Rice, Pasta and Noodles in Switzerland

2020 IMPACT

Rice, pasta and noodles benefits from an uptick in home-cooking and stockpiling due to COVID-19

Rice, pasta and noodles saw excellent performance during the lockdown period in 2020, benefiting from consumers panic buying and stockpiling due to the fact rice, pasta and noodles lend themselves perfectly to this scenario. Furthermore, many Swiss consumers have been working from home and children were also out of school, which meant an uptick in home-cooking and a higher consumption of rice, pasta and noodles.

Health and wellness trends set to drive innovation and growth

Convenience is likely to maintain demand for rice, pasta and instant noodles. However, there is growing competition from alternatives such as ready meals, and also superfoods such as quinoa and chia seeds and pulses.

Private label player Migros maintains its lead due to myriad competitive advantages

Private label player Migros Genossenschaftsbund eG maintains its lead in rice, pasta and noodles, with a decent lead on co private label Coop Genossenschaft (in company terms). However, in brand terms, Barilla Suisse SA comes in second place with its Barilla brand, before Coop’s Coop and Pasta Gala brands.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Convenience expected to drive forecast period growth, with little innovation expected

Rice, pasta and noodles is anticipated to post positive growth over the forecast period. The convenience factor is expected to remain crucial as, even when lockdowns are lifted and life returns to normal, Swiss consumers will continue to seek alternatives which are adapted to their fast-paced lifestyles and that require less time to prepare.

Chilled pasta expected to see most developments, whereas rice and noodles benefit from trend for Asian cuisine

Dried pasta is expected to remain a mature category with limited potential for growth, whereas chilled pasta is expected to experience growth thanks to the high levels of convenience it offers and an ever-expanding product assortment. In fact, chilled pasta is likely to see the strongest focus of developments as it still has scope for growth.

Barilla set to pose some competition to private label with targeted health and wellness drive in pasta

Multinational player Barilla Suisse SA, the most prominent non-private label player in the category, is expected to continue developing products with a health and wellness positioning in order to attract consumer attention. Healthier and premium ingredients are likely to be a central part of the player’s growth strategy over the forecast period, continuing its trend as already seen.