Strategic intelligence, not another product catalogue

The Category Edge is a monthly intelligence publication from seventy-8 Consulting. Each edition tracks the most significant innovation movements across North America, Europe and ASPAC to help early insight into intelligent signals for helping you decide which Insights need to become actions.

We do not cover every launch. We cover the ones that matter, with a clear read on the implications for UK and EU brands. There is a difference, and it is the reason subscribers keep renewing.

The format is built around five to seven curated innovation signals per edition, each with product detail, market context, and a direct answer to the question most market reports refuse to answer: what should we actually do about this?
Every monthly edition covers:

Format and category innovation - which new product formats are gaining traction in the US and ANZ, what the growth data looks like, and how long before that format reaches UK retail.

NPD signal tracking - specific brand launches with pricing, distribution footprint, ingredient detail, and positioning rationale. Named brands. Named retailers. Named price points.

Consumer trend analysis - from GLP-1 medication adoption to UPF backlash to female supplementation, The Category Edge tracks behavioural shifts with data, not gut feeling.

UK and EU implications - every signal is translated into a direct read for British and European operators. Not "this is interesting globally" - but "here is your 6-month window and here is what to do with it."

Competitive landscape context - which brands are winning in adjacent markets, what positioning is driving that, and where the gaps are.

The intelligence infrastructure serious sports nutrition operators actually use

Three publications. One suite. Built for people who make strategic decisions and cannot afford to make them on incomplete information.

The seventy-8 Intelligence Suite covers everything from weekly NPD tracking to monthly strategic deep-dives. If you are responsible for brand strategy, category development, retail ranging, product development, or investment decisions in sports nutrition or FMCG wellness, this is the research budget that pays for itself.

Three publications. One coherent view of the market.

The seventy-8 Intelligence Suite is a set of three complementary intelligence publications, each doing a different job. They are designed to work together - but each stands alone if you only need one layer.

Most market research is either too broad to be actionable or too narrow to see the pattern. The Intelligence Suite is built around a different model: specific data, named brands, named retailers, named price points, and a direct opinion on what it means for UK and EU operators.

No filler. No neutral summaries. No conclusions that amount to "monitor this space."

Weekly market intelligence for operators who need to stay ahead, not catch up

Published every Monday. The Weekly Supplement and Health Lowdown covers the seven to ten most significant market movements from the preceding week across UK, EU, North America, and ANZ.

Each edition covers:

M&A activity and corporate moves - acquisitions, funding rounds, licensing deals, and distribution partnerships with a direct read on what they signal for category direction.

Protein pricing and commodity watch - WPC80, WPI, clear whey, plant proteins, collagen peptides. Current European and US pricing with directional indicators and supply chain context.

Regulatory radar - EFSA opinions, FSA updates, Novel Food developments, MHRA changes, HFSS implications, and EU member-state enforcement actions that will affect your product portfolio.

Product launch pulse - the most strategically relevant new launches from the week, with ingredient detail, pricing, distribution, and positioning rationale.

Consumer and channel intelligence - GLP-1 adoption data, DTC versus retail shift signals, demographic changes, and retailer strategy movements.

The seventy-8 take - a direct editorial read on the week's biggest story and what it means for UK and EU brands. Not balanced. Opinionated. Correct more often than not.

The take on recent industry news, analysis and intreprestation to gather actionable thoughts for your business, category plans and commercial strategy

Recent themes have included the protein soda category building in US functional beverage retail, the female creatine market that no UK brand has properly addressed, GLP-1-specific protein bar formulation and medical channel distribution, ultra-filtered milk RTDs and the narrowing window for European dairy operators, and the UPF regulatory pressure that is rewriting clean label requirements across North America.

Each report highlights signals, opportunities and actions.

INTELLIGENCE SUITE Annual gives you access to The full thinking, detailed reporting and actionable insights, plus access to our topical updates.

The Full Intelligence Suite at £2,995 per year saves £390 against individual subscriptions and is designed for commercial leads, category directors, and investment teams who need complete market coverage.

All subscriptions include access to the full back catalogue from subscription start date.The suite is read by brand directors and CCOs at sports nutrition, functional food, and wellness brands tracking competitive moves and NPD direction.

Category managers and commercial leads using weekly NPD data to inform retail ranging conversations and buyer presentations.

VP-level and C-suite operators in PE-backed brands who need market context for strategic planning and board-level decisions.

Private equity associates and investment managers tracking category consolidation, brand valuation benchmarks, and acquisition targets in UK and EU sports nutrition.

Retail buyers at grocery multiples and specialist channels who need a read on what is coming into UK distribution from North American and ANZ markets.

Independent consultants and advisers working with brands and investors across sports nutrition and functional FMCG.

Sparking your innovative Ideas to build commercial pipelines

Intelligence in. Investable ideas out.
Bespoke in-person innovation workshops that turn category intelligence into investable NPD ideas. Consumer-centric. Commercially rigorous. Built for brand teams ready to move from insight to brief to bench.

From category signal to NPD brief - in a single day

Most innovation sessions produce a wall of Post-it notes and a follow-up email that nobody acts on.

seventy-8 Innovation Workshops are built differently. Every session starts with real category intelligence, runs through structured commercial and consumer thinking, and ends with a set of NPD ideas specific enough to take to bench-top formulation, commercial assessment, and consumer validation.

In-person. Bespoke. No templates recycled from another client's category.

Stage 1: Signal download

Stage 2: Consumer-centric ideation

Stage 3: NPD brief development

Here is What you leave with - Ideas specific enough to take to bench and buyer

Every workshop produces a set of deliverables built for immediate commercial use.

A curated NPD ideas shortlist - typically three to six concepts prioritised by consumer relevance, commercial viability, and speed to market. Each concept is specific: format, format rationale, ingredient direction, positioning territory, and retail channel target.

Structured NPD briefs for each prioritised concept, ready for bench-top formulation, commercial assessment, and consumer research routing.

A post-workshop summary report delivered within five working days, capturing the session outputs, the rationale behind prioritisation decisions, and the recommended next steps for each concept.

Full day Hosted workshops from : £5,500 + VAT

Full Innovation Day with Crafter outputs Price: £9,500 + VAT.

Up to twelve participants. Best for: teams building a pipeline from scratch or entering a new category or format territory. Covers all three stages in full. Output: three to six NPD briefs with consumer rationale, commercial assessment, category white space map, and post-workshop summary report.

NPD Pipeline Builder Price: £17,500 + VAT
Two days workshop, Up to fifteen participants. Best for: brands with a 12-18 month NPD window who need a fully structured innovation pipeline with commercial and consumer validation routing built in.

Day one covers signal download, category immersion, and ideation. Day two covers commercial assessment, brief development, and pipeline prioritisation. Output: a full NPD pipeline document with five to eight prioritised concepts, structured briefs, commercial models, and a consumer validation plan for each concept. We then work with your teams to build a solid, robust and insight driven pipeline to help you realise your commercial goals

Price: £17,500 + VAT

We do not arrive on the day and wing it

Every seventy-8 Innovation Workshop is preceded by a structured preparation process. Before the session, we conduct a full review of your existing portfolio and NPD pipeline, a category intelligence build specific to your brief and competitive set, and a stakeholder alignment call to ensure the day is built around your actual strategic questions - not a generic innovation framework.

This preparation is included in the workshop fee. It is what separates a productive day from a day that produces ideas you already had.

Built from 25 years inside the category

seventy-8 Innovation Workshops are led by Karl, founder of seventy-8 Consulting, with 25 years of experience across FMCG growth strategy, category development, consumer insight, product management, and innovation.

Book a discovery call

If you are planning an innovation sprint, building a 12-month NPD pipeline, or entering a new category and need to move quickly, the first step is a 30-minute discovery call. No pitch. No deck. A direct conversation about your brief and whether a workshop is the right format to address it.

karl@seventy-8.co.uk | +44 (0) 7876 527192 | www.seventy-8.co.uk

Client Intelligence Briefings & NPD scoping

Not every strategic question fits a standard publication. Client Intelligence Briefings are bespoke research and analysis reports commissioned for a specific category, competitive set, or market question.

Typical briefs include category white space analysis for NPD pipeline decisions, competitive landscape mapping before a retail ranging review, market entry intelligence for brands considering UK or EU expansion, investment due diligence support for PE firms acquiring or evaluating sports nutrition assets, and consumer segmentation and positioning analysis for specific product concepts.

Each briefing is built from primary research, industry source interviews, product analysis, and seventy-8's proprietary category knowledge. Delivered as a formatted report with an executive summary, data appendices, and a direct strategic recommendation.

From £3,500 per report. Scope and timeline agreed in advance.

Book a discovery call to discuss your brief