Sales Information Resources has recorded sales of £195m for Hovis, an increase of 26.4% for the year ending May 19, 2002 across multiple grocers and co-ops, compared to a rise of 5.8% for the £793m pre-packed bread market. The company says "The Hovis relaunch has been a spectacular success. Hovis is now clear number one in all market segments and has substantially increased overall leadership of the category. "Hovis Square Cut ­ the beans design ­ has been a key driver, with 47% growth in volume sales year-on-year. And Hovis Best of Both, which came out in July 2001, has been a hugely successful launch and is beating its competitor Kingsmill Wholewhite. "Performance of the thick sliced variant of Best of Both, launched in March this year, is very encouraging, with volumes reaching on average around 60% of medium sliced. "All key brand equity measures have exceeded our expectations and we are confident the brand will maintain its momentum as we move into year two of the programme. "This is is already well advanced, and looks like being every bit as successful as our relaunch year." {{P&P }}

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