Tayto is relaunching retro favourites Ringos in an attempt to revive the fortunes of the “neglected” crisp brand and take Golden Wonder’s comeback to the next level.

Part of a wider overhaul of the Golden Wonder brand by the Irish company, the new-look range hits shelves this spring,

Initially, there will be two variants Che-he-heese & Onion and Salt & Vinegiggles (rsp: 30p for a 28g bag) but more flavours are expected to follow later this year.

The crisps had been made to the original 1980s recipes to recreate the “texture and lip-tingling flavours” that had first made them popular, said Tayto.

Their packaging had also been updated to incorporate a ‘You’re Laughing’ strapline, which Tayto said would highlight the “fun elements of the brand.”

Last year, Ringos totted up just £700k worth of sales and Tayto expected the relaunch to “significantly” boost its distribution and sales over the next year.

“Ringos has long been neglected and as a result has lost significant levels of sales and distribution, but consumer awareness is still almost 50% and people are very fond of it,” said Elly Hunter, group marketing director at Tayto Group, which acquired Golden Wonder and Ringos in 2006.

“We felt that it was time to bring Ringos up to date, but it was really important to keep the innocent fun positioning that Ringos has always stood for.”

Over the past year, Tayto has increased distribution of the core Golden Wonder range in the mults, boosting its crisp sales 31% to £12m [Nielsen].

A Ringos multipack format aimed specifically at the mults is set for launch in May. Tayto is ­also rebranding its budget Red Mill-branded crisps to Golden Wonder.

The overhaul includes new designs for its 15p range, which increases from 14g to 22g, and a revamp of its 20p range. “We have put a great focus on value as this is seen as particularly important with the recent increase in VAT and a general greater level of cost consciousness.”

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