Mobile Menu

Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand - Market Research Report (2015-2030)

Disha Kartik Jeswanth Disha Kartik Jeswanth Melbourne, Australia Last Updated: July 2025 ANZSIC C1173NZ

Revenue

$406.6m

2025-26

$406.6m

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XX.Xm

Employees

1,372

Businesses

30

Wages

$XX.Xm

Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand industry analysis

Biscuit manufacturers have faced challenging operating conditions in recent years. Industry revenue is expected to have declined at an annualised 3.8% over the five years through 2025-26, to $406.6 million. This includes a revenue slump of 3.0% in the current year as competitive pressures continue weighing on the industry. Biscuit manufacturers are adapting to shifting market dynamics driven by evolving consumer preferences. Manufacturers turning to direct sourcing over traditional wholesaler channels is transforming supply chains, while private-label brands are intensifying competition within supermarket sales. They are also providing an avenue for biscuit manufacturers to supply products for private-label brands.
The industry is grappling with import challenges, shifting consumer preferences and pricing pressures. Imports, led by brands like Arnott's from Australia, are satisfying a growing share of domestic demand. Simultaneously, increased health consciousness is pushing consumers towards premium and healthier biscuits. While manufacturers are strategically responding to these changes by introducing premium lines, high input costs are adding to competitive pressures by constraining pricing options. Amid these fluctuations, finding a sustainable pricing balance becomes essential for continued profitability, which has fallen over the past five years on the back of these pressures.
Industry revenue is projected to grow at an annualised 0.6% through the end of 2030-31 to $419.6 million. Going forwards, the industry will face dynamic challenges and opportunities. The rise of low-priced private-label products and an influx of cost-efficient imports, particularly from Australia and Asia, will compel domestic manufacturers to reduce prices to maintain competitiveness, affecting overall profitability. Increasing health awareness is also set to drive a shift from traditional high-fat and high-sugar biscuits to healthier alternatives. While this poses new challenges, it also sparks opportunities for innovation. Strategic cost-cutting measures, like reducing staff, will help sustain industry profit margins amid these competitive pressures. Navigating these various factors is critical for sustainability.

Trends and Insights

  • The industry is confronting significant import competition, particularly from Australia, which caters to a sizable share of domestic demand. This challenge, alongside rising health consciousness, creates a tough competitive landscape for manufacturers.
  • High import competition has led to a dip in chocolate biscuits’ contribution to the industry. Despite their popularity and premium market reach, these products have faced stiff competition, particularly from Australian products.
  • Over 60% of biscuit manufacturers are clustered in Auckland and Canterbury because of their high populations and superior logistics. Canterbury's robust agricultural sector ensures easy access to essential raw materials, adding to its appeal.
  • The industry mainly competes based on price and quality. Rising health consciousness is encouraging consumers to pay premiums for high-quality, healthy biscuit products.
Show more

Get more expert insights that help you cut through the noise.

Get fast answers to complex questions about your business or your client’s industry. Annual memberships include unlimited access to data and analysis for thousands of industries globally.

Get in Touch

Power confident decisions with data that connects the dots

  • Market estimates from 2015-2030
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
  • Flexible access in online database via PPT, XLS, Word downloads or AI Chat
  • 100% money back guarantee

How you can access insights on the Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand industry

The Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand Industry Report is available in multiple formats to fit seamlessly into your workflow.

Comprehensive PDF

Complete analysis, charts and statistic tables in a PDF.

IBISWorld Industry Report Download sample

Ask Phil AI

Generative AI answers driven exclusively by trusted in-house analysts.

IBISWorld Phil AI receiving a prompt
Learn More

My IBISWorld Platform

A web based platform covering thousands of industries and companies globally.

IBISWorld Phil AI receiving a prompt Book a Demo

Related Coverage

Understand the landscape with full access to an IBISWorld license

Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2015-2030)

Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 3.8 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $406.6m in 2025.

Trends and Insights

Online shopping, wholesale bypass and competition from private-label products are changing the operating environment

  • Supermarkets and grocery stores, traditionally buying through wholesalers, represent the industry's main sales platform for biscuits. This sector's revenue share has expanded due to wholesale bypass and pandemic-driven changes in consumer behaviour, like increased online grocery shopping.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand
Revenue (2015-2030)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2025-2030)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Pressure from private-label products and sustained import competition will limit revenue growth

  • Major supermarkets, like Foodstuffs with its Pams brand and Countdown with its diverse biscuit and cracker flavours, are already introducing competitive private-label products, with this trend set to continue for years to come.

Biggest companies in the Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand

Company
Market Share (%)
2026
Revenue ($m)
2026
Snack Brands
238.1
Cookie Time
82.0
Molly Woppy Limited
3.4

To view the market share and analysis for all 3 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Sweet biscuits, Crackers and crispbreads and Chocolate biscuits. Sweet biscuits is the largest segment of the Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand.

Trends and Insights

A growing preference for healthy snacks is expanding demand for crackers and crispbreads

  • Crackers and crispbreads are baked biscuits that are often savoury and include added ingredients like herbs, salt and seeds. This segment also includes rice crackers and wafers.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Industry manufacturers produce biscuits in factories. Players also produce biscuit dough, ice cream cones and rusk. Companies that manufacture biscuits and sell directly to consumers from the same premises are excluded from the industry.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand include Crackers and crispbreads, Sweet biscuits, Chocolate biscuits, Gingerbread and shortbread biscuits, Ice cream cones and rusks and Cookie dough.

Companies

Companies covered in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand include Snack Brands, Cookie Time and Molly Woppy Limited.

Purchase this report to view all 3 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

Related terms covered in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand include private label, goji berries and rusk.

Industry Code

ANZSIC 2006

ANZSIC 1173 - Biscuit Manufacturing in New Zealand

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The industry is confronting significant import competition, particularly from Australia, which caters to a sizable share of domestic demand. This challenge, alongside rising ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Employees, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Businesses, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Profit, including historical (2015-2025)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

High import competition has led to a dip in chocolate biscuits’ contribution to the industry. Despite their popularity and premium market reach, these products have faced sti...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets
  • International Trade

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2025
  • Product innovation level
  • Total imports, level and trend
  • Total exports, level and trend
  • Trade Balance

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2025
  • Major market segmentation in 2025
  • International trade, including imports by country and exports by country

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
  • Recent trends in import and export volumes, country of origin or destination, and expected future trends

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Over 60% of biscuit manufacturers are clustered in Auckland and Canterbury because of their high populations and superior logistics. Canterbury's robust agricultural sector e...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2025

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2025
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Asia Pacific, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

The industry mainly competes based on price and quality. Rising health consciousness is encouraging consumers to pay premiums for high-quality, healthy biscuit products.

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2020-2025
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Universal Robina Corporation's 2014 acquisition of Griffin's Foods aimed to capitalise on the Asia-Pacific market. However, Griffin's Foods was sold to the Intersnack Group i...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2021 through 2025
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2025
  • Overview of Snack Brands's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of Cookie Time's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of Molly Woppy Limited's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Snack Brands, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Cookie Time, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Molly Woppy Limited, and factors influencing its performance in the industry

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

As health awareness grows, manufacturers are shifting towards healthier, low-sugar, low-fat options. Robust disposable incomes are driving demand for premium biscuits, but un...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Rising import penetration has squeezed manufacturers' profit margins. This persistent competition, which has reduced the industry's pricing power, underscores a notably compe...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2015-2030)
  • Revenue per Employee (2015-2030)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • Employees per Establishment (2015-2030)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • Average Wage (2015-2030)
  • Wages/Revenue (2015-2030)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • IVA/Revenue (2015-2030)
  • Imports/Demand (2015-2030)
  • Exports/Revenue (2015-2030)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2015-2030)
  • IVA (2015-2030)
  • Establishments (2015-2030)
  • Enterprises (2015-2030)
  • Employment (2015-2030)
  • Exports (2015-2030)
  • Imports (2015-2030)
  • Wages (2015-2030)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand in 2025?

The market size of the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand is $406.6m in 2025.

How many businesses are there in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand in 2025?

There are 30 businesses in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.1 % between 2020 and 2025.

How may import tariffs affect the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand?

The Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand is likely to be significantly impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a high share of industry revenue.

How may export tariffs affect the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand?

The Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand is likely to be impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a moderate share of industry revenue.

Has the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand has been declining at a CAGR of 3.8 % between 2020 and 2025.

What is the forecast growth of the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand?

The biggest companies operating in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand are Snack Brands, Cookie Time and Molly Woppy Limited

What does the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand include?

Crackers and crispbreads and Sweet biscuits are part of the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand?

The company holding the most market share in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand is Snack Brands.

How competitive is the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand?

The level of competition is high and increasing in the Biscuit Manufacturing industry in New Zealand.

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in New Zealand include:

  • Statistics New Zealand
  • New Zealand Company Register
  • Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.

feedback