Back in 2019 I wrote about dog friendly dining (a subject close to my own heart, as Mum to our ‘office dog’ Whisky). Since then, we have seen dog ownership explode. With Covid lockdowns and more working from home, those who had always wanted a dog but felt they couldn’t, took the plunge and got a furry friend. Whether it was for company, for the kids, or just because, UK citizens opened their homes to man’s best friend. Indeed, the BBC reported back in March that UK households had bought 3.2million pets in lockdown (a large proportion of them dogs)! Whilst according to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) a third of households now have a dog. That’s 12.5 million dogs. Great news for the members of PFMA, but also a huge opportunity for hospitality businesses.
As London Cocktail week is now all of October (nice!) we thought we’d share some of the Beans’ favourites. According to international research from Brandwatch, Margaritas are the most popular cocktail followed by Martini, Mimosa, Bloody Mary, and Manhattan. But closer to home it is safe to say, us Beans have found solace in a wide range of cocktails over the past 18 months (of course, all drunk responsibly!). We are after all a leading food and drink agency so really, it’s research. Isn’t it?
Long ago if you wanted to make sure your promotions didn’t fall foul of the law you simply had to turn to ISP (Institute of Sales Promotion), check the CAP code and ASA guidelines. Of course, these days it’s not ISP it’s IPM (Institute of Promotional Marketing)and often times it’s not an on-pack promo or ad, but a social media promotion.
The Latest from Lumina Intelligence’s Food Strategy Forum
As a leading food and drink agency we make it our business to keep up to date with the latest eating out market trends. Each of the Lumina briefings is hotly awaited to see what they have to share with us as we use these key market insights to inform our planning and strategy for clients in foodservice and the hospitality market. This session looked at the current status of the market and predictions up until 2024 with a focus on the pub and bar sector pulling on findings from their latest report.
As a proud Hospitality Action Ambassador, I thought I knew all there was to know about Hospitality Action, but in the inaugural Ambassadors Briefing even I came away having learnt a thing or two.
Award season has arrived, and with it, not one, but two wins at the inaugural Alliance of Independent Agencies Wing Awards.
Tuesday 14th saw us walk away (figuratively as it was a virtual event) with both the Best B2B Campaign Award and Freedom Award for Agency Collaboration – one of three special awards recognising outstanding performance across areas where independent agencies have the freedom to excel.
We are always proud of the work we do for clients and treat the brands we work on as if they are our own. So when it comes to choosing which campaigns we put forward for awards it can be tough. This year we entered both the Alliance of Independent Agencies inaugural Wing Awards and the Oscars of the B2B world the B2B Marketing Awards. With bated breath we awaited the shortlist announcements of both and we are delighted to say that we made the grade with the both campaigns shortlisted for the categories entered, with…
It’s been a long road, but despite the threat of a third wave, the roll out of vaccinations does mean there is light at the end of the tunnel for the hospitality sector, which has been devastated by the past 16 months. 2020 saw 11 weeks of normal trading and 41 weeks of restrictions, not to mention the joys of Brexit uncertainty. This led to a total market decline of -47.8%, with an outlet percentage decline of 1.2% in 2020. However, as we head towards the second half of 2021 hopefully things are looking up.
On the 17th May we were finally allowed to dine-in in British pubs and restaurants. No more hunkering under heaters or shielding our plates from hail stones – Hurrah! As foodies through-and-through the bean team were delighted to be able to finally eat inside and enjoy some old favourites and even try some new experiences.
As a leading food and drink agency we make sure we stay ahead of the game when it comes to the latest foodie trends. So we always look forward to see what trends The Food People predict will be shaping menus and shopping baskets. We may be nearly half way through 2021, but with a rather stuttering start to the year due to Covid, now seems as good a time as any to take a look at what they are tipping to be the next big foodie trends. So, here we go…
There are currently over 10,000 fish & chip shops in the UK with a market value estimated at a staggering £1.2bn. They serve around 382 million meals a year of which 167 million are just fish & chips. That’s six servings for everyone in the UK. In fact, 80% of people visit at least once a year and 22% of people visit every week! Whether enjoyed on a harbour-side dodging pesky seagulls, or impatiently snaffled from under the paper on the way home – it’s fair to say Brits love fish & chips, especially when covered in salt & vinegar.
The latest in Arena’s #AskArena series featured a panel discussion focussed on re-opening right when it comes to B&I contract catering. With a stellar line up including Allister Richards, COO, CH&CO; Hamish Cook, Head of Group Food Services – Global Operations, ISS; Rajat Chawla, Commercial & Business Excellence Director – Northern Europe, Aramark; Phil Sanders, Out of Home Commercial Director, Britvic Soft Drinks and JP Kloppers, Managing Director, Yoyo.
Here’s a round-up of some of 2021’s best food and drink related April Fools campaigns. From the ridiculous new product inventions to general all-round silliness that we loved this year.
Having supported Hospitality Action as part of the legendary bean team for nearly twenty years, not to mention having recently become a Hospitality Action Ambassador, their latest fund raising initiative Hell & Back offered up the perfect opportunity for me to do my bit. Not to mention the fact that jellybean is proud to be an official sponsor, no less!
Pre-Covid the food to go (F2G) sector was outstripping the market. A hub for innovation and an ever-growing sector with players as diverse as McDonalds and LEON. MCA’s latest Food to Go Conference looked at how the sector has been affected by the past year and its prospects for recovering in 2021 and beyond. Here are our top takeouts from the day:
Hosted by Public Sector Catering Magazine, as part of their PS100 Club, this webinar focused on how the public sector can ensure the government listen when it comes to key issues around public sector catering, food and farming.
The second session of the Lumina Food Strategy Forum focused on a more informal panel discussion around some of the key topics around reopening hospitality with Vita Mojo, MCA & Lumina. Here are our top take-outs:
As the leading foodservice agency, we are proud members of the Lumina Food Strategy Forum, and as such regularly attend their insight debriefs to ensure we are up-to-the-minute when it comes to foodservice trends. The first of two sessions this week looked at the post lockdown landscape in the wake of Covid and how both industry and consumer behaviour will be affected moving forward with a specific look at the restaurant sector.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the opportunities I have been given in an industry traditionally not known for its female-friendly workplaces. Today in 2021, there are organisations in place to encourage more women to set up agencies (I’m thinking of The Agency Collective) and initiatives by associations like The Alliance of Independent Agencies to promote diversity in the agency world. But I rather suspect there were no such organisations or initiatives back in 1987 when Fiona, our CEO, took the leap of faith to set-up what is now known as jellybean.
As the leading foodservice agency, jellybean is proud to have partnered with Arena to sponsor an exclusive boutique online event gathering foodservice sales and marketing professionals together to exchange insights around the challenges of the past year, and those of the months ahead.
