Kettle Foods

Our market research found a keen Dutch appetite for Kettle® Chips.

The issue

Kettle® Chips has established a well-differentiated place in the British chips market since the brand was launched by Kettle® Foods in 1989. Specially selected potatoes, frying by hand and more ‘adult’ varieties of natural herb seasonings (such as sweet chilli and crushed black pepper) are among the features that make Kettle® Chips unique.
With ambitions to expand into Europe, Kettle® Foods identified The Netherlands as offering high potential for export. Previously, such expansion plans had been handled through European-based agents and distributors. For this major project, the company approached FFB The Netherlands because we could offer a more direct and effective approach.

What we did

“We had a brainstorm session with Kettle® Foods Ltd where we looked for specific opportunities in the Dutch market”, explained Pim Haasdijk, managing director of FFB The Netherlands. “Because we were aware of the wide range of possibilities, we felt it was necessary to carry out some rigorous market research to identify Kettle® Chips product and brand potential in more detail. From this research we learned that Dutch consumers do understand why Kettle® Chips are different, and even more crucially, we learned that they would buy the product!”
FFB The Netherlands then helped Francois Bucquet, sales and marketing director – Continental Europe at Kettle® Foods, set up listings with three retailers, with others set to follow when the current price war settles down.
“We have shown that Kettle® Chips and the brand can, and will, grow in The Netherlands. Very important is that we have been able to convince trade that there is still lots of opportunities for high-added value concepts even under market circumstances with stronger than normal focus on pricing” said Pim. “It now remains to be seen where else these premium chips will take off. Sales in France, Belgium and Italy are also developing well, therefore Kettle® Foods management is very confident about its Continental Europe growth potential.”