Encona, the UK’s number one hot pepper sauce brand*1 is urging retailers to maximise the opportunity for table sauces by tapping into consumer interest for new, exciting flavours and hotter variants.
“The trend for scratchcooking and the growing number of people travelling to more exotic holiday destinations means consumers are looking to bring their favourite flavours from around the globe into their own kitchen. It’s crucial that retailers tailor their range and stock a diverse array of flavours to maximise table sauce sales,” says Sam Bidgood, Brand Manager at Grace Foods UK.
Consumer habits The diversity of the Encona range not only as a dip, table and side of plate sauce, but as an added ingredient in scratch-cooking, adds to its appeal.
At the same time, changing consumer habits have impacted on the popularity of certain sauces, with hotter variants coming to the fore.
Bidgood continues: “Food trends such as a growing interest in South American cuisine and ‘Tex Mex’ style cooking mean that consumers are now seeking out hotter variants and exciting new flavours.
“As a result, more and more retailers are now taking space away from traditional table sauces such as ketchup, mayonnaise and salad cream and increasing space onshelf for non-conventional condiments.
“Sales of Encona reflect this growth; our West Indian Extra Hot Pepper Sauce remains a bestseller, with value sales growing +6.7% YoY.*1”
With health becoming more of a focus than ever before for consumers, and with the consumption of salads on the rise +5% YoY*2, interest in milder variants is also on the up.
“We recognise that milder sauces have great appeal, with our Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce proving a perfect choice for those consumers who prefer less spice, as well as being the perfect accompaniment for salads and fish dishes,” says Bidgood.
Merchandising “We have found that more space is being given to seasonal events, with retailers seeing an opportunity to maximise sales by creating off shelf opportunities for brands. This gives brands like Encona an opportunity to be dual merchandised in-store gaining shelf space not only on seasonal fixtures, but also allowing consumers to shop for accompaniments next to the meat fixture and on branded merchandising units.
“We continue to educate consumers about Encona usage occasions, highlighting the versatility of our sauces and showing that our sauce can also be used as a cooking ingredient, rather than just a table sauce,” Bidgood concludes.
1 IRI UK Table Sauces (Chilli & BBQ), Value Sales, MAT 52 w/e 18th June 2016
2 Kantar. In Home / Carried Out Consumption 52 w/e 06 Dec 15
ENCONA SAUCES
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