Kellogg’s is taking kids’ cereal brand Coco Pops into the porridge market.

Rolling out early next year, chocolate-flavoured Coco Pops Porridge will be sold in a pack of seven sachets (rsp: £1.99).

Kellogg’s said there was a “big space” in the porridge market for a children’s product.

“Children don’t regularly request ­porridge - mums give it to them,” said Kellogg’s UK sales director Colin Bebbington. “Research has shown Coco Pops is the most requested children’s cereal, and we are confident children will request the porridge.”

The launch comes as growth in the overall porridge category has slowed from 8.5% 12 months ago to just 0.4% in the past year [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 9 November 2014].

“The response to Coco Pops Porridge from ­buyers has been fantastic,” said Bebbington, adding Kellogg’s had waited until it had a product “good enough to sell under the brand” before coming to market.

Suppliers have previously struggled to establish a kids’ porridge brand - PepsiCo axed Paw Ridge in 2011 - and Kellogg’s said the strength of the Coco Pops brand, which is down 2.4% by value in an overall cereals category down 4.2% [Nielsen 52 w/e 14 October 2014], would be crucial to making its new porridge a success.

The launch will be supported by TV advertising alongside VOD, cinema, press and marketing on Kellogg’s cereal packs.

Kellogg’s is also launching a new Coco Pops cereal next year - Mini Crocs - while rotating out its current Croc Prints.

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