Cook wants its shoppers to try more of its ready meals, and has launched a new merchandising trial in the hope of encouraging them to do so.
The trial is one of a series of moves being rolled out by the premium ready meal retailer in response to changing consumer trends during the cost of living crisis, said Cook chief commercial officer Ashley Davis.
Cook customers have been limiting their “discretionary spend”, cutting back on desserts and big occasions, and instead opting for more smaller portions and “everyday” meals, Davis added.
Traditionally, Cook stocks products of the same portion size together, with dishes from a number of different cuisines all sitting in the same freezer. Cook now wants to test whether stocking meals by their dedicated cuisine, each with its own branding and PoS, encourages customers to shop around and ultimately spend more.
It means all of its lasagnes will now be stocked together, alongside other Italian meals like risotto and garlic bread, rather than being spread across different freezers. Cook is also giving dedicated space to plant-based and vegetarian meals, for example.
“We’re hoping to make it easier for customers to shop, because it’s more foodie,” Davis told The Grocer. “It’s also more interesting to shop because you’ve got different colours, shapes and sizes in the same freezer.”
Cook is tracking the results across the 12-week trial and may roll the concept out to more of its 118 shops if it is successful. Early indications had been positive, Davis said.
The six stores are: Berkhamsted, Locksheath, Tonbridge, Romney, Petts Wood and Market Harborough.
Cook’s like-for-likes grew 11.8% in its latest accounts, despite “tricky” economic conditions and “changeable” consumer confidence. That momentum had carried into a “good” Christmas, and “very successful” January, ahead of the close of its full year in March.
The merchandising trial comes amid a broader shift in the way the business approaches NPD and innovation, ahead of Cook’s “biggest launch to date” in the form of a new pan-Asian range in late March.
Davis – who joined Cook from Leon in July – has now taken over responsibility for marketing as part of an expanded role of chief customer officer, and is working with the marketing team to look at how Cook offers value.
“The easy thing to do is just to keep offering discount, but in some cases that’s not a customer-centric way of offering value,” said Davis.
“We’re trying to understand where the balance of the value sits for different subsets of our customers.”
Cook is considering ways to engage its more “valuable” customers. Inviting them to VIP tastings or giving them more access to the food development process are among some of the options under consideration.
Cook would also tweak some of its multibuy promotions, and is expanding its Friends & Family subscription service, Davis said.
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