With the government breathing down their necks, retailers have been changing their impulse ranging in recent years, delisting high sugar snacks in favour of 'better for you' start-up brands.
Having attended the Lunch! exhibition a few weeks ago, I am a big fan of the disruptor brands now available in the market - but are retailers making it harder for these guys to disrupt with the sheer variety/number available to buy?
It's a difficult one. In one breath I am a big fan of retailers like Sainsburys giving these start-ups a chance and with the changes in consumer habits, many of them are succeeding. However, at what point is it too much?
Sainsbury's do a great job of targeting disruptor brands to differentiate themselves from their rivals and these brands present the perfect opportunity to do that. However, having walked round a Sainsburys Local the other day, I found it very hard to make any sort of decision with over 15 different SME brands on offer just at the till points!
For startups desperate to get their first listing JS are giving them a great opportunity and I am a massive supporter of this - however, they need to be careful not to overdo it by listing everyone and their mate on the same fixture.
But overall, what Sainsbury's is doing is more of a positive than a negative for SME's and I just wish other retailers had the same attitude.
Over the past six months, Sainsbury’s has completely transformed the range of till-side snacks in its Local c-stores, adding a raft of new products from small brands operating in emerging snacking categories such as raw confectionery, natural energy balls and chickpea puffs.
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