What if legacy brands evolved as fast as consumer expectations?
Established brands bring awareness, trust, distribution and years of consumer equity. But maintaining relevance now requires more than periodic pack changes, line extensions or promotional activity.
Western European FMCG value grew 3.4% in 2025, even as innovation value declined and innovation unit sales fell 5.8%. At the same time, more than 3,500 new brands and sub-brands entered the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain yet only one in three reached 1% of households. The message is clear in that the market is crowded, but meaningful consumer traction remains difficult to earn.
For legacy portfolios, the central question is not whether to innovate. It is where renewal will create the greatest return. Some brands may hold untapped relevance in adjacent needs, formats, channels or price tiers. Others may require sharper efficacy claims, reformulation or repositioning. Some may no longer justify continued incremental investment.
Nestlé’s agreement to sell its mainstream vitamins, minerals and supplements portfolio for USD 1 billion illustrates the wider focus on directing capital towards higher-priority, science-led growth platforms.
The opportunity lies in treating legacy brands as strategic assets and not static ones. Consumer, category, science and competitive signals can reveal where established equity should be renewed, strengthened, simplified or redeployed.
Let’s put legacy equity to work. Connect with us to identify Lifecycle Management optimization to pinpoint where renewal can create value, sharpen portfolio choices and focus investment on brands with the strongest potential for future growth.
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