about 1 month ago

By Julia Williams

How the growth of the vegan market has affected retail

With the vegan markets value anticipated to soar to £1.1bn by 2023, it is undeniable that the retail and FMCG markets are undergoing a period of significant development, driven by consumer demand. An approximate 3% of UK consumers are vegan. Whilst a potentially exclusive market, around 22 million people identify as ‘flexitarian’ (those who alternate between vegan, vegetarian and mainstream products), creating a secondary consumer market which brands should not ignore. As consumers are seeking more diversity from retailers, brands have been made to evaluate the performance of their product portfolio. This has led to the culling of unprofitable ranges to free up expenditure for research and development into more appealing lines, which ensure differentiation and retained consumer interest. This (in part) may be a driver behind the UK overtaking Germany as a world leader for vegan food launches, accounting for 16% of new food ranges in 2018. However whilst this figure proves promising for UK brands, growth in this area is predominantly motivated by own-brand supermarket launches, sparking an emphasis on branded goods firms to innovate to ensure continued growth. Growth Avenues Product Whilst 55% of consumers consider vegan food to be healthy, the categories natural credentials can act as a source of deterrence for many, prompting the need for brands to tap into the comfort vegan food trend. Whilst the burger market is reaching a saturation point, dairy is yet to receive the same attention. Though supermarket shelves are brimming with alternative milk options, little competition exists for Crème fraîche alternatives and desert options which are both ethical and flavoursome. Helping to explain Oatly’s rapid 89% UK growth during 2018, which is projected to bring the firm £30 million in turnover during 2019, if market competition does not intensify. Packaging According to Mintel, only 40% of consumers find vegan food packaging to be appealing. Whilst relative to non-vegan products, as the market becomes more competitive, those who inject personality into packaging and move away from the traditional health orientated imagery are anticipated to outperform competitors. Free-from doughnut store, Borough 22 took this to heart in their recent re-brand. Here an injection of colour and creativity has peaked the interest of retailers and consumers, increasing sales in Selfridges alone by 55%. People As recruiters it is our duty to spot market developments ahead of the pack and report back to clients. One of the key trends we are recognising is an increase in sustainability driven roles. Whether for Sustainability Marketing Managers or Events Officers, as brands increase R&D budgets into vegan and sustainable food options, the number of specialists they will want to hire should increase proportionally to ensure a successful launch. It is clear if brands wish to maintain strength throughout the growing vegan movement, they may wish to examine the performance and potential of their entire marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion, people elements) comparatively to competitors. A failure to do this may result in brands loosing consumer appeal and profitability moving into the new decade. For a more in-depth discussion about current developments in the marketing and retail industry, or how we could potentially help source you the right people for your business, feel free to get in touch today.

about 2 months ago

By Julia Williams

Using recruiters for hard to find skills

The skills shortage is a hot topic for hiring managers at the moment. It is anticipated nine out of ten employers are struggling to recruit the skilled staff they require, with demand for skilled workers in the North West, Midlands, Wales and London regions the highest. Though it depends which roles you are recruiting for and where, as recruiters we are spotting some common trends which may impact you as a manager. Across both agency and in-house, we are recognising an increase in demand for digital skills. This is in part driven by strategic marketing shifts by businesses, where in-house teams and agencies alike are increasing their digital advertising/marketing spend to better attract digital natives. However as this demand has increased, not all employers have adapted accordingly. With only 25% of digital leaders believing the UK workforce holds the required knowledge and expertise to execute planned digital strategies. This trend is especially prevalent across in-house brands, for whom the 80% undergoing a digital transformation, makes securing the right digital and creative talent vital. With reports indicating the digital & creative skills gap (especially across IT) is larger in the UK compared to the rest of Europe, some companies are increasing salaries to attract the right candidates. This potentially reduces the available talent pool further. This helps to explain why the average recruitment process has lengthened by an additional 52 days. This is shown to have a knock on effect on project deadlines (including digital transformations), which will inevitably impact on staff satisfaction and retention rates. To ensure cost efficiency, businesses will aim to reduce this timescale, but care must be taken. Hiring talent which does not fulfil your whole criteria is shown to have an equally negative effect on time resources and productivity. Whilst you may be confident in your ability to source talent directly, utilising a recruiter can provide you with an advantage in the current skills shortage environment. Hiring timescales depend on a number of factors, but what good recruiters can do is reduce the time you invest in this process. At Pitch, we adopt a strategic approach to sourcing the market, meaning we do all the planning, benchmarking, market mapping and CV reviewing - even providing some administrative support in arranging interviews and communicating advice and support for your brand. Importantly, we are also able to contact both the active and passive job market. Around 75% of the employment market is made up of passive candidates, who are not actively searching but often hold the in-demand skills many businesses are seeking. Approximately 3 out of 4 of our placements are made by contacting these individuals, demonstrating the value of accessing a market which would have been potentially locked without the assistance of a recruiter. Whilst finding a niche web developer or PPC executive with the right skills is important, around 89% of hiring managers state bad hires typically lack soft skills, with 57% struggling to assess these candidates correctly. By using a recruiter you are more likely to bypass these issues. Not only do we thoroughly screen all applicants before you see their CV, but we are also able to offer advice on recruitment practices. These have been ensured to match the best talent to your specific business requirements. Acting as an extension to your brand is our aim when providing you with recruitment support. However, if you require a more in-depth chat about how our in-house and wider team can assist you, get in touch with us today.

3 months ago

By Julia Williams

2019/20 Hiring trends you need to anticipate

As recruitment specialists, we find ourselves in a position where we are able to spot and anticipate recruitment trends ahead of the pack. With over 10 years of experience across Agency, In-House and Freelance roles, we have seen the hiring practices within each industry develop over time, placing us in a position where we are able to inform hiring managers on best practices. Due to significant changes within the external social and cultural environment, over the past year the job market has become increasingly candidate led across three core area’s: the hiring package, the hiring process and the interview. At a glance The hiring package In the past year we have experienced an increase in the volume of candidates who are enquiring into the value of the hiring package during interview stages. This means if hiring brands want to employ the best talent in an increasingly crowded and competitive market, they need to offer a package which enables them to stand out. Across all age groups, flexible working hours are gaining traction as a valuable tool for recruitment, demonstrating societal desires to hold a stronger work-life balance - trends which are affecting recruitment processes. A failure to adapt accordingly could result in slower hiring practices, and missing out on the best candidates. The hiring process Over the past 12 months we have witnessed some substantial changes across both Agency and In-house sectors in regards to their hiring processes and the timescales behind them. For a start, whilst the average role takes between 12 - 50 days to fill, the average notice period is increasing, with as long as 3 months seen across some creative sectors. This means hiring managers need to act faster, in order to acquire the best talent for them. The interview From a client perspective, little has changed across the interview process, but this trend may not be forever. When communicating with candidates, we are increasingly finding they are using the interview as an opportunity to evaluate their fit with the company and to see if the benefits package promoted lines up with corporate culture. With this in mind, over the next year we anticipate seeing a shift in interview procedures, where testing the candidate becomes secondary to creating a valuable candidate experience. Do you require a deeper insight into how to create a package and interview experience that appeals to candidates? Download our Hiring Trends (2019/20) report today.

12 months ago

By Julia Williams

FMCG Trends - What to watch out for in 2019

This time last year, we were anticipating the effect Brexit was going to have on recruitment in 2018. Would our clients be less likely to hire? Would candidates postpone their next career move? It turns out we had nothing to worry about - 2018 has been a hugely busy year for the FMCG team here at Pitch. We’ve continued to support our clients in finding the best talent for their marketing and commercial teams, whilst being lucky enough to forge new partnerships with some of the most exciting brands in the industry. It’s also been a pleasure supporting our incredible candidates this year in the search for their next dream role. A year’s worth of calls, meetings, events and networking has definitely given us much food for thought around likely trends for 2019. Unfortunately, we couldn’t list them all, so we’ve decided to pick our Top 3 predictions. Consumers are looking for convenience We touched on this in our FMCG blog posted back in March - people are living busier lives and want more convenience when it comes to meal times and feeding their families. The online takeaway concept is one that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Deliveroo’s investors are likely to have breathed a sigh of relief this year; after spending heavily on expansion in 2018, the gross margin has increased to 23% from less than 1%. JustEat have also had a brilliant year, and off the back of a great Q1 and Q2, they have consequently raised their investment plans. They’ve been pushing hard on raising brand awareness and managed to secure The X Factor’s high profile sponsorship spot this year - an impressive advertising win for their PR team. Supermarkets are also upping their game by offering a large selection of ready-to-go meal options. Tesco’s ‘Food Loves Stories’ has been a hugely successful campaign and Waitrose’s shopper team have been driving in-store activation to promote their online ‘Cook Well’ subscription box offering - their answer to HelloFresh’s market-leading proposition. Refreshing food sustainability agendas Climate change has clearly been a defining factor in food companies’ sustainability for years, and with the issue dominating news outlets in 2018, chief executives in food businesses will start the New Year with two reports on the outlook for the UN's climate agenda at the forefront of their minds. According to just-food.com, food companies will face scrutiny in the coming year in relation to their own emissions targets, notably in relation to Scope 3 (indirect) emissions generated by the production of agricultural raw materials. A survey conducted by Ceres of the 50 targets food and beverage companies revealed just eight of the companies - Coca-Cola, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg, Mars, Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever - have set explicit reduction targets and report on Scope 3 emissions. Consumers want an experience FMCG marketers have become aware that consumers, especially Millennials and those from Generation Z, are interested in experiences more than actual products. Therefore, industry players are looking to create experiences around their products and encourage sharing among consumers by investing in digital capabilities. The alcohol industry has really jumped on this trend with a number of manufacturers introducing augmented reality wine labels, with brands like 19 Crimes by Treasury One seeing a profit growth of 34% in 2018! Social media continues to be a platform that innovates year on year, consumers are attracted to unique products they can share virally and grab their followers’ attention.

over 1 year ago

By Julia Williams

HR & Hiring Managers take note! How to get the best out of your recruitment partner.

Here at Pitch, we pride ourselves on the quality of the service we provide to our clients with every single one of our consultants going the extra mile to find the perfect candidate. Becky, our FMCG specialist consultant gave her thoughts on what HR & Hiring Managers should be considering in the recruiting process and how Pitch help assist with it. Be selective about who and how many agencies you use. At Pitch, we always advise our clients to work exclusively with one agency. By building a trusted partnership it secures commitment from the agency and allows the consultant time to pipeline and approach the best passive talent - rather than feeling they are in a CV race against other agencies. If five agencies are briefed on a role, each one will undoubtedly take the opportunity to market in a completely different way. The majority of our clients talk passionately about the importance of employer brand and ensuring it’s consistent - when a number of agencies are briefed this is always more difficult to contain and monitor. Using too many recruiters can often give the impression to the candidate that the hiring company has a blanket approach to recruiting which can lead to potential candidates feeling like a statistic rather than an individual. Great CV? Get them booked in! We all know that a good candidate does not stay on the market for long. When one of our clients expresses interest in a CV then we always suggest they meet with them as soon as possible. We appreciate time is precious and diaries can be tight so why not arrange an initial phone call or Skype in place of a 1st stage face-to-face interview? This is a fantastic way to get the ball rolling and to ensure the candidate is kept engaged with your brand. Additionally, it’s more time and cost efficient for both hirer and candidate. A win-win. We always advise hiring managers to review CVs as and when they receive them. Waiting 2 weeks to review a big batch often results in 50% of these candidates no longer being available. If we claim to be consultants, then treat us like consultants. The majority of our clients weren’t aware that Pitch offers to do salary benchmarking or market mapping projects at no extra cost. If a hiring manager and recruitment consultant are both in agreement over market rates then this will only make for a smoother process and quicker candidate acquisition in the long run. Everyone’s a winner! We acknowledge that our clients are the experts in their field - we aren’t category managers or sales professionals. However, recruitment is our speciality - we are trained in skills like candidate acquisition, salary negotiation and offer management. If you’ve agreed to pay an agency fee then why not get your monies worth - a good recruiter is more than just a CV generator! The curse of the internal candidate. We completely appreciate that a strong internal candidate can appear out of the blue, but more often than not, they have actually been in the process from the very beginning. Many hiring managers have the misconception that by disclosing an internal candidate to an agency, then they are less likely to prioritise the role, which isn’t the case. Invite Pitch over! Recruitment agencies are notorious for their tough KPI targets - unless a consultant gets 10 CVs out of the door that day and books 5 client visits then they aren’t going home! That being said, Pitch Consultants, both Birmingham and Manchester aren’t targeted like this and genuinely see the value in coming to meet with you. Once you’ve selected your trusted recruitment partner then invite them in to meet with you - after all, how can they describe your culture if they haven’t experienced it first hand? By doing so, the agency will be able to represent your business in a way that mirrors your own company’s mission and values. It’s not just any old job spec. It’s very easy to make assumptions (good and bad!) about a candidate’s suitability from their CV - interestingly enough candidates take the same approach when reviewing job specifications. As a hiring manager, if you received an outdated CV riddled with spelling mistakes would you invite that candidate in for an interview? Equally, we’ve known candidates to withdraw from processes they’d be perfect for due to a vague job spec which hadn’t been updated since 2011. Pitch often support you in writing job descriptions so take advantage of this added extra! Sounds simple, right? If you’d like to work with Pitch then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us - we don’t bite!

over 1 year ago

By Julia Williams

FMCG trends - The rise of convenience and out-of-home.

Without doubt, the topic of ‘Millennials’ was one on everyone’s lips in 2017. Many discussions seemed to centre around these tech-savvy individuals in their mid-late twenties, who despite claiming to be ambitious and hardworking, actually want to do less work for more money…. Not only did the topic become rather tedious by mid-point last year, I’m not sure it’s even a true representation of society’s Millennial population? As Karen Stacey, Chief Executive of DCM said at Advertising Week Europe’s recent European Leadership Roundtable: "I hate labels because I think it makes young people end up becoming those labels. They are just young people; the motivations about good leadership are still the same. It feels like we're making an excuse, because we can't understand it, rather than leading people in the right way.” As we are all starting to get into the swing of 2018, the youngest generation of millennials are turning 22, with the oldest reaching a ripe old age of 37 years old. How time flies! Many of them will be celebrating the birth of their first child or welcoming another addition to their blossoming families. With more little mouths to feed, could there potentially be a connection here between the rise of online grocery and E-commerce channels? When you’re running around all day after little feet, or dashing out of work to do the school run, before rushing back home to log on, time truly is precious. The need for convenience becomes greater when you’re always on-the-go and this has definitely been a trend identified by our FMCG clients and candidates. We’ve undoubtedly seen a rise in our FMCG clients asking to be introduced to individuals who have solid experience within the Out of Home sector. This is a channel in which both big bluechips and smaller brands are massively focused on for 2018. Historically, OOH was always seen as being the less ‘sexy’ route to market - but now it’s the channel that everyone wants a piece of. Another trend that’s undeniable is that the online grocery market is exploding in the UK, arguably due to the E-commerce expectations of Millennials. Supermarkets like Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury's are leading the way with home delivery, local pick as well as strategically placed lockers. Amazon’s entry into the UK in mid 2016 with Amazon Fresh, and their same day delivery options, added additional competitive fire to FMCG sales and has gone from strength to strength over the past 18 months. You might have also read recently about Pepsi launching it’s first E-commerce-only drink Drinkfinity, allowing the brand to operate like a startup to react faster to new consumer trends. The online marketplace has also enabled upstart brands like Hipp and Organix to gain footholds in grocery that they would never have been able to accomplish offline, due to the high cost of trade spend in market entry. On the whole, the UK is relatively advanced in online grocery compared to the rest of Europe: 6.9% of UK FMCG sales are done online. According to IDG, grocery online in the UK will grow 68% by 2021 so it’s no surprise the retailers and brands are taking E-commerce pretty seriously right now! Times are truly changing - popping down to Tesco or Asda for your weekly shop is becoming a thing of the past…can you believe those lazy millennials can now actually do their grocery shop without getting out of bed?! Maybe they’re on to something.