Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah is to lead a new marketing push for Quorn as it aims to double sales to £260m.

Owner Marlow Foods said it was hoping to appeal to consumers committed to a fit and active lifestyle by shifting away from its meat-free and low-calorie positioning towards a “more positive” message designed to tap into interest in high-protein diets.

The brand is kicking off the new year with a multi-million-pound marketing campaign that will continue throughout 2014, including TV advertising featuring Farah - who is not vegetarian.

It also has a “strong pipeline” of NPD planned for 2014, including pastry products, a wider deli range including ‘chorizo’, cocktail sausages and scotch eggs, and more breaded products.

The repositioning was aimed at broadening the brand’s appeal, said international marketing director Peter Harrison, as the business looked to double its sales over the next few years. Sales of Quorn, which were boosted by the horsemeat scandal, have risen 6.4% year on year to £128m [IRI 52 w/e 10 November].

“With the benefits of high-protein diets featuring heavily in consumer media, there is a considerable opportunity to appeal to those that take a keen interest in fitness,” he said. Quorn was perfectly placed as many of its products were high in protein but low in saturated fat, he added.

The brand is adding an ‘A Healthy Protein’ flash on pack, which is being rolled out on the brand’s Chicken Pieces and Mince from this week, followed by the rest of the range early next year.

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