make them worth it. Partnerships offer craft food brands opportunities to enter new categories anddrive their joint businesses Russell Gous, editor-in-chief of TopMoneyCompare "The news that inflation increased to 2.2% in July had an immediate negative impact on GBP exchange rates, seeing Sterling underperform most major currencies after the announcement was made. This volatility could result in higher import costs, which will hit businesses importing food and drink particularly hard. The extent of the impact will depend on how long it takes to GBP to recover. However, food inflation remained unchanged at 1.5%, which is the first time in 15 months it hasn’t fallen.” Balwinder Dhoot, director for sustainability and growth at The Food and Drink Federation "We’re pleased that as pressures across the food supply chain ease, food and drink price inflation continues to stabilise. While energy and global commodity prices remain elevated due to a series of shocks, including the war in Ukraine and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, there are strong signs that the industry is turning a corner. Around 85 per cent of foodmanufacturers expect to maintain or increase investment levels over the coming year, after a 30 per cent decline since 2019.” Kris Hamer, director of insight of the British Retail Consortium "With headline inflation showing signs of rising further, retailers face the prospect of another large rise in business rates next year, which are based on September inflation rates. This penalises the retail industry, as retail products currently have generally lower inflation levels than the headline figure on which business rates rises are based. The Government should buy into retail by ending the 14 years of Conservative business rates rises, which have seen the multiplier increase by a third since 2010, harming the viability of many high street stores across the country.” HelenMurphy, co-founder of Opply “The recent increase in inflation to 2.2% presents a nuanced challenge for SMEs. This uptick, while currently modest, was not predicted bymarkets a month ago, and necessitates a more strategic approach to inventory Food inflation stabilises but experts predict business rates rise in 2025 The latest Consumer Price Inflation figures are in, and while food inflation remains at 1.5%, the modest increase of headline inflation to 2.2% represents a challenge for businesses. Read on for the expert view. management and cost forecasting. SMEs, often operating with tighter margins, must now be more vigilant in timing their stock purchases to mitigate the impact of rising costs. For example, taking advantage of lower prices during peak harvest periods, such as the bountiful sugar harvest this summer, can be a critical strategy. Accurate forecasting becomes incredibly important in this environment, yet SMEs rarely have the tools or time to do this. Even corporates don't always get this right with their droves of staff. By being proactive and leveraging favourable market conditions, SMEs can better navigate the challenges posed by inflation, ensuring stability and competitiveness in their pricing.” Melissa Snover, nutritionist and CEO of Nourished “The news that food prices rose to 1.8% on an annual basis in August, up from 1.6% in July, and overall inflation rose from 2% to 2.2%, is not ideal. But the 2.2% rise is less thanmany economists expected. We welcome predictions that the Bank of England will likely reduce interest rates to under 5% in the comingmonths to help counter the rises in ingredient and energy prices. The food sector is in a far better position than it was in 2021 and 2022 when households paid as much as 29%more for their groceries.”