Border Biscuits is set to make its biggest move in its 38-year history, unveiling a bold new positioning and brand identity, new packaging formats and three new products that tap into the latest flavour trends.
The new look and feel is part of a new strategy for the family-owned biscuit brand, aimed at becoming the UK’s number one ‘accessible premium’ biscuit and unlocking a category opportunity worth £190 million to retailers[1].
Based on extensive consumer research and a complete brand review, Border Biscuits – already the UK’s number one premium biscuit brand in the out-of-home channel[2] and the number one premium biscuit brand in Scotland[3] – has identified an untapped segment within the biscuits category: accessible premium.
Many shoppers are looking to trade up from ‘everyday’ products to more premium options that they can enjoy across ‘moments’ throughout the day, the research confirmed. This is being mirrored in other categories with the likes of Kettle Chips, FeverTree and Gü, who have already delivered substantial growth opportunities in the accessible premium category. The research revealed there are few premium-yet-affordable offerings in the biscuit category, meaning many consumers end up looking for sweet treats in other categories.
Border Biscuits is on a mission to change this, leveraging its range, formats, flavours, and quality to encourage consumers to trade up from an everyday biscuit and becoming the biscuit category’s signpost brand for accessible premium.
Border Biscuits are already consumed across 90 million occasions per year[4], led by the success of its Dark Chocolate Ginger, Classic Sharing Pack as well as Mini Packs out-of-home. As part of the re-brand, the business is adding to its portfolio with three new products – a Dark Chocolate Orange biscuit and bar, alongside a Dark Chocolate Raspberry biscuit. Chocolate is the nation’s favourite flavour, and Border’s NPD demonstrates that the brand is led by genuine consumer insight, tapping into the latest trends within the sweet snacking category.
Reflecting growing consumer interest in sustainability, the brand plans to continue building on its sustainability efforts, having already reduced its plastic packaging by 90%. In fact, Border Biscuits aims for all of its packaging to be fully recyclable by 2025.
Paul Parkins, Managing Director at Border Biscuits, comments: “We’ve identified a real opportunity for Border Biscuits to lead the accessible premium category. We understand what consumers want, and our trusted brand and track record in innovation mean we’re in the perfect position to deliver it. We’re already outperforming the market in a growing category[5], and the brand repositioning will help retailers benefit from increased sales in the accessible premium category.”
“We’re passionate biscuiteers who pride ourselves on being an honest brand that uses quality ingredients, with flavours that come from authentic family recipes which have been developed over the years. We’re already the number one premium biscuit brand out-of-home in the UK, and now we’re using our success in Scotland as a springboard for future growth in a category with huge potential UK-wide. Our aim is to be the number one accessible premium biscuit brand across the market.”
The new Border Biscuits NPD will hit shelves from March and new packaging will roll out across the wider portfolio in April. The brand refresh will be supported with a £5 million brand investment and significant capital investment.
[1] Based on Kantar Shopper Numbers, Freq, Ave Spend for EDT, EDB & ST (June 13th 2021)
[2] IRI SalesOut 52we 02.01.22; BidView we 02.01.22 (data from UK’s two largest OOH wholesalers Brakes & Bidfood)
[3] Nielsen, Total Scotland RSV, 52we 23.01.22
[4] Border Biscuits analysis of sales vs frequency based on Kantar data up to June 2020
[5] In the 12we to 23.01.22, Border are ahead by +9.7% vs Sweet Biscuits +2.7% (Nielsen)
Comments are closed.