German food giant Dr Oetker has revealed it already has its sights set on the top spot with its first ever launch into the UK. As revealed exclusively in The Grocer (March 9), the company has entered the British market with a range of frozen pizzas and a £5m marketing spend. But the company's vice president, Axel Andree, has now gone a step further and predicted that his brand will be number one over here within three years. Jetting into London for a meeting with The Grocer, he told us: "By the end of 2005 we are looking to have the number one branded frozen thin and crispy pizza." It is quite a claim for one of Germany's biggest companies, particularly as it has previously run shy of testing the market over here despite having a presence in several other European countries. Andree also mooted the possibility of further launches in the UK, although he refused to be drawn on a timescale for any expansion. In Germany, the company is either market leader or near the top of the grocery charts in a wide range of products including cereals, desserts and seafoods. "We need to establish the Dr Oetker brand (in the UK) first," said Andree. "At the moment it's a tough market where the consumers do not know us." Its first range, thin and crispy pizzas under the Dr Oetker Ristorante brand, hit shelves in the multiples earlier this month. Buyers say the first few months will be critical in determining whether or not the Dr Oetker brand can make it big in Britain. {{NEWS }}

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