General Mills has launched a range of recipe kits under the Wanchai Ferry brand for the UK market.
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Wanchai Ferry will be rolled out in UK grocery stores from this month and will be backed by a GBP4m (US$5.6m) marketing programme, spearheaded by national TV.
The range consists of a trio of flavours from three Chinese provinces: Xiang Gu Chicken Recipe Kit (Zhejiang Province) – a blend of Shitake mushrooms in a black bean and ginger sauce, Kung Pao Chicken Recipe Kit (Szechuan Province) – toasted peanuts in a Szechuan sauce, and Bo Luo Pork Recipe Kit (Guangdong Province) – pineapple in a Cantonese sauce.
Andy Foweather, sales director for General Mills UK, said: “Analysis of category data shows that oriental is underperforming compared with the rest of the Ethnic category. What’s more, there were 127 new product launches in the oriental category in the last three years and only three products have been able to break the GBP1m barrier. It is quality therefore, not quantity that drives category growth.
“Our ambition is to grow Wanchai Ferry to an GBP8m-plus brand in the first year.
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By GlobalDataThe marketing plan will include experiential activity, consumer press and extensive online activity and in store, the brand will be supported by POS and off-shelf displays.
Ed Culf, marketing director for General Mills UK, said: “The marketing activity will create impact around the launch; inspire consumers to be more adventurous with their Chinese home-cooking; and educate them on how best to do that.”
Wanchai Ferry will be available in new packaging designed for the UK market and will have a manufacturer recommended retail price of GBP3.89.
