Premium pie brand and food outlet Square Pie has been forced to pull its products from Sainsbury's just five months after its supermarket debut.
It put the decision down to an "underestimation of managerial and marketing support" needed to launch a new brand. Square Pie will now concentrate on its six-outlet food business, which includes branches in Selfridges and Heathrow, said managing director and founder Martin Dewey.
"It's a big deal to launch a premium product and this was the first unbaked pie to go into grocery," he said. "Things like shelf life are so vital and we underestimated the amount of financial support we needed for the launch."
The pies debuted in 71 Sainsbury's stores in May, up against other premium pie entrants such as Higgidy.
"We saw there was a market for premium pies," added Dewey. "We will take the lessons learnt and try again next year. Customer reaction was great, but it was just too soon for us."
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