Just weeks after news of its impending demise, the iconic Findus Crispy Pancake could be set for a reprieve, with new owner Birds Eye apparently gearing up to relaunch the product.
The Grocer revealed in January the Findus brand, the Crispy Pancake and the Findus frozen meals range were set to disappear from UK supermarkets as a result of the £500m sale of the European arm of the Findus Group last autumn to Nomad Holdings.
As part of the deal, Young’s Seafood was spun out into a standalone company and it lost the UK rights to the Findus brand, which went to Nomad - the company that acquired Birds Eye owner Iglo Group in a €2.6bn (£2.04bn) deal last April.
News of the impending demise of the Crispy Pancake sparked a wave of nostalgia across social and national media, and the Grocer now understands Nomad plans to relaunch the brand through Birds Eye.
Birds Eye is set to roll out a revamped portfolio of the frozen snacks at a £1 price point before the end of April, according to an industry source.
The move to resurrect the original Crispy Pancake would put Birds Eye head to head with Young’s, which is planning to launch its own replacement brand, according to sources.
Young’s registered a trademark for the Original Pancake Co back in January, and it was tipped to launch a new crispy pancake range within the next month, though it has remained tight-lipped over the launch.
Both Nomad and Birds Eye refused to comment on plans for the Findus brand or Crispy Pancakes when approached by The Grocer this week.
Birds Eye recently announced Captain Birdseye would return to TV screens as part of an £8m marketing campaign following an overhaul of its core portfolio with improved recipes and bigger, ‘better value’ packs.
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