The Saucy Fish Co is set to take on seafood giants Birds Eye and Young’s with the launch of a new frozen range.
The Icelandic Seachill-owned brand has landed a 600-strong listing in Sainsbury’s for the line-up of five frozen products, which it described as an “assertive attack” on the frozen category.
The newcomers include three fish with sauce variants: Sea Bass with Salsa Verde; Smoked Haddock with Vintage Cheddar & Chive Sauce; and Salmon with a Chilli Lime & Ginger Dressing (rsp: £4 to £4.50). The brand has also introduced two frozen fishcake variants containing a vintage Cheddar or Hollandaise ‘Saucy Centre’ (rsp: £1.75 to £2.25).
“Frozen fish remains an under-developed sector and has been in decline for many years,” said Icelandic Seachill CEO Simon Smith. “We see this launch as an opportunity to bring Saucy’s chilled fish quality into the freezer.”
In development for over a year, the new range can be cooked in the oven from frozen in a supplied parchment bag in less than 30 minutes.
It follows the successful introduction of frozen fish products into the Canadian market last year. The launch will be supported by a six-figure marketing campaign over the next four months, including a new 30-second ad, digital, outdoor and PoS activity.
The Saucy Fish brand was launched in 2010 and quickly revolutionised the chilled fish category, spawning a raft of own-label and branded rivals.
Despite being delisted by Tesco in 2015, the brand’s chilled line-up remained on sale in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado and The Co-op, with “very positive” like-for-like sales for 2016, Smith added.
“We’re continuing to bring new consumers to fish, this was a key driver in Sainsbury’s wanting to work with us from the outset to deliver the same revolution and success by attracting new consumers in frozen.”
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