The Baby Food Sector in Spain, 2018

The Baby Food Sector in Spain, 2018

Summary

The Baby Food Sector in Spain, 2018, is an analytical report by GlobalData which provides extensive and highly detailed current and future market trends in the Spanish market.

The number of births fell by 35% between 2008 and 2017, with an inevitable impact on the baby food sector. The economy also shrank, leading to falling average incomes. The number of women in full-time employment declined, giving many parents time to prepare home-made baby meals. Although the situation has improved since 2014, many families are still feeling the effects.

Milks dominate sales value, accounting for 54% in 2017. Their share has declined slightly, as wet meals increased in importance, claiming 31% of value. Baby milks and wet meals (Hero) are manufactured in Spain, but imports are also high. The country is a net exporter of baby food.

Nestle continues to dominate, followed by Hero. Two Spanish companies (Alter and Ordesa) along with Lactalis and Danone compete lower down the rankings. Retailers' own labels (Mercadona, Carrefour, Dia ) and a few start-ups have made some recent progress, but are still very small.

The economic crisis speeded up the move away from pharmacies and towards food outlets, where prices are generally lower, but some brands continue to be sold only in pharmacies and parapharmacies.

Forecasts for economic growth currently remain positive, although much will depend on the outcome of the constitutional crisis caused by Catalonia's vote for independence.

A continued sharp decline in the number of births will dampen sales, even though per capita consumption may see a slight rise.

What else does this report offer?

- Consumption data based upon a unique combination of industry research, fieldwork, market sizing work and our in-house expertise to offer extensive data about the trends and dynamics affecting the industry.

- Detailed profile of the companies operating and new companies considering entry in the industry along with their key focus product sectors.

- Market profile of the various product sectors with the key features & developments, segmentation, per capita trends and the various manufacturers & brands.

- Overview of baby food retailing with a mention of the major retailers in the country along with the distribution channel.

- Future projections considering various trends which are likely to affect the industry.

Scope

- GDP grew strongly between 2015 and 2017, following the very poor performance of the economy between 2011 and 2013, and higher household expenditure is expected to continue at least for the next two years, unless the Catalan situation deteriorates drastically.

- Nestle has changed its milk line-up in Spain, and now markets principally Nan OptiPro and Nidina, although Nativa can also still be found. Nestle's position in the category has risen slightly, largely due to a wide product range, excellent distribution, and its high profile in the buoyant third stage segment.

- Unusually, liquid milks retail at prices below milk powders, even when converted to an equivalent dehydrated weight. Prices currently range from USUSD1.23 per liter for Mercadona's own label Hacendado product to USUSD3.16 per liter for single packs of Nestle's Nidina 2.

- Cereals have lost ground within the sector. In 2017 they accounted for only 14% of retail sales, compared with 16.5% in 2011.

- By 2017, pharmacies/parapharmacies accounted for only 38.3% of retail sales of baby food. Food outlets account for the vast majority of sales of meals, drinks, and finger foods, as well as for two-thirds of cereals, although pharmacies continue to account for over half (56%) of retail sales of milks, and a higher proportion of milks in powder form.

- Recent trends suggest that all categories will see a fall in consumption. However, this is likely to be most pronounced in the case of baby cereals, the category which has seen the most severe decline over the past five years and which continues to face competition from more convenient products, including cereals in jars and pouches.

Reasons to buy

- Evaluate important changes in consumer behavior and identify profitable markets and areas for product innovation.

- Analyse current and forecast behavior trends in each category to identify the best opportunities to exploit.

- Detailed understanding of consumption by individual product categories in order to align your sales and marketing efforts with the latest trends in the market.

- Investigates which categories are performing the best and how this is changing market dynamics.