Press Release

EMF & British Brands Group : Consumer Research Seminar

The Ethnic Minority Foundation (EMF) hosts roundtable seminar at the House of Lords to discuss the British Brands Group’s latest published research on the unmet needs of consumers within the UK grocery market.

7th March 2008

As part of EMF’s Policy Seminars 2008, the Foundation hosted a roundtable discussion in the House of House of Lords to explore the findings of the British Brands Group’s newly published research ‘Consumer needs not being met by UK Grocery Market’.

Presided by Lord Bhatia OBE, Chairman of EMF, the event featured contributions from Dr Krishna Sarda, EMF’s CEO, John Noble, Director of the Brands Group and Don Edwards, author of the report. Guests included retailers, consumer groups, media and stakeholders.

As a starting point, Dr Sarda reflected on the state of play in the British high street, where brands afford consumers choice and diversity. Against a background of an increasingly competitive market place, John Noble then argued for the need to ensure that the different wishes of shoppers across the UK are adequately catered for. As he put it:

‘Consumers’ requirements for grocery shopping are not being heard. Our consumer shopping research shows that it is inappropriate to bundle diverse consumer requirements under a singular ‘average consumer’ category. Consumers are diverse and have many different needs. Both national and local policy-makers need to take account of this diversity, if conditions are to be created for consumers’ needs to be met’.

Don Edwards, in turn, explained how consumer choice is increasingly being reduced at a time when both society and shoppers are becoming more diverse and heterogeneous. He went on to consider the long-term implications of such continuing trend. Don said:

‘The growing diversity in household size and make-up is coinciding with a declining number and type of food and drink outlets. Within this context, over half (54 per cent) of the ethnic population fear that the spread of supermarkets in their area would lead to the closure of local independent stores’.

Following the roundtable discussion, EMF and British Brands Group jointly called for further research to be carried out into the subject as well as for government action to ensure our country’s high street is truly responsive to the needs of its increasingly diverse consumer population.

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