What about Weetabix?

Weetabix has undergone a series of ownership changes as the packaged cereal marketers of the world try to change consumer behaviour regarding breakfast. In fact, the Weetabix UK website has a section titled 'Why bother with breakfast?' That sums up the marketing challenge for Weetabix at a time when many people skip breakfast or buy on the way to work/school or prefer handheld foods to cereals in a bowl. It's also a challenge gaining brand fans in markets where breakfast cereals aren't traditional.

Headquartered in Northamptonshire, Weetabix is the UK's largest cereal producer, and the wheat used in Weetabix is grown close to the company's home base. That's a plus, both for UK customers and others worldwide who like to know where their foods come from.

Weetabix was sold to a private equity firm in 2004, then resold to another private equity firm before Bright Food, a Chinese company, bought a majority stake in 2012.

Despite boosting Weetabix sales in the burgeoning market of China, consumer behaviour is slow to shift and traditional breakfast foods continue to be more popular than packaged cereals. So Bright Food decided to sell. And the buyer is US-based Post Holdings, which has a complementary set of packaged cereal products.

Weetabix's CEO says: 'The past five years have seen us increase our branded sales at home and overseas. I’m confident [Post] will help us open doors for continued expansion'.

With 611k Facebook followers, 19k Twitter followers and 11k Instagram followers, Weetabix is going social to keep its brand in the conversation and encourage consumption of packaged cereal. The Instagram description requests: 'Tag us is in your brekky snaps using #NeverendingBreakfast.'