Dairy Crest is looking to boost the c-store presence of its market-leading flavoured milk brand Frijj with the launch of a long-life variant later this year.

The company will initially trial long-life Frijj with a limited number of c-stores, but said it would look to roll it out further in 2013 if the pilot proved successful. “This will make Britain’s favourite milkshake available to more consumers in more places, whilst retaining the same great taste,” said group brand manager Neil Stewart.

A move into long-life would also help Dairy Crest fulfil its stated ambition of turning Frijj into a £100m brand within five years, Stewart added. Frijj broke through the £50m sales barrier for the first time in May, and is currently worth £52.4m [Nielsen 52 w/e 18 Aug 2012].

Dairy Crest would not be drawn at this stage on the exact launch date for long-life Frijj, where it would be produced, which convenience retailers it would go into or whether the branding for long-life Frijj would differ from fresh Frijj.

However, the launch of long-life Frijj is clearly deemed an important strategic move by the company. In a trading update this week, Dairy Crest singled out long-life Frijj as a highlight in the development of its brand portfolio, noting “this is aimed at the convenience market and provides a significant opportunity for further growth”.

At present, Frijj is worth £15.7m in the c-store sector, but offering a long-life UHT variant would make the product suitable for a wider range of c-stores. It would have a significantly longer shelf life than the ‘production plus one week’ shelf life typical of fresh milkshakes, allowing it to be stored without refrigeration. It would also allow Frijj to compete more effectively against the likes of Yazoo, which is made with UHT milk and is widely stocked across the c-store sector.

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