@@angelvisions444I agree it was REALLY hard to find the items I was looking for! But hopefully it pays off as reading some more research, some say up to 90% if vegan items are bought by non-vegans and even non-veggies. However if they were finding the vegan section before surely they can continue to do so…..😂
Hating it, sadly. Inconvenient for all concerned and, much more importantly, isn't going to help animals as it seems likely to reduce sales of what are lovely products.
I’m not a fan of the changes they’ve been making - I’m far less likely to shop there or try out new products if they’re difficult to find. And I don’t want to have to look at tons of meat just to find a lonely vegan option in the same section. Also agree on the packaging changes being more difficult to spot. One of my biggest annoyances is when a place has very similar vegan and vegetarian symbols, which adds an extra level of danger for me with a milk allergy. 🙅♀️
Very interesting to hear your comments on the protein content too - I wouldn’t have noticed that so it’s made me think I should pay more attention! Love M&S’s nut roast but I’ve not seen it since Christmas 😢
100% agree with all these points! WHy would I go here when I can go to my local Sainsbury's down the road that has an incredibly well-curated vegan section?! Seems like a small gain with hopefully converting some meat eaters, for the potential loss of the existing core base to me. And you are totally right, some tiny and inconsistent vegan/veggie symbols is not what we want.
With the hype around protein in the market right now and over the last couple of years I always laugh when they say 'high protein' and it's infact....just normal....or even what I would describe as 'low' protein! haha
Glad you brought this up. Plant kitchen used to be amazing when it first started a few years back but they have been reducing their range in general over the last few years for sure. And now the range is so small and mixed into normal sections too so just a pain to find things... to be fair i feel the boom of vegan options was a few years back but unfortunately there seems to be a reduction in general across a few supermarkets. They had great options a few years ago which they no longer have and they seem to have also gone with some cheaper ingredients (e.g. they used to do a spag bol using mock mince and mock chicken style curry but changed these to mushroom spag bol and cauliflower curry, think they dont even do those now!!!).
It's really sad to see, and totally agree with your comment 'a pain to find things'. From my own experience it seems like there is a total mix of some supermarkets reducing their offering (M&S), and the other section really upping the offering (Waitrose/Aldi/Sainsbury's)! Hopefully those increasing will reap the benefits :)
10:23 - the bolognese sauce is out of date 11/2024! I also sometimes find dust on the jars! Also, I noticed the integration late last year of products as the dedicated Vegan section had disappeared!
OMG - GREAT spot, that might explain the dust 😂😂 It's super weird, it will be interesting to see how it goes for them and if they end up switching back!
The first day M&S merged all their vegan stuff, I was so confused! I had to ask a manager, and he actually said he was already exhausted from having to explain it to so many customers. He also said there were rumours it wouldn't last, but I'm not so sure about that! I believe one store has reverted back already, but I don't know of any others. Meanwhile, I am completely boycotting M&S unless and until they see sense and change back to how it was. I used to spend a fortune in there every week - now that fortune is spent elsewhere - they aren't the only food store out there which sells its own vegan range and they'd do well to remember that - veganism isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle and many of us have turned our backs on M&S over their stupid decision because they foolishly think it's just a diet. WRONG.
WOW! This is a GREAT insight, thank you for sharing. It’s funny how a decision made in a board room somewhere always ends up being dealt with the floor staff trying to clear up their mess 🤣🤣 Veganism not being a ‘diet’ sums it up and the total misunderstanding of the movement by M&S in my opinion. Also, if M&S are actually serious about their climate goals, which they say they are, then this is surely something to get serious about. We will see!
M and S have made it very difficult for vegans. I noticed that all the gluten free chilled items are still in a section together, what a strange supermarket.
Yes, that's a weird one. The fear of an allergy-related lawsuit perhaps? It's absolutely right that they should be looking out for customers with allergies. But it says it all about what they think of pesky vegans, that they have stripped us of our beloved PB section 😔
If they really want to integrate vegan products they could still do that but still have a dedicated vegan section. It doesn't look like the integrated products are taking up too much space amongst the array of cruelty based products (in the meats and pizza section for example), so surely they could try both methods if they really valued their vegan customers.
Now that is actually a GREAT idea! When it's a single pack of bacon it would be very possible to facilitate. And if what they say is true about this market of customers who are about to buy bacon but suddenly grab the vegan bacon, then surely it would be worth it! (*I'm not sure it is a real market though lol)
Another fantastic video of Your Vegan Food Explorer. I don't want to go down the meat aisle to get vegan products. This may actually encourage vegans not to buy the products because not all vegans will want to go to the meat aisle to access them, so it's a bad idea in my opinion. Any increase in sales due to change of location is more likely from non vegans that they are promoting these products too. Love 🥰 the video.
I totally agree! I don’t mind buying pies next to non-vegan pies for example, but bacon, mince, chicken etc , I don’t want to be moving packs of dead body parts to get to some vegan bacon for example. Especially when I can go 3 mins down the road and get vegan bacon in my local Sainsbury’s in a massive vegan section!
Great video, I love M&S stuff - other supermarkets are doing this integration thing too, which I am not sure about (understand why but still not really a fan) what happens when meat leaks on the shelf though? Volume is a little low bro..
You're totally right, it's a weird trend, and wilst I kind of understand the approach I don't think it's a fully thought out idea of the real life execution! And leaking meat will be grim, it was bad enough having to move the packs of bacon 😅 And thank you for the note re the volume, I had my cat next to me purring away so was angling myself away haha, normal service will be resumed next video - and it's a good one!!
It bothers me... it's like saying non-vegans will be deterred from buying anything in the specific section. But then if they're so put off by vegan items, why would they willingly pick them up in different isles? I feel it makes it super easy for flexitarians or people doing Veganuary (and vegans themselves too!) to have a specific section. Or they could have at least kept the packaging like you say! Disappointed by M&S too. They were so ahead of the game in the beginning.. :(
This comment REALLY hits the heart of it in my opinion!! You're so right, if certain people don't want to even go to a vegan section the chance of them actually picking up a vegan product must be close to zero, so why make the experience much worse for people who actually buy the products?!
I hate the way they've been integrating them. For one, I don't want to go to the meat aisle, too gross for me. Secondly, I don't want to have to forage for the vegan products!
100% agree to both of these, it does make sense for dairy/cheese as there are so many vegan options...but when you have one pack of bacon it is totally ridiculous and not thought through imo!
That's exactly how it is now. A time-consuming forage. Most of us don't have the time or patience for this. And few ethical vegans would want to be among the remains of dead animals, which is a heartbreaking sight. A totally weird decision. It's hard to imagine that a vegan was consulted...
Studies have shown they sell more to meat eaters by making them available alongside meat. So ask yourselves, are you vegan for the animals? Besides you can order online and everything is much more convenient.
Their battered popcorn has been one of my favourite M&S vegan products for a long time (I'm even eating some now!) I really hope they don't discontinue it.
Haha!! Now that's what I call timing! And tbh it sounds like they are more going towards more of these type of foods, e.g. using cauliflower, so fingers crossed it stays :) I NEED to try it asap though!!
I am so glad to hear you say this - I was the exact same!! My store is pretty small too, and I was walking round for a long time making sure I had found everything: seriously bizarre and imo almost the opposite of what shopping in M&S should be.
@ That is so true, I lost the will. Then I tried to find a manager to make a complaint but was just defeated by that point and just walked out. I mean have it in two places a dedicated section and then they can put some wherever they want. I don’t think I’ll be going back. 🙄
it’s genuinely just so difficult to find things!! there’s not a vegan version of everything. so you don’t know where to start looking. I gave up one day trying to find something for dinner. Like the idea of making them available to everyone but needs to be easier to see them at least
Yes 100%!!! You’re so right, there’s not a vegan version of everything so you would have to go and look to find out 🤣🤣 and the new branding is seriously odd, almost indistinguishable !
@ I don’t want to have to browse everything when I have a slim selection of choices to begin with. I understand their logic get more people to try it and increase profits. But I think they could do both. One extra item per section is no big deal but then set aside a fridge just for our stuff. I want to be in and out.
Very confusing. I couldn’t be bothered looking in every section, just in case there was a vegan item that caught my eye! The Cirencester branch seemed to be full of huge lumps of animal meat in every fridge! I found some thin pretzels, with the bread sticks, that was all! I’m not actually vegan, so not sure who they’re aiming this new idea towards!
Me too!! It seems like they are trying to offer to a consumer who randomly sees the vegan option and tries it, which surely must be a far smaller market than someone going on purpose to buy the vegan option?! But we will see! Also it was pretty unpleasant going through the lumps of animal meat like you say, a boxed pie is totally different to bags of shrink wrapped body parts - like come on how did someone in their team not think of that 😂
Over the years i have sometimes gone into my local(ish) m&s (10 miles away) and in all that time, maybe 5 years, they have only ever had at most 2 small shelves of vegan options, last time was about 1 year ago and all i found was a pack of burgers. Never bought anything from there as it was bad. Next door in Tescos the vegan options were always great. Lidl will hopefully do well with their meat free fridge section, but again people dont seem to be buying it much so i dont hold out much hope of them continuing it.
Wow that is very different to my local 2x M&S which have always had whole dedicated shelf sections of vegan food. I would love to know with this new approach if your local M&S grows its vegan offfering??! I am always a bit confused with Lidl as they do a big push in veganuary with some, in my opinion odd products, like a huge varied range of different flavoured vegan spreads like ‘beluga lentils balsmamico’, ‘curry’ and ‘wild garlic’ etc, which I may be wrong but I can see selling well?! Especially compared to say Aldi’s offering of vegan salmon, different tofu varieties!
@YourVeganFoodExplorer I may have to go have another look at m&s soon, see if it's changed. I tend to do very local shops to support them rather than travel too far. Yes, Lidl's veganuary range has sold very well this year, everything went within 2 weeks. I like a lot of their meat free chilled range, good value, so hopefully more people discover it and continue to buy. Their twin pack tofu and beef/chicken strips have become a staple for us. Would be a real shame if it doesn't sell and they're force to discontinue the range.
My dad is 90. He shops for me when I am visiting. It's hard enough for him to get his head around what I eat and don't eat so if he now tried to shop in M&S he'd have absolutely no chance. Thankfully he also has Tescos nearby so it's all good. But they will be losing out on sales, for sure.
I have to agree, particularly paired with the new branding it would be very very hard for a 90 year old trying to find vegan options!!! I like that he is still trying to get his head round what you eat 😂
I loved the Plant Kitchen packaging and adored browsing this section. It's not about me and my convenience and enjoyment of course. But it's hard to see how it could help the cause and the animals. I'd liked to be proved wrong though. Time will tell.
I think this comment sums up the whole situation very well. I often ask myself about the foods and brands I review: 'is this helping the animals?' and even if it is made more difficult, less attractive branding etc, as long as the answer is yes then it gets a lot of my support, but I personally see this as a step backwards for the animals. However, like you say let's see!! As hopefully they prove us wrong and sales boom.
Who wants to be searching meat isles for vegan options, have M&S lost t heir minds!? also I know many meat eaters who would be angry if they accidentally picked up this range as its hard to distinguish with the new packaging in the dimly lit stores. What is even more worrying is the high amount of fat these meals contain (mostly processed seed oil) so its a big no from me!
This is a GREAT shout! Most non-vegans will be like ‘what the hell is this!?!’ I hate to agree but it was a really bad experience searching through the dismembered body parts to find them!
I have tried to find the positives in this, but am struggling. It's not just, or even, that it's inconvenient for existing vegans. If it helped to drive up sales and therefore helped animals I'd be all for it. But new vegans or vegan curious people or non-vegans buying for vegan family and friends may struggle to find these products, because I certainly do. Personally I don't see why there can't be a dedicated section AND a sprinkling of these products alongside the non-vegan equivalents. Everyone would be accommodated then.
I totally agree with you, there must be a better way. For example the dedicated section (like they do in the frozen and dairy aisle), but then say burgers and bacon mixed in with the meat for example. It's the inconsistency that really annoys me I've realised haha
I'm all for integrating the vegan and animal products because I'm hoping it makes non-vegans think more about their choices and consider the wide choice of vegan products available. If the vegan products are out of sight they're out-of-mind, too. Seeing healthier options, and being curious about how they taste must surely intrigue and engage animal - consuming people?
I really do hope this is the case, and I'm sure if it is successful it will be matched by other supermarkets - let's see! Although I will say, it was a real faff trying to find them all 😂 Also I do like the idea a few people have mentioned of is there a world where there is a vegan section and then in key areas e.g. bacon, sausages, burgers are mixed in, as it's just one product could potentially work if the upside is as big as they say!
This may shock you: I bought NOTHING!! I got so fed up I went over the road to Asda to do some more filming and purchasing! hahaha video to come - which is VERY different to this one...in a good way!
I’m pleased someone else has found the new changes disappointing and confusing. I feel M&S are adding items rather reluctantly…..probably wishing vegans would just go away!
I honestly feel very similar. It’s just my opinion, but I agree it felt like they’d kind of given up on the offering and a focus on meat items. But we will see over the next few months what they do!
Packaging changes always come with new items but they may be launched at various points over a couple of months. As for the mixing them with the main areas its simple. Its all about trying to sell enough to keep making them. Most dedicated plant kitchen rather than just happen to be Vegan is very low volume, they rarely sell enough to make much of a profit & many they have been losing money on for years. If they can get that 7% boost you said the other supermarket got then its a huge win.
Thanks for the comment! I am very interested to see how it goes as if it does drive up sales then I will be the first to encourage it! Also reading further I found that 90% of plant based alternative purchases are made by non-vegans/non-veggies. - so although I don’t like it, I hope it works! However I do challenge your last point, that they have been ‘losing money/low profit for years’ as all the data I read says the opposite. Also the comparison of the dedicated plant kitchen and accidentally vegan. Yes the former is lower volume, but youll find this is negated with the typically higher costs in-store, compared to the standard offerings which benefit from volume of scale, but are lower priced.
@@YourVeganFoodExplorer Sorry to tell you but I spent 13 years ordering food for M&S stores in several departments. I remember the introduction of many current lines, I know what they sold & what the wastage costs were. I even knew how much the development cost, the packaging cost & what minimum print runs of sleeves do to the bottom line as well as the margins. Unlike many other food stores M&S will keep a line going if it adds to the entire package even if they make little from it. But anything you see too many yellow stickers consistently like these new Brain food lines can't last. As for pricing unless its changed recently M&S have a very basic way of calculating retail prices. They make the best they can, then work out what it costs to make & add a standard margin on top. Everyone else does it in reverse. A price point minus margin & a request to a supplier to make something that costs that much. Its how you get the crazy high prices on some things from M&S. Its what it cost to make.
I hate tryin to find everyyhing..im disabled n find alot is top shelf..so i need help reaching stuff down ..itsaweful..the oatshake is amazing ..really tasty.
Oh that’s SERIOUSLY annoying! Especially if also need to find where the heck they’ve actually put items now too! Ok the oat shake looked incredible, will need to pick it up!
@YourVeganFoodExplorer even my son who isnt vegan loves that shake..its good..thankyou for doin these vids .ive got the waitrose app and even ocado to try..will give them a go in afew weeks or so.given me afew ideas..usually im tesco or asda but i like a change n to try new stuff.the cheezes in waitrose look amazing.my go to is the cathedral city ..applewood used to be but since they changed hands just not the same.
M&S is no doubt a more upmarket shop, so I wouldn’t be surprised if their hotchpotching of vegan with non-vegan items is some sales tactic. Even looking for ordinary items in M&S is a bit disorienting, as the layout is not very standardised; perhaps an attempt to get you to saunter around the store and by extension become a vacuum for more items- might also be trying to dilute the noticeability of their now paltry offerings.
This is a GREAT shout!! You're right, I often find it quite hard to find my way round haha And from their quote below makes me in my opinion strongly think that they have reduced the range (which I felt when walking round the store), so this way dilutes it so you don't realise?! “We have not changed the number of vegan products per se, but are in the process of changing their design, upgrading the product quality, and launching some key new lines while removing a few others and changing their position in store.”
Thank you for this wise, helpful vlog. Must've been painful to have to track down the kind stuff in among all the cruelty 😔 I've watched and loved your channel for several years and love your positivity and energy. It's rare for you to be critical so when you are I know that we definitely have a problem. (Remembering the terrible Christmas sandwich though 🥪🎅😢! Other than that I can't recall many or any negative reviews of stuff. You always TRY to find a positive 👏) The dusty jars 😮
Firstly: right back at you, when I see your comments I always smile! Or often laugh at your jokes!! And secondly, you're totally right, I have worked in my professional job with food brands before and I know it's hard to do everything right and there's often method behind the madness. But this felt personally to me like they had made the wrong decision at every move - it also took me ages to walk round! haha BUT let's see what happens and an update film is needed in a few months I think!
I’m glad it wasn’t just me, I found it incredibly difficult too! Really sad to see, but fingers crossed they can keep changing it until it works again 🤞🤞
Not everyone can or wants to. I'm vegan for the animals so if there's no cruelty in a product it's fine by me. I am mostly whole food plant based for my health and avoid plastic where I can, but I'm glad these products are here for those who approach this beautiful life another way.
Apparently it's non vegans that buy the most vegan products so I can see why they've done this. Also labelling food 'plant based' rather than vegan increases sales. I'm just gutted that the iconic large spicy vegan pizza has now been discontinued. This was the best shop bought pizza available and hugely popular, so it baffles me why it went during the rebranding.
I agree with all your points tbh, but my annoyance is they’ve done all of the things at the same time e.g. mixed the products, removed some of my favourites, removed the iconic branding. Hoping that their move grows the vegan purchases and they bring the pizza back!
@@YourVeganFoodExplorer Even without that iconic blue Plant Kitchen branding you know vegan food just gonna keep expanding. People are learning that food equals health.
From doing more research it does seem like there are a hugely disproportionate amount of non-vegan or even veggie buyers who buy vegan products (one study said up to 90% of all purchases!), so I really hope it works! My only ask is they bring back the awesome old branding to make it easier to find! Haha
So from doing more research it does seem like a huge/disproportionate amount of vegan product buyers are not veggie or vegan. So fingers crossed this approach works! My only other thought is it may sound silly but it was genuinely very hard to find the products in M&S, and when you are actually just trying to find a vegan burger it’s a right pain in the a$$ 🤣
I'm glad that M&S are at least keeping up (and even increasing) their vegan range, which has always been impressive. I'd rather they keep all the vegan stuff separate of course, but it will be fun seeking out the good stuff on my next visit...! 🤣🤡
Not in my local store. I used to spend most of my shopping there now I am going in less and less as they no longer stock vegan and veggie food.We have gone from an entire section to 2 items.. one in the meat fridges and one in the pie section with occasional vegan porridge
What do YOU think!!?? Let me know here! ☺️☺️
You have to visit several different aisles to try and spot any Vegan items, which is a bit of a pain!
@@angelvisions444I agree it was REALLY hard to find the items I was looking for!
But hopefully it pays off as reading some more research, some say up to 90% if vegan items are bought by non-vegans and even non-veggies.
However if they were finding the vegan section before surely they can continue to do so…..😂
Hating it, sadly. Inconvenient for all concerned and, much more importantly, isn't going to help animals as it seems likely to reduce sales of what are lovely products.
I sadly have to agree!
Odd i posted a massive comment earlier this evening and it doesnt seem to be there
I’m not a fan of the changes they’ve been making - I’m far less likely to shop there or try out new products if they’re difficult to find. And I don’t want to have to look at tons of meat just to find a lonely vegan option in the same section.
Also agree on the packaging changes being more difficult to spot. One of my biggest annoyances is when a place has very similar vegan and vegetarian symbols, which adds an extra level of danger for me with a milk allergy. 🙅♀️
Very interesting to hear your comments on the protein content too - I wouldn’t have noticed that so it’s made me think I should pay more attention!
Love M&S’s nut roast but I’ve not seen it since Christmas 😢
100% agree with all these points! WHy would I go here when I can go to my local Sainsbury's down the road that has an incredibly well-curated vegan section?! Seems like a small gain with hopefully converting some meat eaters, for the potential loss of the existing core base to me.
And you are totally right, some tiny and inconsistent vegan/veggie symbols is not what we want.
With the hype around protein in the market right now and over the last couple of years I always laugh when they say 'high protein' and it's infact....just normal....or even what I would describe as 'low' protein! haha
Glad you brought this up. Plant kitchen used to be amazing when it first started a few years back but they have been reducing their range in general over the last few years for sure. And now the range is so small and mixed into normal sections too so just a pain to find things... to be fair i feel the boom of vegan options was a few years back but unfortunately there seems to be a reduction in general across a few supermarkets. They had great options a few years ago which they no longer have and they seem to have also gone with some cheaper ingredients (e.g. they used to do a spag bol using mock mince and mock chicken style curry but changed these to mushroom spag bol and cauliflower curry, think they dont even do those now!!!).
It's really sad to see, and totally agree with your comment 'a pain to find things'.
From my own experience it seems like there is a total mix of some supermarkets reducing their offering (M&S), and the other section really upping the offering (Waitrose/Aldi/Sainsbury's)! Hopefully those increasing will reap the benefits :)
10:23 - the bolognese sauce is out of date 11/2024! I also sometimes find dust on the jars! Also, I noticed the integration late last year of products as the dedicated Vegan section had disappeared!
OMG - GREAT spot, that might explain the dust 😂😂 It's super weird, it will be interesting to see how it goes for them and if they end up switching back!
The first day M&S merged all their vegan stuff, I was so confused! I had to ask a manager, and he actually said he was already exhausted from having to explain it to so many customers. He also said there were rumours it wouldn't last, but I'm not so sure about that! I believe one store has reverted back already, but I don't know of any others. Meanwhile, I am completely boycotting M&S unless and until they see sense and change back to how it was. I used to spend a fortune in there every week - now that fortune is spent elsewhere - they aren't the only food store out there which sells its own vegan range and they'd do well to remember that - veganism isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle and many of us have turned our backs on M&S over their stupid decision because they foolishly think it's just a diet. WRONG.
WOW! This is a GREAT insight, thank you for sharing. It’s funny how a decision made in a board room somewhere always ends up being dealt with the floor staff trying to clear up their mess 🤣🤣
Veganism not being a ‘diet’ sums it up and the total misunderstanding of the movement by M&S in my opinion.
Also, if M&S are actually serious about their climate goals, which they say they are, then this is surely something to get serious about.
We will see!
M and S have made it very difficult for vegans. I noticed that all the gluten free chilled items are still in a section together, what a strange supermarket.
I am on the same page with you, and feel like it’s one rule for some and different rule for another! - and was very confusing!!!!
Yes, that's a weird one. The fear of an allergy-related lawsuit perhaps? It's absolutely right that they should be looking out for customers with allergies. But it says it all about what they think of pesky vegans, that they have stripped us of our beloved PB section 😔
If they really want to integrate vegan products they could still do that but still have a dedicated vegan section. It doesn't look like the integrated products are taking up too much space amongst the array of cruelty based products (in the meats and pizza section for example), so surely they could try both methods if they really valued their vegan customers.
Now that is actually a GREAT idea! When it's a single pack of bacon it would be very possible to facilitate. And if what they say is true about this market of customers who are about to buy bacon but suddenly grab the vegan bacon, then surely it would be worth it! (*I'm not sure it is a real market though lol)
Another fantastic video of Your Vegan Food Explorer. I don't want to go down the meat aisle to get vegan products. This may actually encourage vegans not to buy the products because not all vegans will want to go to the meat aisle to access them, so it's a bad idea in my opinion. Any increase in sales due to change of location is more likely from non vegans that they are promoting these products too. Love 🥰 the video.
I totally agree! I don’t mind buying pies next to non-vegan pies for example, but bacon, mince, chicken etc , I don’t want to be moving packs of dead body parts to get to some vegan bacon for example.
Especially when I can go 3 mins down the road and get vegan bacon in my local Sainsbury’s in a massive vegan section!
Great video, I love M&S stuff - other supermarkets are doing this integration thing too, which I am not sure about (understand why but still not really a fan) what happens when meat leaks on the shelf though? Volume is a little low bro..
You're totally right, it's a weird trend, and wilst I kind of understand the approach I don't think it's a fully thought out idea of the real life execution! And leaking meat will be grim, it was bad enough having to move the packs of bacon 😅
And thank you for the note re the volume, I had my cat next to me purring away so was angling myself away haha, normal service will be resumed next video - and it's a good one!!
It bothers me... it's like saying non-vegans will be deterred from buying anything in the specific section. But then if they're so put off by vegan items, why would they willingly pick them up in different isles? I feel it makes it super easy for flexitarians or people doing Veganuary (and vegans themselves too!) to have a specific section. Or they could have at least kept the packaging like you say! Disappointed by M&S too. They were so ahead of the game in the beginning.. :(
This comment REALLY hits the heart of it in my opinion!! You're so right, if certain people don't want to even go to a vegan section the chance of them actually picking up a vegan product must be close to zero, so why make the experience much worse for people who actually buy the products?!
I hate the way they've been integrating them. For one, I don't want to go to the meat aisle, too gross for me. Secondly, I don't want to have to forage for the vegan products!
100% agree to both of these, it does make sense for dairy/cheese as there are so many vegan options...but when you have one pack of bacon it is totally ridiculous and not thought through imo!
That's exactly how it is now. A time-consuming forage. Most of us don't have the time or patience for this. And few ethical vegans would want to be among the remains of dead animals, which is a heartbreaking sight.
A totally weird decision. It's hard to imagine that a vegan was consulted...
Studies have shown they sell more to meat eaters by making them available alongside meat. So ask yourselves, are you vegan for the animals? Besides you can order online and everything is much more convenient.
Their battered popcorn has been one of my favourite M&S vegan products for a long time (I'm even eating some now!) I really hope they don't discontinue it.
Haha!! Now that's what I call timing! And tbh it sounds like they are more going towards more of these type of foods, e.g. using cauliflower, so fingers crossed it stays :)
I NEED to try it asap though!!
I gave up at my marks, was walking around for 20 minutes trying to find stuff 😤
I am so glad to hear you say this - I was the exact same!! My store is pretty small too, and I was walking round for a long time making sure I had found everything: seriously bizarre and imo almost the opposite of what shopping in M&S should be.
@ That is so true, I lost the will. Then I tried to find a manager to make a complaint but was just defeated by that point and just walked out. I mean have it in two places a dedicated section and then they can put some wherever they want. I don’t think I’ll be going back. 🙄
Nice upload Sir,
Thank in you,
Nice comment dear sir - hope you are good and enjoying some great vegan food!
it’s genuinely just so difficult to find things!! there’s not a vegan version of everything. so you don’t know where to start looking. I gave up one day trying to find something for dinner. Like the idea of making them available to everyone but needs to be easier to see them at least
Yes 100%!!! You’re so right, there’s not a vegan version of everything so you would have to go and look to find out 🤣🤣 and the new branding is seriously odd, almost indistinguishable !
I assumed they’d discontinued it. So I went to Sainsbury’s instead. Silly m&s
🤣🤣 I hate to say it but I agree and I also gave up and went to Asda over the road!!
@ I don’t want to have to browse everything when I have a slim selection of choices to begin with. I understand their logic get more people to try it and increase profits. But I think they could do both. One extra item per section is no big deal but then set aside a fridge just for our stuff. I want to be in and out.
Ironically Sainsburys did this integration route themselves a few years back but went back to dedicated sections following customer complaints
Very confusing. I couldn’t be bothered looking in every section, just in case there was a vegan item that caught my eye! The Cirencester branch seemed to be full of huge lumps of animal meat in every fridge! I found some thin pretzels, with the bread sticks, that was all! I’m not actually vegan, so not sure who they’re aiming this new idea towards!
Me too!! It seems like they are trying to offer to a consumer who randomly sees the vegan option and tries it, which surely must be a far smaller market than someone going on purpose to buy the vegan option?! But we will see!
Also it was pretty unpleasant going through the lumps of animal meat like you say, a boxed pie is totally different to bags of shrink wrapped body parts - like come on how did someone in their team not think of that 😂
Over the years i have sometimes gone into my local(ish) m&s (10 miles away) and in all that time, maybe 5 years, they have only ever had at most 2 small shelves of vegan options, last time was about 1 year ago and all i found was a pack of burgers. Never bought anything from there as it was bad. Next door in Tescos the vegan options were always great.
Lidl will hopefully do well with their meat free fridge section, but again people dont seem to be buying it much so i dont hold out much hope of them continuing it.
Wow that is very different to my local 2x M&S which have always had whole dedicated shelf sections of vegan food. I would love to know with this new approach if your local M&S grows its vegan offfering??!
I am always a bit confused with Lidl as they do a big push in veganuary with some, in my opinion odd products, like a huge varied range of different flavoured vegan spreads like ‘beluga lentils balsmamico’, ‘curry’ and ‘wild garlic’ etc, which I may be wrong but I can see selling well?! Especially compared to say Aldi’s offering of vegan salmon, different tofu varieties!
@YourVeganFoodExplorer I may have to go have another look at m&s soon, see if it's changed. I tend to do very local shops to support them rather than travel too far.
Yes, Lidl's veganuary range has sold very well this year, everything went within 2 weeks. I like a lot of their meat free chilled range, good value, so hopefully more people discover it and continue to buy. Their twin pack tofu and beef/chicken strips have become a staple for us. Would be a real shame if it doesn't sell and they're force to discontinue the range.
My dad is 90. He shops for me when I am visiting. It's hard enough for him to get his head around what I eat and don't eat so if he now tried to shop in M&S he'd have absolutely no chance.
Thankfully he also has Tescos nearby so it's all good. But they will be losing out on sales, for sure.
I have to agree, particularly paired with the new branding it would be very very hard for a 90 year old trying to find vegan options!!! I like that he is still trying to get his head round what you eat 😂
Yes, he's very respectful and supportive @YourVeganFoodExplorer
I loved the Plant Kitchen packaging and adored browsing this section. It's not about me and my convenience and enjoyment of course. But it's hard to see how it could help the cause and the animals. I'd liked to be proved wrong though. Time will tell.
I think this comment sums up the whole situation very well. I often ask myself about the foods and brands I review: 'is this helping the animals?' and even if it is made more difficult, less attractive branding etc, as long as the answer is yes then it gets a lot of my support, but I personally see this as a step backwards for the animals.
However, like you say let's see!! As hopefully they prove us wrong and sales boom.
Who wants to be searching meat isles for vegan options, have M&S lost t heir minds!? also I know many meat eaters who would be angry if they accidentally picked up this range as its hard to distinguish with the new packaging in the dimly lit stores. What is even more worrying is the high amount of fat these meals contain (mostly processed seed oil) so its a big no from me!
This is a GREAT shout! Most non-vegans will be like ‘what the hell is this!?!’ I hate to agree but it was a really bad experience searching through the dismembered body parts to find them!
Terrible idea to mix and limit Marks are not interested in supporting vegan so I'm not interested in Marks
I hate to say it, but they have gone massively down in my rankings of where to shop as a vegan too, from when they were almost top!
I have tried to find the positives in this, but am struggling.
It's not just, or even, that it's inconvenient for existing vegans. If it helped to drive up sales and therefore helped animals I'd be all for it. But new vegans or vegan curious people or non-vegans buying for vegan family and friends may struggle to find these products, because I certainly do.
Personally I don't see why there can't be a dedicated section AND a sprinkling of these products alongside the non-vegan equivalents. Everyone would be accommodated then.
I totally agree with you, there must be a better way. For example the dedicated section (like they do in the frozen and dairy aisle), but then say burgers and bacon mixed in with the meat for example.
It's the inconsistency that really annoys me I've realised haha
I'm all for integrating the vegan and animal products because I'm hoping it makes non-vegans think more about their choices and consider the wide choice of vegan products available. If the vegan products are out of sight they're out-of-mind, too. Seeing healthier options, and being curious about how they taste must surely intrigue and engage animal - consuming people?
I really do hope this is the case, and I'm sure if it is successful it will be matched by other supermarkets - let's see! Although I will say, it was a real faff trying to find them all 😂
Also I do like the idea a few people have mentioned of is there a world where there is a vegan section and then in key areas e.g. bacon, sausages, burgers are mixed in, as it's just one product could potentially work if the upside is as big as they say!
What did you end up buying?! I love a shopping haul, even a mini haul.
This may shock you: I bought NOTHING!! I got so fed up I went over the road to Asda to do some more filming and purchasing! hahaha video to come - which is VERY different to this one...in a good way!
I’m pleased someone else has found the new changes disappointing and confusing. I feel M&S are adding items rather reluctantly…..probably wishing vegans would just go away!
I honestly feel very similar. It’s just my opinion, but I agree it felt like they’d kind of given up on the offering and a focus on meat items. But we will see over the next few months what they do!
Yep, seems like they hate us!!
Packaging changes always come with new items but they may be launched at various points over a couple of months. As for the mixing them with the main areas its simple. Its all about trying to sell enough to keep making them. Most dedicated plant kitchen rather than just happen to be Vegan is very low volume, they rarely sell enough to make much of a profit & many they have been losing money on for years. If they can get that 7% boost you said the other supermarket got then its a huge win.
Thanks for the comment! I am very interested to see how it goes as if it does drive up sales then I will be the first to encourage it! Also reading further I found that 90% of plant based alternative purchases are made by non-vegans/non-veggies. - so although I don’t like it, I hope it works!
However I do challenge your last point, that they have been ‘losing money/low profit for years’ as all the data I read says the opposite.
Also the comparison of the dedicated plant kitchen and accidentally vegan. Yes the former is lower volume, but youll find this is negated with the typically higher costs in-store, compared to the standard offerings which benefit from volume of scale, but are lower priced.
@@YourVeganFoodExplorer Sorry to tell you but I spent 13 years ordering food for M&S stores in several departments. I remember the introduction of many current lines, I know what they sold & what the wastage costs were. I even knew how much the development cost, the packaging cost & what minimum print runs of sleeves do to the bottom line as well as the margins. Unlike many other food stores M&S will keep a line going if it adds to the entire package even if they make little from it. But anything you see too many yellow stickers consistently like these new Brain food lines can't last. As for pricing unless its changed recently M&S have a very basic way of calculating retail prices. They make the best they can, then work out what it costs to make & add a standard margin on top. Everyone else does it in reverse. A price point minus margin & a request to a supplier to make something that costs that much. Its how you get the crazy high prices on some things from M&S. Its what it cost to make.
I hate tryin to find everyyhing..im disabled n find alot is top shelf..so i need help reaching stuff down ..itsaweful..the oatshake is amazing ..really tasty.
Oh that’s SERIOUSLY annoying! Especially if also need to find where the heck they’ve actually put items now too!
Ok the oat shake looked incredible, will need to pick it up!
@YourVeganFoodExplorer even my son who isnt vegan loves that shake..its good..thankyou for doin these vids .ive got the waitrose app and even ocado to try..will give them a go in afew weeks or so.given me afew ideas..usually im tesco or asda but i like a change n to try new stuff.the cheezes in waitrose look amazing.my go to is the cathedral city ..applewood used to be but since they changed hands just not the same.
Thanks
You’re very welcome!
M&S is no doubt a more upmarket shop, so I wouldn’t be surprised if their hotchpotching of vegan with non-vegan items is some sales tactic. Even looking for ordinary items in M&S is a bit disorienting, as the layout is not very standardised; perhaps an attempt to get you to saunter around the store and by extension become a vacuum for more items- might also be trying to dilute the noticeability of their now paltry offerings.
This is a GREAT shout!! You're right, I often find it quite hard to find my way round haha
And from their quote below makes me in my opinion strongly think that they have reduced the range (which I felt when walking round the store), so this way dilutes it so you don't realise?! “We have not changed the number of vegan products per se, but are in the process of changing their design, upgrading the product quality, and launching some key new lines while removing a few others and changing their position in store.”
Thank you for this wise, helpful vlog. Must've been painful to have to track down the kind stuff in among all the cruelty 😔
I've watched and loved your channel for several years and love your positivity and energy. It's rare for you to be critical so when you are I know that we definitely have a problem. (Remembering the terrible Christmas sandwich though 🥪🎅😢! Other than that I can't recall many or any negative reviews of stuff. You always TRY to find a positive 👏)
The dusty jars 😮
Firstly: right back at you, when I see your comments I always smile! Or often laugh at your jokes!!
And secondly, you're totally right, I have worked in my professional job with food brands before and I know it's hard to do everything right and there's often method behind the madness. But this felt personally to me like they had made the wrong decision at every move - it also took me ages to walk round! haha
BUT let's see what happens and an update film is needed in a few months I think!
Could hardly find any plant kitchen items in my local M&S…sad
I’m glad it wasn’t just me, I found it incredibly difficult too! Really sad to see, but fingers crossed they can keep changing it until it works again 🤞🤞
All that plastic, better to cook homemade.
Yes I agree with you! But sometimes needs must :)
Not everyone can or wants to. I'm vegan for the animals so if there's no cruelty in a product it's fine by me. I am mostly whole food plant based for my health and avoid plastic where I can, but I'm glad these products are here for those who approach this beautiful life another way.
Apparently it's non vegans that buy the most vegan products so I can see why they've done this. Also labelling food 'plant based' rather than vegan increases sales. I'm just gutted that the iconic large spicy vegan pizza has now been discontinued. This was the best shop bought pizza available and hugely popular, so it baffles me why it went during the rebranding.
I agree with all your points tbh, but my annoyance is they’ve done all of the things at the same time e.g. mixed the products, removed some of my favourites, removed the iconic branding. Hoping that their move grows the vegan purchases and they bring the pizza back!
@@YourVeganFoodExplorer Even without that iconic blue Plant Kitchen branding you know vegan food just gonna keep expanding. People are learning that food equals health.
Think it may help people, to have meat free day s ❤
From doing more research it does seem like there are a hugely disproportionate amount of non-vegan or even veggie buyers who buy vegan products (one study said up to 90% of all purchases!), so I really hope it works!
My only ask is they bring back the awesome old branding to make it easier to find! Haha
Meat reducers will seek out items. Surely they know that 🙄
I agree with you, and having it on a dedicated section surely makes it easier to find for everyone.
Great for getting meat eaters to try alternative options, time-consuming at best for veggie/vegans 🤦🏻♀️
So from doing more research it does seem like a huge/disproportionate amount of vegan product buyers are not veggie or vegan. So fingers crossed this approach works!
My only other thought is it may sound silly but it was genuinely very hard to find the products in M&S, and when you are actually just trying to find a vegan burger it’s a right pain in the a$$ 🤣
I'm glad that M&S are at least keeping up (and even increasing) their vegan range, which has always been impressive. I'd rather they keep all the vegan stuff separate of course, but it will be fun seeking out the good stuff on my next visit...! 🤣🤡
If it keeps growing then I totally agree and hope it works! 🙌🙌
Not in my local store. I used to spend most of my shopping there now I am going in less and less as they no longer stock vegan and veggie food.We have gone from an entire section to 2 items.. one in the meat fridges and one in the pie section with occasional vegan porridge