Winter sales wrapped up with Unilever
The ice cream category is currently worth £806 million[1] and despite the summer being the traditional season for impulse, the winter still accounts for significant ice cream sales. As consumers become more aware of food wastage, cautious with their spending and eat more in the home, the frozen food category continues to grow and ice cream is no exception (+2.5% YOY)[1].
Peter Harbour, Category Director for Ice Cream at Unilever UK says, "Key to the ice cream category's success is Unilever's strategy to increase frequency of purchase, in addition to our exciting innovation which targets a host of different eating occasions. Winter is an important time for take home ice cream such as Ben & Jerry's, Carte D'Or, Viennetta and Cream of Cornish, as 35% of sales occur in the winter months[2] However, this winter in particular, is set to be an exciting one as we move for the first time into an entirely new sector with the launch of Carte D'Or Frozen Desserts."
Frozen Desserts
Carte D'Or is using its strong food credentials to launch a range of luscious frozen desserts which will add value to the £218 million frozen desserts category[3] by encouraging Carte D'Or enthusiasts to increase their repertoire.
Harbour continues, "Currently the frozen dessert category is dominated by own label, with no strong branded player. We have a great opportunity to add value to the market whilst establishing Carte D'Or as a definitive dessert brand.
"Research shows that 66% of shoppers buy both dessert ice cream and frozen desserts, and 82% of Carte D'Or consumers are already active in the frozen desserts market3. We're aiming to increase penetration by attracting new consumers to the brand as well as our existing consumers, who will be adding Carte D'Or frozen desserts to their repertoire without replacing their ice cream purchases."
The three frozen desserts, which include Madagascan Vanilla & Chocolate Cheesecake, Madagascan Vanilla & Raspberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Truffle & Raspberry Torte, are presented in a rich black patisserie box framed by a strip of gold around the edge. The packaging has been designed to reflect the premium positioning of the new products and be instantly recognisable to loyal Carte D'Or consumers as they will be merchandised away from ice cream, within the frozen desserts freezer.
Ice Cream for all Seasons
By substituting summer impulse singles with take home lines such as Viennetta, Carte D'Or and Ben & Jerry's, ice cream can continue to be an extremelyprofitable category in the winter. Despite the current economic climate, latest trends show indulgence has continued to grow (+3%[4]), highlighting that affordable treats are still important to consumers and a profit opportunity for retailers.
The launch of Magnum Minis has successfully tapped into the in home snacking occasion and helped to break down barriers to frequency of consumption, while Carte D'Or continues to drive growth by focusing on winter usage for the core range, along with the brand's flavour of the year strategy. In addition, luxury ice cream champion Ben & Jerry's remains a popular choice all year round with its deluge of 'moovellous' new flavours including Phish Food Frozen Yoghurt, the top selling luxury NPD this year, and Fairtrade Chocolate Macadamia.
Finally, popular classics including Viennetta, which has recently seen growth due to the popularity of nostalgic brands during the recession, and Wall's Cream of Cornish, the perfect accompaniment to hot desserts, see 40.3% (make this 4) sales occurring in the winter.
Harbour concludes, "Unilever Ice Cream offers a wide range of products and support to retailers to ensure they maximise the huge profit opportunity ice cream represents in the winter."
[1] IRI Data to 8th August 2009
[2] IRI Value Sales April 2008-March 2009
[3] TNS Data
[4] IRI Data 52 w/e 21 March 09 vs 29th Nov 08 to 21st March 09
[4] TNS March 2009
