Spark it up

The entire Birds Eye beef burger range can be barbecued straight from frozen

With a long winter behind us, everyone is looking forward to some outdoor living this summer. ShelfLife looks at the key products you should stock to take full advantage of the season

Brand Central

11 May 2012

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BBQ

AT A GLANCE: BBQ

Birds Eye is the number one brand in frozen food with 17.4% market share* (AC Nielsen MAT 25 MAR/12)
Chef holds the number two position in table sauces
The ‘Heinz Summer Sauces 2012’ campaign will see extensive support across the summer months for Heinz Tomato Ketchup, the recently relaunched Heinz Barbecue Sauces, Heinz Salad Cream and Heinz Mayonnaise
Irish Pride is the number one brand in the soft rolls category
Florette remains Ireland’s number one salad brand, commanding a 24.6% share of total Irish salad sales
Florette Crispy is the number one selling line within the bagged salad category

While the barbecue was traditionally only used when the sun was splitting the stones, Irish people enjoy the taste of barbecue foods so much that they are using their barbecues from May all the way through to October, despite the weather conditions being less than perfect. This summer will see increased barbecue occasions compared with the last few summers due to the London Olympics and the green army going to Poland for Euro 2012. For those who can’t afford the trip, they will be taking full advantage at home by trading up to premium products to entertain at home.

A Birds Eye burger

Birds Eye is the number one brand in frozen food with 17.4% market share* (Source: AC Nielsen MAT 25 MAR/12). Birds Eye is also the number one advertiser in frozen food and continuously aims to drive consumers down the frozen fixture.

In 2012, Birds Eye will re-launch the entire beef burger range in new eye catching packaging, creating more awareness, differentiation and stand out on shelf among consumers. The range consists of 2oz, 4oz and 6oz beef burgers and is targeted at both adults and children.

Birds Eye Original Beef Burgers, Quarter Pounders, and Steakhouse Mega Burgers are all made with 100% Irish beef. The Bord Bia Quality Assurance logo is now situated on front of pack highlighting the commitment to superior beef quality and making it easier for consumers to buy Irish beef. The entire Birds Eye beef burger range can be barbecued straight from frozen which adds to their convenient appeal this BBQ season.

In time for this summer, Birds Eye has re-launched Birds Eye Steakhouse Mega Burgers with onion. These big bite juicy burgers are ideal for BBQs with friends and now include tasty ingredients delivering an even better tasting product. Birds Eye will be supporting the range this summer with deep cut promotions and heavy in-store POS.

Sizzlin’ with Chef!

Chef is a favourite staple in Irish households and holds the number two position in table sauces. Chef is the ultimate symbol of quality and Irish tradition, with the unique blend of spices giving Chef that distinct flavour.

The Chef range of sauces is a must have for outdoor dining and the summer BBQ season with a range of sizzlin’ sauces and accompaniments. Chef BBQ sauce is ideal for barbecued food, perfect for steaks, burgers, chicken wings or sausages, guaranteeing the ultimate barbecue taste every time. The Chef range includes; Chef Ketchup, Chef Brown Sauce, Chef Salad Cream, Chef BBQ Sauce, Chef Relish, Chef Beetroot, Chef Pickles and Chef Vinegar. Chef has recently launched a new range of bbq accompaniments. Available in a convenient 385g top down format, there are two varieties to choose from; XXX Hot Ketchup and Seriously Smokey BBQ Sauce.

The Chef brand is owned and distributed by Valeo Foods.

For more information, visit www.valeofoods.ie.

Heinz1

Summer sauce campaign for Heinz

The ‘Heinz Summer Sauces 2012’ campaign will see extensive support across the summer months for Heinz Tomato Ketchup, the recently relaunched Heinz Barbecue Sauces, Heinz Salad Cream and Heinz Mayonnaise. The campaign will span the summer months and lead with a dedicated ‘Heinz Summer Sauces’ TV commercial, supported by strong radio and digital support. In keeping with the ‘It has to be Heinz’ Digital and Masterbrand strategies Heinz will issue an extensive update to the highly successful Heinz BBQ Smartphone app launched in 2011, along with a new look BBQ section on the dedicated Heinz website for Ireland www.IthastobeHeinz.ie. Digital support will also include display and mobile media along with integration with ‘It has to Heinz’ Ireland on Facebook to ensure that Irish consumers derive maximum enjoyment from summer eating occasions through strong engagement with the Heinz Sauces range.

Heinz

Heinz Tomato Ketchup is synonymous with taste and what better accompaniment for summertime barbecues than the extensive Heinz Tomato Ketchup range. Boasting a large variety of sizes, Heinz Tomato Ketchup is available in glass, squeezy and top down formats. Heinz Top Down Tomato Ketchup, available in 460g, 700g and 910KG sizes, offers the benefits of an innovative no mess, no waste, stay-clean cap and all the taste of Ireland’s favourite tomato ketchup with a 58.7% share of the tomato ketchup category in ROI. (Nielsen: March 2012).

Heinz

Barbecue sauce is popular indoors all year round but is also the ideal accompaniment to barbecued foods making it a household essential in summer months. HJ Heinz, the market leader in barbecue sauce holds a combined market share of 46.2% (Source: Nielsen: March 2012), across its two barbecue brands, Heinz and HP.

Recently relaunched in two new varieties, Heinz Classic Barbecue and Heinz Sticky Barbecue are available in the highly convenient Heinz Top Down format.

The HP range of sauces, from H.J. Heinz, includes HP Classic Woodsmoke and Spicy Woodsmoke varieties in glass and top down formats.

Heinz Salad Cream has been popular with generations of Irish consumers. Heinz Salad Cream offers consumers lots of choice with regular, light and extra light varieties in a range of pack formats including glass, squeezy and top down. The Heinz salad cream range also includes the highly successful Weight Watchers from Heinz Salad dressing.

Made only using free range eggs Heinz Mayonnaise in Regular and Light varieties has grown significantly since launch in both top down and glass formats and following the upcoming Heinz Summer Sauces 2012 support is set for further growth.

They’re kinda proud of it

The soft rolls category is one of the key categories in the bread market. It has grown in importance in recent years as consumer eating habits evolve. The Irish consumer enjoys variety in their diets and the soft rolls category gives the consumer a perfect alternative to the sliced pan offering everything from burger buns to floury baps and healthy rolls.

Irish Pride is the number one brand in the soft rolls category. The brand has delivered consistent growth in recent years and it has also been the main driver of innovation offering the consumer high quality products and great value.

The Irish Pride Bunsters burger bun and hot dog roll range is perfect for any barbecue, while the Irish Pride Bap range allows our consumers to enjoy either the soft texture of a floury bap or a healthier high fibre option with the Healthy Grain Bap.

This summer Irish Pride will be encouraging everyone to get barbequing by teaming up with Calor Ireland to bring consumers a fantastic on-pack promotion.

For 12 weeks, one lucky person will win a retro Memphis Barbecue. In addition, four weekly winners will receive hamper packs with Irish Pride products, as well as Calor vouchers for patio gas cylinders, parasols and summer game, all the ingredients for the perfect barbecue get-together. To be in with a chance to win, Irish Pride are asking consumers to send their favourite barbecue burger recipes. The on-pack promotion is being supported with point of sale in-store.

Commenting on the competition, Claire Jackson, marketing manager said: “Irish Pride wants to encourage consumers to get the barbecues out early this year and we are delighted to team up with another well known brand, Calor Ireland to help consumers barbeque in style this summer".

Florette flourish

Nigel Cooke, sales manager at Florette

Nigel Cooke, sales manager for Florette speaks to SheflLife about how retailers can take advantage of the summer barbecue season

How is Florette currently performing in terms of sales within the Irish market?

Florette remains Ireland’s number one salad brand, commanding a 24.6% share of total Irish salad sales. Listings are strong and each of the major multiples stocks a variety of up to eight Florette lines. While our latest Nielsen data highlights that the category is actually slowing, we believe that this is the time when the Florette brand, as the category leader, can really drive the category forward more than ever through NPD and marking investment. This will be to inspire and engage existing customers to drive frequency of purchase, as well as attract new consumers.

In terms of how individual products are performing, the brand’s shining star is Florette Crispy, which is the number one selling line within the bagged salad category. Our pre Baby Leaf and Leafy Rocket lines are also successful performers being our second and third biggest lines respectively.

The barbecue/ summer season is a key selling period for retailers and manufactures alike, is there anything new in your offering to capture sales during this summer?

To further boost sales this summer we have harnessed the success of our signature Crispy product by creating a Sweet Crispy mix, which we forecast to increase sales by 20%. It is a new variant for those who prefer sweeter or milder leaf mixes, designed to satisfy the palettes of existing Florette fans, as well as attract significant numbers of new shoppers to the brand and the crispy salad segment as a whole.

The Crispy NPD development will be the hero of Florette’s 2012 EUR*6m marketing campaign in the UK and Ireland, taking pride of place across the brand’s significant TV, radio and national print spend to help further drive value and new users to the category during what is set to be a key season.

In addition we have launched our new range Duo in response to use witnessing a distinct trend for consumers to buy more adventurous leaves because they want to be excited and inspired by their salad choices. The range has been designed to excite and inspire premium consumers bringing together taste and style to the plate, through the combination of the perfect leaf partnership. The Duo range expertly pairs popular mono leaves together in a handy 70g grab bag and currently offers Lambs Lettuce & Wild Rocket plus Lambs Lettuce & Ruby Chard, both priced from €1.59.

Florette has have launched the new range Duo in response to a distinct trend for consumers to buy more adventurous leaves

Do you believe Florette offers consumers value for money and can compete against own brand alternatives?

Yes, Florette absolutely offers consumers value-for-money and this is down to the highest standards of product quality that the brand offers. Florette stands out from the competition because it can be relied on by retailer and consumers alike for product excellence, resulting in market leading shelf life and the guarantee of freshness, quality and taste. This quality is ensured thanks to the choice and location of salad growers, our leaf specifications, farming processes, through to the selection of the leaves themselves – in other words from ‘field to fork’. We work closely with our farmers – significantly 95% of our farmers are contracted to us – so we can ensure they meet our exact leaf specifications and we choose our fields with great care so that our lettuces can enjoy the very best growing conditions.

What advice would you offer retailers to help drive sales in your category?

The summer months prompt a significant rise in sales for Florette – a massive 50% of our salads are traditionally sold during the summer months of May, June, July and August. And with this summer shaping up to offer a unique season thanks to an exciting line up of sport and celebration, 2012 is set to bring a significant uplift in sales and retailers need to make sure they don’t miss out.

Retailers can quickly and easily capitalise on the trend for buying more pre-packed salads in the summer months. Importantly, they need to have plenty of product in stock at key purchasing times to maximise those all important heat waves, major sporting occasions and bank holidays. Florette supports retailers with this by keeping them up-to-date with weather predictions and offers guidance on stock levels.

Retailers also need to make sure they are encouraging purchases by ensuring point of sale is highly visible and well-positioned around relevant fixtures and that any promotion is clearly highlighted. This is something Florette supports retailers with, so it’s important to ask the right questions of suppliers. We can help retailers by drawing on our wealth of consumer insight together with previous experience to shape a blend of marketing activity that reaches exactly the right people and places, at the right time.

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