Gluten-free bakery brand Genius is making its first move into Europe through a tie-up with supermarket chain Carrefour.
By the end of March, 350 of the Fresh retailer’s supermarkets in Spain will be carrying white and brown Genius bread, along with other baked products. Genius will also advise the supermarket on gluten-free category merchandising.
“We conducted a Europe-wide search for the right company to supply us with these gluten-free products and Genius was the obvious choice,” said a Carrefour spokesman.
Genius has grown swiftly in the UK after launching three years ago. In The Grocer’s 2011 Top Products Survey it broke into the top 10 list of bread brands, with sales up 27.6% year-on-year to £10m. In addition to white and brown loaves, its UK product range includes fruit bread and seeded loaves.
Genius expanded overseas for the first time last year when it entered into a joint venture in the US with gluten-free food group Glutino.
“We have earmarked Europe as the next major area of growth for Genius following our successful launch into North America,” said Genius international and strategy director Gervase Cottam (pictured).
“We hope this deal with Carrefour provides a launch pad for our entry into other major European markets.”
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