Premier Foods is to throw slimming brand Waistline into a host of new arenas in a bid to make it a £20m sales success within four years.
The ambitious project will kick off this summer as the brand, best known as a salad dressings stalwart, debuts in cooking sauces at the end of this month and in meals that are microwaveable from June.
Currently a modest £3.5m proposition, the brand has also been earmarked for further rollouts with Premier looking at the possibility of extending the brand into other arenas including dips and snacks.
The move follows the rollout of Waistline into soup pouches at the end of last year. It has also found a home on the baked bean fixture. Yvonne Adam, commercial general manager for Premier Foods’ classic brands portfolio, said the aim was to turn Waistline into a healthy alternative to standard food lines and not necessarily an out and out slimming range.
However, the newcomers will still boast severely reduced fat levels compared with standard offerings. The two Indian and two pasta sauces (rsp: £1.19 for a 350g jar) will contain just 3% fat per 100g - up to six times less than mainstream products, while the three microwaveable pasta meals joining the range (rsp: £1.29 for a 300g pouch) contain even less fat.
A £1m round of support for the brand will include sponsorship of GMTV’s Inch Loss Beach slimming feature next month.