Asda has regained the title of Pizza Retailer of the Year awarded by the Pizza & Pasta Association ­ an accolade it has now won three times. "We lost to Morrisons last year but got it back this year," says Asda buying manager Linsey Wright. "In terms of what we've done this year, everything has improved, and we've done the most this year in bringing pizza forward." Asda hasn't looked back since it overhauled its fresh operation in March. This included two pizza offerings: fresh ­ prepared while you wait and called Create Your Own ­ and standard boxed varieties. Wright says: "A year ago Sainsbury was number one, Tesco number two, and we tied for third place. We were number one on volume because we are cheaper than the others, but we didn't have the same value share. But in the 12 weeks to September 17 we are number one at 25%, Tesco is next at 22% and Sainsbury third at 18.5% ­ and that with only 240 stores." Asda claims it achieved more than £1m sales each week on pizza during the last two weeks of that trading period. "We've probably got the biggest secret weapon in the trade and that's more than 2,000 pizza professionals who work in store," says Wright. Its staff, renowned for motivation and enthusiasm, has participated in roadshows, touring stores nationally to communicate latest developments and collect feedback. When Asda revamped its pizza range, it looked at its 18 toppings and six deli bases with a view to improving quality. Wright adds: "We increased the amount of mozzarella and changed standard Cheddar to mature Cheddar. On pepperoni pizza we added more paprika to make it more fiery and upped the number of slices from five to 35. Deep pan bases were made deeper, the thin and crispy, crispier. Our bestseller is the 14ins pepperoni." Its Create Your Own range has four bases: 9ins thin and crispy and deep pan for £1.99, and 12ins thin and deep rolled back from £2.99 to £2.49. It has since introduced a mega 14ins size for £2.99. This stone-baked pizza is big enough to sit in a domestic oven. Toppings to choose from include Cajun chicken, pepperoni, ham and pineapple, the latter taking 18% of its sales. Vegetables such as peppers and onions are pre-roasted before they go in store to improve taste and texture. Asda says it is surprised at the uptake of its vegetarian option. "We expected 10% of sales, but the 14ins stone-baked one with roast vegetables and lots of parmesan has taken 22%," says Wright. Asda has seen a 90% rise for its boxed pizza. It has a range of 5ins kids' pizzas selling for 49p each (with five for £2 to encourage people to mix varieties), 7ins and 9ins pizzas, and a healthy choice range. A big seller this year has been its 12ins x 10ins slabs with two toppings on them for £2.99. It has also brought in a range for those who want "something special" ­ a 10ins pizza with prosciutto and mozzarella pearls on a stone-baked base imported from Italy. In the same range is a four cheese, spinach and mascarpone, and peppered steak with caramellised onions (rsp from £2.29-£2.88). {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

Topics