There’s nothing this industry likes more at times than a good sneer. And when Ranjit Singh Boparan took control of Goodfella’s Pizza in 2011 as part of his swoop on Northern Foods, certain quarters seemed to sneer in unison. A man who made his fortune in own label poultry in branded pizzas? The very idea was enough to ruffle feathers.

The cynicism went beyond mere snobbery, however. Times had been bad for Goodfella’s for a number of years - in 2011 the brand endured a 14.5% decline in sales [SymphonyIRI] as own label frozen pizzas stole a larger slice of the market. Turning it around would be a tough job for anyone. “It was broken before Boparan ever got it,” sniffed one industry source last year. “He’s not particularly well placed to fix it either. Pizza is a tough market, partly because Goodfella’s led the race to the bottom in terms of price.”

But there are signs that times could be a changing for Goodfella’s. The brand has turned in a 3% rise in sales in the past year [SymphonyIRI], on volumes that inched up 1.2%. While the performance is behind many of its branded rivals, it’s noteworthy for two reasons. One: before 2012 no major pizza brands were haemorrhaging sales as profusely as Goodfella’s, making its return to value and volume growth an even greater feat. And, two: Boparan has done this while cutting its featured space promotions over the year by 89% [Assosia]. Goodfella’s may have led the race to the bottom, but it seems it’s going to lead the race away from it too.

Read the full story in The Grocer’s Focus On: Pizza, out on Saturday, and save your sneers.


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