Asda's Spicy Tomato & Pepperoni and Tomato, Sweetcorn & Tuna, along with the Co-op's Tomato & Herbs and Cheese & Bacon Pasta Bakes are said to be drawing new consumers to the category.
Hazlewood cooking sauces product manager Damien Wurpillot says: "We immediately saw the great potential of pasta bakes  quick and easy preparation, minimum cooking and maximum convenience. The ideal family meal."
Asda's own label pasta bakes have gained up to 57% share of its total pasta bake sales since launch, and the store chose the range to spearhead the launch of its Italian range of cooking sauces.
Hazlewood chilled sauces category marketing manager Gail Halkon says ranges have been refined over the last 12 months and most retailers offer a premium range of products.
Safeway relaunched its Italian range of prepared food in May in what Andrew Thompson, buying manager, prepared foods, says was "a step change in quality". He says: "We are improving quality by using more authentic ingredients and we've seen a 15% increase in sales of sauces since the relaunch.
"In terms of fresh pasta one of the key decisions was to increase the amount of egg to get the right texture and sheen that the customer likes."
The store is opting for softer, moister fillings in the filled pasta sector to cater to British palates.
Thompson adds: "There's huge growth in pasta sauce and the big brands are marketing aggressively. In the ready meals arena it's the fresh area that's the engine house and we forecast 30% growth each year.
"Sales of ready meals have gone up by 50% since the relaunch and I see no evidence of it slowing down at the moment."
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Hazlewood cooking sauces product manager Damien Wurpillot says: "We immediately saw the great potential of pasta bakes  quick and easy preparation, minimum cooking and maximum convenience. The ideal family meal."
Asda's own label pasta bakes have gained up to 57% share of its total pasta bake sales since launch, and the store chose the range to spearhead the launch of its Italian range of cooking sauces.
Hazlewood chilled sauces category marketing manager Gail Halkon says ranges have been refined over the last 12 months and most retailers offer a premium range of products.
Safeway relaunched its Italian range of prepared food in May in what Andrew Thompson, buying manager, prepared foods, says was "a step change in quality". He says: "We are improving quality by using more authentic ingredients and we've seen a 15% increase in sales of sauces since the relaunch.
"In terms of fresh pasta one of the key decisions was to increase the amount of egg to get the right texture and sheen that the customer likes."
The store is opting for softer, moister fillings in the filled pasta sector to cater to British palates.
Thompson adds: "There's huge growth in pasta sauce and the big brands are marketing aggressively. In the ready meals arena it's the fresh area that's the engine house and we forecast 30% growth each year.
"Sales of ready meals have gone up by 50% since the relaunch and I see no evidence of it slowing down at the moment."
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