The Publication For The Grocery Trade

Tryton re-launches Aunt Bessie's to take greater market share

Tryton Foods is re-launching its famous Aunt Bessie's brand with the aim of taking a significant share of the traditional sector of the frozen food market. The brand, famous for its Yorkshire puddings, is already showing an annual growth of +20% compared to just the 1.1% increase in total UK frozen. It currently commands a £167 million value share of the sector*. It is also brand leader in the Traditional Hot Desserts sector with a staggering +52% year-on-year growth. The new packaging has been designed to give the brand even greater in-freezer impact and clarity. It is a combination of traditional cooking values and contemporary appeal, which clearly emphasises the brand's core values in a more modern, eye-catching way. For the brand logo Aunt Bessie herself has been re-illustrated to give the branding a more premium feel. The script has been handcrafted and sits inside a red oval. The pack's background colour has been softened and a country-style kitchen image has been added. The new design has clarified the on-pack information structure, making it easier for consumers to navigate. The hand-crafted feel is also reflected in the back of pack, where the brand promise of no artificial colours or preservatives and using store cupboards ingredients has been added in a new flash. In the last six years Aunt Bessie's sales have more than doubled and Tryton believes that this clearer messaging on pack and the company's continued commitment to consumer-relevant NPD will ensure this phenomenal growth continues. So much so, Tryton believes the Aunt Bessie's brand will reach £250 million in 2012 as consumer demand for traditional, additive free and high-quality convenient foods grows. "Traditional home-cooked food is back on the consumer agenda. If we look at the on-trade, pub catering has seen significant growth over the last decade - up 17% year-on-year - and it is the Gastro pub with its 'home-cooked', traditional positioning that has been driving this growth," states John Hendy, Commercial Director at Tryton Foods. "This increased interest in 'traditional' foods is also reflected within the retail sector as well, with traditional British chilled food accounting for the greatest proportion of spend and growing at +8%YOY. We are confident that we can reflect this growth in frozen." Tryton is also ideally placed to capitalise on the growing consumer concern about what goes into the food they buy and the increasing demand for more natural ingredients. "We have been very focused in our quest to only produce foods that are made in exactly the same way as home cooking and this is something that the consumer has been quick to appreciate," says Hendy. "Our brand now has 73% consumer awareness and is regularly consumed in nearly 60% of all UK households. "There is no doubt that the re-launch of the Aunt Bessie's logo and packaging will continue to ensure that our brand not only acts as a beacon to drive consumers into the frozen food aisles but also substantially increases consumer appeal and off-take," says Hendy. Since Tryton produced the first Aunt Bessie's frozen Yorkshire pudding in the mid 1990s, the brand has undergone a number of pack redesigns. This latest re-launch brings the brand front-of-mind with the consumer and to the forefront of the frozen food category. The new packaging will roll out into the trade from this month. * IRI 52 weeks to 11th August 2007 Tryton Foods Tel: 01482 223 223