Food and Beverage Industry, Business Development/Strategy

Evaluating Retail Flavoring Market Opportunities

Preview/Excerpt

FoodCo sought to explore market opportunities for retail flavouring products across four key European markets: Germany, the UK, Spain, and France. SprintlyWorks conducted a structured market sizing and competitive analysis to identify attractive channels, assess private label potential, and recommend entry strategies tailored to local retailer dynamics and pricing.

Outcomes

€2B+

    total addressable market (TAM) identified across 4 regions

6

retailers identified with €30M+ in revenues

Problem Summary

FoodCo aimed to assess whether expanding its flavouring product line into retail markets across 4 European countries would be commercially viable. Despite strong brand presence in the Nordics, FoodCo lacked visibility and sales in these target markets. Key challenges included understanding private label dynamics, identifying retailer opportunities, and evaluating whether local pricing, volume, and competition aligned with FoodCo’s strategic ambitions.

Situation

FoodCo, a Nordic food company with strongholds in the Nordics, aimed to expand its flavouring product portfolio, primarily herbs and spices, into new European retail markets. Despite its robust brand presence in foodservice and selected branded channels, FoodCo had minimal visibility in the retail space across Germany, the UK, Spain, and France. The company was particularly interested in unlocking private label opportunities and sought to understand where, how, and with whom to enter. Key questions centered around market sizes, retailer dynamics, pricing expectations, and competitive intensity, ultimately helping FoodCo build a strategic roadmap for private label entry.

Key Research Question

The key questions driving the project were:

  • Identify how to succeed in the markets with a private label product? 

  • What are the prerequisites and capabilities? What is the successful selling model?

  • Is it an attractive opportunity in terms of price points? Are the markets heavily saturated? 

  • Who are the dominant players, what is their market share within retail?

Our Approach

SprintlyWorks adopted a structured, three-phase approach to help FoodCo evaluate and pursue private label opportunities in the European flavouring market, focusing on herbs and spices across Germany, the UK, Spain, and France.

Phase 1: Market Opportunity Sizing

We began by defining the total and addressable market size in each geography, using both volume (tonnes) and value (€) as metrics. Leveraging data from Euromonitor and other industry sources, we estimated 2023–2028 CAGRs, segmented private label vs branded shares, and identified top-selling product formats. This provided a baseline to compare market attractiveness and volume-price alignment.

Phase 2: Retailer and Channel Deep Dive

The second phase focused on identifying retail channels with the highest commercial viability. We assessed 14 major retailers across the four markets, analyzing their private label strategies, assortment gaps, price positioning, sales volumes, and supplier relationships. We also mapped key product formats, packaging styles (e.g., sachets, glass jars, grinders), and pricing benchmarks (€/kg) across private label and branded offerings. This phase uncovered significant variations in retailer strategies such as Aldi’s cost efficiency focus, or Waitrose’s premium margin flexibility.

Phase 3: Strategic Recommendations and Entry Strategy

In the final phase, we synthesized insights to identify the six most promising private label opportunities, estimating a combined revenue potential of €33.5M for FoodCo. For each target retailer, we recommended tailored product mixes, packaging strategies, and margin-aligned pricing based on their unique positioning. We also evaluated how FoodCo could differentiate from entrenched suppliers like Fuchs and McCormick, whether through broader assortment coverage, sustainability credentials, or agility in scaling volumes.

By aligning FoodCo’s capabilities with retailer demands and market dynamics, we laid the foundation for a practical, data-backed market entry strategy.

Results

SprintlyWorks delivered a robust analysis of the flavouring markets across four countries, identifying six high-potential private label opportunities with an estimated revenue upside of €33.5M for FoodCo. The team evaluated 14 major retailers and mapped pricing, packaging, and supplier dynamics to determine entry strategies tailored to each. FoodCo received clear market prioritization, with Germany, the UK, and Spain emerging as the most attractive due to size, growth, and private label momentum. Our recommendations provided FoodCo with actionable pathways to differentiate, price competitively, and align production capabilities with retailer requirements across multiple market tiers.

Evaluating Retail Flavoring Market Opportunities

Fast, intense – “Sprint Manner” way of working showed well its power.

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