Lactofree Milk Launched: January 2006 Sales: £1.24m Star rating: ? ? ? ?
Lactofree may not have generated as impressive sales as some of the other launches over the past year, but its performance in a category that is notoriously difficult to add value to should not be underplayed. The product, which Arla claims is the UK's first drink with the taste of milk but with less than 0.05% lactose, is made by gently filtering the lactose from normal semi-skimmed milk, so the final product retains its protein and calcium content. It has brought much-needed innovation to the milk aisles and, as such, has been well received by consumers and grocery buyers. Sales of Lactofree are particularly impressive considering it targets a niche consumer group - approximately one in seven people in the UK - and the fact that it is stocked in only 69% of multiples and 1% of convenience stores. The truly innovative nature of the product means there is nothing else in the category to compare Lactofree with, but it is close to achieving a 1% share of the fresh speciality milk market, which is currently dominated by flavoured milk drinks such as Frijj. The brand also has a presence in the ambient aisles with the recent addition of a longlife variant, which is expected to drive further sales growth.
Oust Launched: August 2004 Sales: £19.1m Star rating: ? ? ? ?
Oust has been on shelf since late 2004, but made it into last December's Top Products Survey because it was only in the latter stages of 2005 and early 2006 that it truly burst onto the scene with new launches such as the Oust Fan. Following strong TV support, trial and repeat rates have been above the category average but it has relied on promotions to grow sales.
Café Switch Launched: October 2006 Sales: £2.1m to date Star rating: ? ? ? ?
Café Switch has brought genuine NPD to the coffee category by combining a liquid format with innovative packaging and café-style flavours. Its clear point of difference - it can be added to hot or cold water - has attracted new customers to the coffee category. Owner Douwe Egberts says 76% of sales have been incremental to the coffee category.
Sharwood's Chilled Sauces Launched: February 2006 Sales: £3.3m Star rating: ? ? ? ?
With sales of £3.3m, Sharwood's has created a much-needed brand presence in the chilled ethnic sauce category, although its progress is being hampered by lack of distribution - it is currently in about 50% of the multiples. Sales of the brand almost doubled in January to coincide with Chinese New Year and, although growth has slowed, it continues to perform well.
Dairylea Dunkers Launched: September 2006 Sales: £1.8m Star rating: ? ? ? ?
Kraft has brought innovation to the potted dessert category with its biscuit/fromage frais combo. Trial rates have been encouraging, says Nielsen, and it has added 11.5% incremental value to the children's sweet dairy category in the 12 weeks to the end of January, although sales are still behind Müller's Little Stars.
Flora Omega-3 Plus Spread Launched: May 2006 Sales: £4.9m Star rating: ? ? ? ?
Flora Omega-3 Plus Spread has got off to a great start with 10.5% penetration and more than a third of buyers making a repeat purchase, surpassing Nielsen's benchmarks for the category. It already has a 3% share of the family spreads market and, as knowledge of Omega-3 grows, it looks set to continue to steal share away from less health-positioned brands.
Kellogg's Optivita Launched: August 2006 Sales: £4.4m Star rating: ? ? ? ?
Kellogg's healthy Optivita brand has made good first steps but has not been as successful as other cereals launches at the same time. Weetabix Oatibix, for example, hit shelves just one month earlier but has achieved a bigger share of the market over the latest 12 weeks of data, says Nielsen. With only an 85% coverage of the multiples, however, Optivita has room for improvement.
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