UK: Birds Eye expands Simply frozen fish stable

By just-food.com | 6 March 2009

Birds Eye Iglo has launched a fresh assault on the UK frozen food category with the introduction of two new ranges and the revamp of its Simply stable.

The group, which is owned by private equity firm Permira, today (6 March) unveiled two lines under the Simply umbrella label - Simply Bake to Perfection and Simply Naked & Natural.

The products, which will be backed by a GBP3.2m (US$4.6m) marketing campaign, aim to tap into the "massive latent growth potential for frozen fish", senior brand manger Tim Albert said.

"Current product offerings don't address the usage barriers we have identified that consumers have with natural fish, and as a result, the growth in households buying into the sector is lower than expected," Albert said.

Simply Bake to Perfection is a range of five products, each comprising fish fillets or seafood with a herb and butter sauce. The products are wrapped in what Birds Eye calls a "Bake Perfect" bag, which aims to keep the fish "succulent".

The second range, Simply Naked & Natural, is a line of fish fillets sealed in a "Catch Fresh" pouch to boost the freshness of the fish.

The Bake to Perfection line is priced at GBP3.99; Naked & Natural at GBP3.49.

The launches come amid a revamp of the wider Simply line, which includes poultry and red meat products.

The packaging for the Simply line has been changed to give the stable a more "premium" look, Birds Eye said.

Sectors: Baby food, Chilled foods, NPD & innovation, Seafood