UK Cookies Market Overview, 2027

A cookie is small bread made from a mixture of flour, sugar, or salt, and butter or vegetable shortening, with baking powder as a leavening agent. Cookies have a high nutritional profile, including fats, fibers, and carbohydrates. This makes them a highly preferred breakfast meal consumed in the United Kingdom. Due to growing consumer knowledge of health and safety issues, there is an increase in the demand for products made with natural components and no genetically modified substances. In addition to improving lifestyles, the popularization of easy purchases through online shopping, among other new methods of sales, is keeping the sector alive. Moreover, the cookie producers have effortlessly storable products on the shelf for e-commerce; thus, the increasing number of online retailers is boosting the cookie manufacturers' business. Moreover, the low-cost local manufacturers are improving and expanding their production capacities.

According to the report, UK Cookies Market Overview, 2027 the market is expected to add USD 0.51 billion by 2027. The increasing demand for bakery-based products among the population is the major factor driving the growth of the market. In addition, the changing lifestyle and working habits, availability of digestive, gluten-free, healthy Cookies are the key factor for fueling the market growth. Furthermore, economic improvement and growing disposable income are some other factors driving the growth of the market. Based on Product type, Bar Cookies are currently dominating the market with highest share in the market followed by drop cookies and molded cookies, Sandwich cookies is expected to grow more during the forecast period because of more nutritional benefits from the fillings of sandwich cookies such as ice creams, lemon curd, buttercream, Chocolate, ganache, and jam than other cookies categories. Based on Packaging type, Flexible packaging and Rigid Packaging are the two segments. Flexible Packaging leads the market with very small margin of market share of Rigid Packaging. Increasing government regulations to ban single-use plastic is expected to limit the growth of Flexible Packaging, while Rigid Packaging is expected to grow at faster rate due to increasing use of plastic-free materials, papers, cardboards and other raw materials during the manufacturing of rigid packaging.

Despite the British snack culture and intense competition from other snack foods, consumers still snack on sweet biscuits despite concerns over sugar, reflecting the allure of sweet biscuits as a treat. Portion packs with a focus on quality over quantity and additional seasonal releases, including new flavor variations, all help keep consumers intrigued. For example, in 2022, McVitie's will launch a new lightweight version of its famous Digestive Whole Senses Cookies that has 30% less sugar and 50% more fiber than the average digestive cookie.

In addition, it is clear that customers are choosing better food options to prevent issues with obesity, imbalanced diets, and other health issues. Market participants have introduced healthier cookies including oatmeal cookies, vegan cookies, sugar-free cookies, and gluten-free cookies in response to this. In addition, the availability of digestive cookies on the market enables consumers to supplement their diets with healthy foods that will improve digestion. As a result, there is now a tremendous chance for the market for cookies to flourish.

The UK biscuit industry strives to ensure that products are manufactured ethically and to the highest standards while minimizing negative environmental impact and respecting the human rights of those involved in the value chain. The UK market is growing due to increased demand for prepared foods. With rising nutritional needs, people are eating more biscuits. According to CAOBISCO, in the UK in 2020, the average amount of sweet biscuits one person bought each week was 91 grams. Demand for sweet biscuits in the snack category is increasing day by day due to busy lifestyles, active participation of women in the business world, reduced time to cook from scratch, and rising income levels.

McVitie's Digestive, Kit Kat, Go Ahead!, McVitie's Jaffa Cakes, Kellogg's Nutri-Grain, Quaker Snack-a-Jacks, Jacob's Crackers, Kellogg's Special K Bars, Maryland, McVitie's Hobnobs, Penguin, Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares, Fox's Creams, Cadbury Fingers, Ryvita crispbread, Cadbury biscuits, Rocky, Twix, Crawford's, and Blue Riband are some of the well-known brands for selling cookies in the United Kingdom.

Based on Distribution Channel, Supermarkets & Hypermarkets hold a major in UK Cookies Market as the advantage of getting all products in one location and also many options at the same time. The biggest hypermarkets and supermarkets in the UK are Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op Food, Waitrose, Morrison’s, and ASDA. Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, has around 4,000 stores and a product range that focuses on price over quality. Sainsbury’s, Tesco’s biggest competitor, has over 2,000 stores. The E-Commerce segment is projected to expand at a remarkable CAGR over the forecast period, which can be attributed to increasing internet penetration rates across UK. E-commerce platforms offer a wide range of products to their consumers at attractive discounts, and they provide multiple payment options such as net banking, debit cards, and credit cards, which are some of the important factors augmenting the segment's growth.

Recent Development:

• In May 2021, Burton's Biscuits Company expanded its portfolio by launching its new range of biscuits and cookies with The Skinny Cookie Co. These products also offer sugar-free and traditional cookies across the United Kingdom.
• In March 2021, Mondelez International announced the acquisition of the majority of interest in Grenade, United Kingdom, a performance nutrition pioneer in the fast-growing high protein bar segment. After the acquisition, Mondelez expanded in the broader snacking and fast-growing well-being segment.

COVID-19 IMPACT:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK cookies market was not much impacted as cookies remained one of the most consumed snacks across the region. Moreover, consumers stacking long shelf-life items, including cookies and biscuits resulted in lesser product availability in the market. Nonetheless, consumers opting for convenient healthy snacking options drove the demand for different types of cookies. The COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of online sales, and online sales will continue to be a growth channel for this category during the forecast period.

Considered in this report

• Geography: UK
• Historic year: 2016
• Base year: 2021
• Estimated year: 2022
• Forecast year: 2027

Aspects covered in this report

• UK Cookies market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Product

• Bar Cookies
• Sandwich Cookies
• Molded Cookies
• Pressed Cookies
• Rolled Cookies
• Others Cookies (Drop Cookies, No-bake Cookies, Refrigerator Cookies, Ice Box Cookies, etc.)

By Packaging Type

• Flexible Packing
• Rigid Packing
• Other Packing

By Distribution Channel

• Hypermarkets/Supermarkets
• Specialty Stores & Retailers
• Online Retailers
• Others

Intended audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to Cookies industry, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.