PepsiCo is rolling out two new ranges under its Oats So Simple brand one of which will replace failed children’s range Paw Ridge.

The company is axing the kids range after less than two years and introducing a range of four new kids’ porridges under the Oats So Simple banner.

“Paw Ridge did not perform as hoped,” admitted Quaker marketing director Hayley Stringfellow. “We have moved our children’s products under Oats So Simple as mums are already used to buying the brand for themselves.”

The new porridges, which are made to a different recipe, come in honey, blueberry, fudge and chocolate flavours and will be sold in packs of 10 sachets (rsp: £2.19).

The other new Oat So Simple range is aimed primarily at consumers who don’t like the taste of porridge and comes in indulgent Chocolate Brownie, Creamy Caramel and White Chocolate & Raspberry ­flavours (rsp: £2.69/10 ­sachets). “Porridge fans sometimes like to eat ­porridge as an evening snack, and these flavours are also ideal for that,” ­added Stringfellow.

Both the ranges will roll out to Tesco at the end of next week and other multiples in the next few weeks. They will be produced at Quaker’s site in Cupar, Fife, which is being expanded to meet increasing demand.

Sales of Oats So Simple have grown 21% to £60.2m in the past year, while the overall Quaker brand has grown 13% to £85.4m [Nielsen 52w/e 14 April].

PepsiCo last week announced it was investing £8.5m in the development of a new plant to boost its oat milling capacity and ­increase production.

Topics