UK food maker Samworth Brothers is set to take its flagship Ginsters brand into a new category with the launch of microwaveable snacks.
Ginsters Cornish Bara is a bread-based snack filled with fillings similar to those used in the company’s pasties.
The Cornish Bara range comprises three products – Delicious Hog Roast, Flame Grilled Chicken and Spicy Meatball – and is being formally launched to customers in the convenience channel tomorrow (1 March). The range is set to go on sale in Morrisons and Tesco Express stores in May. The products will be sold at an RRP of GBP2.29 (US$3.71).
Phil Eastham, convenience channel controller for Ginsters, said the roll out to Morrisons and Tesco will be supported by TV advertising.
Speaking to just-food at the National Convenience Show in Birmingham today, Eastham said the Cornish Bara range marked new territory for Ginsters, with a move into a category with brands such as Hustlers.
“Microwaveable snacks is a GBP100 market and it’s a market in growth,” Eastham said. “We’re entering into a market that is competitive [but] we hope and believe it can sit on shelf with Rustlers.”
Eastham declined to say how much money was being invested in the launch. However, he said the Cornish Bara range had been in development for two years and was “quite important” for the brand. Recent NPD, he said, had focused on extensions to existing product ranges.
The Cornish Bara line, he added, would bring some “quality” to a category that some consumers, he claimed, viewed in a negative light.
“People think microwaveable food is of not very good quality. We are bringing some quality into the category and improving that perception. Microwaveable foods can be good quality and good food.”
