Warburtons is hoping to make crumpets a dinnertime favourite with the launch of a new ‘giant’ version.
The baker has created a crumpet that is 130mm wide - versus the 90mm of a standard version - that it will encourage consumers to top with ingredients such as egg, bacon and spinach and eat with a knife and fork.
Rolling into retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and The Co-op Group this Monday (19 October), it will be sold in a two-pack format (rsp: 69p) and has the same texture, taste, ‘fluffiness’ and thickness as the baker’s standard crumpets. The product, which will fit in a toaster, has been developed following a £7m investment by the business in a new crumpet plant at its Bolton bakery. Warburtons is supporting the launch as part of a £25m push.
Pitching the giant crumpet as a meal alternative for any time of the day, Warburtons innovation director Darren Littler said the new format had received an excellent reaction from retail buyers who “instantly got it”.
“Our aim is to extend the appeal of what is mainly a breakfast product and tap an increasing demand for quick and easy meals,” he added.
Marketing starts mid-November with a TV campaign, which will be supported by digital, press, outdoor, in-store and social media.
In the past year, volume sales of Warburtons crumpets rose 7.1%, while its share of the ‘traditional breakfast’ market increased by two percentage points to 31.1% [Nielsen 52 w/e 12 September 2015].
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