Chill out!
Convenience trumps everything for many consumers, and the frozen aisle is the home of convenience. From ready-made meals to roundthe-clock snacks and brand new products, frozen has it all and in this month’s category focus we take a look at new and existing offerings that will be flying off the shelves…not to mention some new actual shelves. Read on…
Print18 February 2016
At a Glance: Frozen
- Frozen makes up approx. 5% in value of the Irish shopping basket while fresh and chilled accounts for 46%*.
- According to Bord Bia research approximately half of the content of consumers’ freezers was purchased fresh and then frozen**.
- Increased online food shopping is a significant opportunity for frozen. In the UK, online baskets show a 25% increase in frozen sale***
- The global frozen prepared food industry is experiencing strong growth was expected to reach sales of €142 billion by 2015***
- A Global Industry Analysts report from 2013 predicted the global market for frozen fruits and vegetables would reach 22.6 million tons by 2015
- Emerging processing innovation, such as high pressure processing (HPP), which allows the shelf life of many fresh and chilled foods to be extended, could weaken the comparative advantage of frozen if the category does not continue to innovate***
* (Source: Kantar 12 weeks to 07 Dec ’14).
**(Source: Bord Bia: Understanding the Frozen Category from a Consumer Perspective)
***(Source: Bord Bia 2013: The Future of Frozen Food)
The Doctor is in!
Established in 1891, Dr. Oetker is the number two pizza supplier in Ireland with 29.1% value market share*. The company’s philosophy, “Quality is the best recipe”, ensures the finest quality in all its products.
Ristorante
Found in nearly four hundred thousand households, Ristorante by Dr. Oetker delivers authentic Italian pizzeria taste and premium quality. With 8 flavours to choose from, Ristorante pizzas are inspired by authentic Italian recipes and prepared using only the finest quality toppings on a light and crispy base.
Each Ristorante pizza is then frozen to lock in the flavours at the peak of their freshness. 9 out of 10 people in Dr. Oetker’s taste challenge agreed that Ristorante provided the Best Pizzeria Taste of any home cooked pizza**.
This year, Ristorante will be supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign and in-store promotional activity.
Bistro
Bistro is a range of authentic baguettes by Dr. Oetker. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with delicious French-inspired toppings. Perfect as a lunchtime snack or for a casual evening with friends, Bistro, the number two brand within snacking*, comes in three delicious flavours – Tomate Fromage, Salami and Spéciale.
Pizzinis
Pizzinis are perfect for busy parents who are looking for a convenient and tasty hot snack for their kids in between meals. Priced at €1.99, Pizzinis Cheese & Tomato or Ham & Cheese mini pizzas are great with curly fries or wedges.
Chicago Town
Pulled Beef Brisket is part of an impressive limited edition range
Chicago Town is the number two frozen pizza brand* in Ireland and continues to be a firm family favourite in over 300,000 households. At the heart of Chicago Town’s success is Chicago Town Takeaway, boosted by a series of Limited Editions and on-pack promotions. With its fresh dough base that rises in the oven, Chicago Town Takeaway is worth over €5m*, with three Chicago Town Takeaways sold every minute in Ireland. Chicago Town comes in 5 flavours: Pepperoni, Cheese, Chicken & Bacon Melt, and new American Hot and Limited Edition Pulled Beef Brisket, it is a must-stock item in any freezer.
Chicago Town Deep Dish is Ireland’s number one Snacking pizza*. Flavours include Cheese, Pepperoni, and New Yorker, all full of taste from brim to base, Deep Dish is a great convenience product for those looking for a tasty snack.
Pizza Melt
Pizza Melt is a clever combination of a burger and a pizza
Is it a burger? Is it a pizza? No, it’s The Pizza Melt. Launched in September 2015, it has caused quite a stir amongst burger and pizza lovers. A light and crispy bun bursting with tasty mouthwatering toppings, it’s the ultimate snack. Simply bake in the oven, sandwich together and enjoy. In 2016, Chicago Town is adding BBQ Chicken to the range so make sure to stock up on this exciting and innovative new product.
In 2016, Chicago Town will be supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign and in- store promotional activity. For more visit www.chicagotown.com and follow on Twitter @ChicagoTownIre.
*Source: Nielsen ROI Scantrack Value MAT 52 w/e 24th January 2016 (excluding Dunnes & Discounters)
** Source: Survey of 58,037 UK Ristorante buyers 17th August 2015 2nd November 2015 and 2,000 ROI Ristorante buyers 11th September 2015 – 31st October 2015. 52,700 (90%) UK and 1,829 (91%) ROI participants agreed with the statement “Ristorante has the best pizzeria taste of any pizza I have purchased to cook at home”.
Cool redesign
As Ireland’s leading frozen food brand, Birds Eye continues to drive category recovery in Frozen through both Core and Innovation. Purchase frequency on Birds Eye core categories of Fish, Poultry, Vegetables and Waffles has grown, while Birds Eye has led category-enhancing innovation in the Frozen area, with the launch of three major ranges since early 2014: Inspirations; Steamfresh and Stir Your Senses.
These adult-specific launches have brought premium offerings to each of the Frozen Mains, Sides and Meals sectors. In addition to these new varieties, a packaging redesign across the entire Birds Eye portfolio in early 2015 has created clear stand-out and recognisability for the Birds Eye brand at the point of purchase in store. Under the ‘Food of Life’ Masterbrand communication platform, sub-brands within Birds Eye Core and Innovation portfolios are individually supported with an integrated, always-on support strategy combining TV, out of home, digital and in-store support.
Stir Your Senses, the most recent launch from Birds Eye, is set to revolutionise the frozen meals category with a delicious new range of pan-cook authentic meals inspired by cuisines from around the world. The Stir Your Senses range includes six chef-inspired dishes from delicious Tagliatelle con Porcini and Thai Chicken with Basmati Rice to South Indian Chicken Curry.
A roast potato to rival homemade
McCain is a brand known for its potato ranges, and is set to launch its latest frozen roasts that for the first time rival the authentic taste of homemade roast potato. Made from quality potatoes, that are peeled, cut into generous chunks, par boiled and then basted in beef dripping – all consumers have to do is place them on a baking tray and cook for 40 minutes. The result is perfectly crispy roast potatoes, golden on the outside, white and fluffy on the inside, replicating the homemade taste that families have been enjoying for generations. In Ireland only 1 in 4 households** have purchased frozen roast potatoes before, highlighting a huge opportunity for growth in the frozen potato category. As part of McCain’s ongoing €1.5m through the line campaign, the launch of this new frozen roast will be supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign celebrating the next best thing to homemade – featuring TV, outdoor, print, social media and instore activity.
Pizza for the ages
Goodfella’s pizza has making Ireland’s favourite frozen pizzas for almost 25 years. The maker prides itself on bringing great-tasting authentic pizzas to households across the country.
All Goodfella’s pizzas are produced in state-of-the-art facilities in Naas and Longford, with every pizza freshly baked and frozen to lock in that delicious just baked taste. From the delicious indulgent Sweet Fellas Pizza to the new Gluten-free range, there is something for everyone to enjoy!
Beat the mealtime brain freeze
Green Isle continues to lead the way in the Frozen Food category by offering a healthy and tasty range of vegetables, chips, potato products and garlic baguettes, giving Irish families a solution for all dinnertime dilemmas. The company is also creating a stir in the frozen vegetable category with its delicious range of Thai flavoured vegetable curries, convenient for today’s consumers who are looking for quick and healthy meal solutions. Green Isle also offers a range of convenient Oven and Fry chips which are tasty & gluten free.
Building on the success of Skinny cut chips, Green Isle’s range of chips includes Green Isle Skinny Cut Spicy Chip with a mild paprika coating and is suitable for all the family. Also from Green Isle comes Carrot & Parsnip chips, a delicious vegetable alternative to classic potato chips which delivers a slightly sweet taste that everyone loves. Due to increased demand for high quality, gluten-free products, Green Isle has introduced Green Isle Lightly Spiced wedges, the first frozen Gluten Free potato wedge on the Irish market. Green Isle has also introduced one of the nation’s favourite flavours to wedges with tasty Green Isle Salt & Vinegar wedges.
Ireland’s new sweet potato brand
Strong Roots Oven Baked Sweet Potato is a brand new product
Super convenient frozen sweet potato fries are gluten free, low in saturated fat, low in salt and ready in 25 minutes Sweet potato fries have seen increased popularity but are tricky to perfect. To help consumers out, Irish start-up Handy Food has introduced Strong Roots, an oven-baked frozen sweet potato fry ready in 25 minutes. Strong Roots sweet potato fries are gluten free, low in saturated fat and low in salt. Made with rice flour batter, the chips bake to a firm and crisp texture and are suitable for a variety of uses both sweet and savoury.
Priced at €3.99 per 500g bag, Strong Roots is available in SuperValu stores nationwide, Eurospar and Spar stores in Northern Ireland and independent retailers including Fresh, Morton’s, Joyce’s, Nolans, JC Savages and Fallon & Byrne with additional Strong Roots outlets being announced in early 2016. Delicious and simple recipe ideas can also be found at www.strongroots.ie.
Strong roots also has a robust social media presence including on facebook at Strong Roots, and Twitter and Instagram under the handle @strongrootsIRL.
Overdue innovation
Very little has changed in freezer technology in the past 50 years. In comparison to in-store display methods such as fresh fruit and vegetables and bakery, frozen has developed minimally, lacking the same level of attentiveness and evolution. As a result, despite being a must-have category, Frozen is one with high operating costs and low inspiration.
Viessmann believes that this status quo must be challenged, if the frozen food aisle is to match its counter parts for shopper experience, functionality and comfort.
Design approach
Viessman is determined to meet the needs of consumers and retailers with its freezer cabinet design. To do this, the company examined different methods of maximising space efficiency, eventually settling on the concept of a completely new semi-vertical freezer.
Combining the benefits of both a freezer island and an upright freezer, Viessmann’s new design not only offers easier access to products but 80 per cent more total display area in the same amount of floor space as an island freezer. This is achieved while remaining only 1.55 m high, so it is still possible for customers to see over the cabinet and orientate themselves within the store.
Trials of Viessmann’s new cabinets were well received by staff and consumers, who described them as less physically demanding with improved product visibility and improved overall atmosphere of the frozen section.
For more information on these innovative and exciting products, visit Viessmann.com or vkag.com.
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