Premium ice cream brand Loseley is being relaunched, two years after the collapse of its former owner.
The new range rolls out to Asda in April with more listings expected this year. Luxury Vanilla, Belgian Choc Truffle, Treacle Toffee and Eton Mess will come in 500ml (rsp: £3.99) and 180ml tubs (rsp: £2.50), while Honey & Stem Ginger and Luxury Strawberry will come only in the 180ml format.
Manufacturer Beechdean Dairies acquired Loseley and stablemate brands including Thayers and Granelli’s in May 2011, weeks after former brand owner Loseley Dairy Ice Cream entered administration following the loss of its venture capital funding.
At the time, Beechdean co-founder Andrew Howard said he intended Loseley ice cream to become a super-premium product. “Back in the 1980s, the Loseley brand was synonymous with quality. Our aim is to re-establish this once great mark,” he added.
Beechdean has been selling a tub of Loseley vanilla ice cream in Tesco, but is discontinuing this SKU with the relaunch. “This was a temporary stop-gap in 50 stores to keep the brand breathing so we could rebuild it,” said Howard, adding that he had taken time to understand the brand’s values and develop products.
The company said its sales had grown at least 20% year-on-year for the past six years, adding that it was looking to double the size of its business over the next three years following investment in its manufacturing capabilities. Its core Beechdean range turned over more than £12m a year, said Howard.
Next month, it is launching a vanilla SpongeBob SquarePants ice cream under a licensing deal with Nickelodeon. It will roll into foodservice in a 110ml tub (rsp: £1), with retail roll-out planned for the autumn.
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