Spain: Great opportunities for UK health & wellness brands
Did you know that Spain ranks as the 6th export market for the UK?
The Spanish market has been always important for the UK due to the number of Brits living and visiting the country, but with the Spanish market enjoying the greatest GDP increase in the Eurozone in 2016 it is a market which offers increasingly attractive opportunities for UK food and drinks brands, particularly within the health and wellness sector.
The economic recovery and positive attitude of the population where consumers are no longer focused on price but also on quality and taste is allowing many foreign brands to enter the country. In addition, with the changes in the Spanish lifestyle and the stress of daily challenges, consumers are becoming aware of the importance of having a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Spanish consumers also love fresh products and their relationship with the sales staff in retail outlets and specialised stores continues to be very important, unlike the prolific rise of e-commerce we have seen in the UK.
As a result of this, there is a growing appetite for healthy products with 45% of Spanish consumers wanting more availability of healthier alternatives (Nielsen data). Therefore categories such as Free from, Vegetarian and Vegan are growing and Spanish consumers are now more concerned about the quality and the health benefits these items provide than ever before. This clearly creates opportunities for brands in this segment as well as British innovative products, which are usually more advanced than the Spanish ones. However, pricing is the main challenge for consumers within these categories, as organic and free from products are more expensive in the Spanish market. Other notable trends in the market include energy boosting products, coconut water and superfoods.
In the retailing landscape, Mercadona is leading the market with 20% of the share, followed by Carrefour and Dia. El Corte Inglés is the high-end supermarket, and then, specialised organic and health stores called “Herbolarios”, where organic or so-called “ecological” products can be found in Spain. Although you can find organic food in big retailers such as Mercadona, the main distribution channel is specialised stores such as Supersano.
There are many opportunities for UK innovative brands, so don’t miss out this chance – Spain is waiting to take your products!
Bolst Global has an experienced on the ground team in Spain who can support your brand to understand the market opportunities, assess the market for your products and assist with identifying potential local partners for you to work with.
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