2016 has been a considerably interesting year for the petcare business previously known as Wagg Foods and one of change, most notably the move into a purpose built, 100,000 sq ft DC and becoming Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN).
Tom Page, Sales & Marketing Director at IPN, told The Grocery Trader the theme throughout the year has been “progression and change,” with on-going investment across manufacturing and unprecedented support in marketing that saw Harringtons on TV with a heavyweight campaign in September.
“May saw us begin life under our new name, IPN, and as a testament to how far the business has progressed, we celebrated the opening of the warehouse and offices with David Potts, CEO of Morrisons, as our guest. Investment has been fast paced, with a new conveying system which supports increased production levels by handling a greater volume of pallets per hour.”
As the treats market has led the way with positive growth, IPN have invested further to expand production capabilities and look to move to a larger facility to accommodate this.
“One major success we are very proud of has been achieving Bronze Accreditation from Investors in the Environment which saw IPN become the only pet food manufacturer in UK to have reached this nationwide standard.”
The growth of Harringtons, running at around 30% annually, has not waned and becoming the third largest brand by value is evidence of the shift towards natural being the new middle ground.
“Growth has been seen from new shoppers in our core range but also from a significant NPD pipeline that has seen us move into the Wet Dog and Cat category while launching a Hypoallergenic range.
“In order to support the brand further, we created our largest ever media campaign in September, timed to the relaunch of the Harringtons website. Performance post campaign shows sales have taken a further upturn and so the challenge now will be to maintain this.”
Wagg had already seen a new website in May, as part of a digital campaign with the spoof video Dogglebox at the heart.
Tom concludes: “The results have enabled the brand to forge ahead in growing a community online that IPN can now look to involve in future plans. Taking on board the changes and growth this year, we’re looking forward to what 2017 will bring.”
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