British companies March across the globe

Food from Britain's international network met with great success in securing new business for its British food and drink clients in March. Read more about the new listings, PR activities and relationship-building that we carried out.

New listings

• Frederick’s Dairies’ first order of Cadbury ice cream has been released to the Portuguese market by their appointed distributor.
• Key Country Foods’ first order of bacon will be released between now and next week. The new business is anticipated to generate around £100,000 per annum of sales.
• FFB Portugal has secured agreement from the distributor to distribute Premier Foods’ Ansora baked beans in Portugal alongside Branston’s. This agreement is anticipated to triple sales of Premier Foods in Portugal through this channel.
• Sun Valley’s first order of nuts has been delivered to their new Portuguese distributor.
• FFB Portugal has secured a second distributor for Yearsleys products.
• Lizi’s Granola products are now on-shelf in Whole Foods. This listing was generated after the company exhibited at Summer Fancy Food 2007. FFB NA worked with them to secure the listing.
• FFB Belgium have secured listings for Marlow Foods’ Quorn Cordon Bleu and Lasagne products nationwide in Carrefour and Colruyt stores.
• R&D Associates has established a line of four new wok sauces called ‘Freedom Fresh Sauces’, which are promoted as containing no ‘nasties’ and ‘pure goodies’. With FFB Belgium’s support, the products are co-branded with Delhaize and will be sold in Delhaize stores nationwide.

PR

• FFB Spain is working with distributor Fricodan to organise tastings of Walls Sausages in tourist area supermarkets. The company is carrying out marketing activities to build their brand; they have been selling to Spain through parallel trading for a number of years.
• El Corte Inglés carried out an Indian promotion in its stores, which included Patak’s and Shere Khan.
• FFB Italy has sent key consumer journalists a press pack promoting Kettle Chips. The pack will contain three flavours and an oven baking sheet as a gift for the journalists to suggest an alternative way to eat Kettle Chips, heated in the oven as an accompaniment to meat dishes for example.
• FFB Italy is following up recent listings of Kettle Chips in Coop and Carrefour.
• A press pack for McVities is being sent to journalists by FFB Italy.
• FFB Italy has been securing lots of coverage for Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) in key chefs’ magazines, including an 8-page article in Artù magazine and a 4-page piece in Madia magazine. Leading meat trade magazine Food Meat featured FFB’s own Rita Piva in coverage of the two-day chefs’ congress at Taormina in Sicily, where two-Michelin-starred chef Ciccio Sultano demonstrated cooking with Scotch beef.
• FFB France is carrying out PR in premium hospitality magazines to promote Dormen Foods to top hotels and restaurants in France.
• The Single Malt Club (SMC) launched Diageo’s Classic Malts range at the end of February. It will launch The Balvenie’s new version in March.
• The Single Malt Club (SMC) was present at a major wine and gourmet event in Porto at the beginning of March (Essência do Vinho).
• FFB Belgium organised EBLEX and HCC’s presence at the ‘Tavola’ fresh food trade fair on 9-11 March. EBLEX carried out popular tastings at the show, one of Belgium’s leading fresh produce and speciality food shows.
• FFB Belgium has sent out a press release has been sent out for the launch of Isle of Shuna's mussels in Belgium.
• FFB Belgium is carrying out PR activity to promote Kettle Chips’ new Honey Barbeque flavour crisps, which will be the company’s seasonal flavour for the summer.

Building relationships in-market

• FFB Spain will be bringing a Spanish buyer from Biogran, the distribution arm of one of Spain's leading organic food brands, to Natural Products Europe.
• The Spanish Meat & Cheese Roadshow will take place on 6-7 April. Companies interested in taking part in this opportunity to meet key meat and cheese buyers and distributors should contact Javier Rees on jrees@foodfrombritain.es.
• Following the increasing demand from UK companies for a direct approach to the local trade in order to eliminate intermediary figures (such as distributors) FFB Italy is working on a project to create a new, alternative distribution system that allows UK companies to have a direct relationship with their customers. For that reason, FFB Italy is building a network of regional partners for local sales, merchandising and logistics services (delivery to individual stores). FFB Italy is currently working and achieving listings with various UK companies who are interested in developing a direct approach to the market.
• The wholesaler tour organised by FFB Germany for Randall Parker proved extremely successful, with all four wholesalers visited expressing willingness to list their products. The visit was so well-received by the client that two further wholesaler visits are being planned for April and May.
• The European Sandwich and Snack Show took place on 19-20 March. This year’s show includes an innovations area highlighting the latest new products and trends from UK.
• FFB Italy is recruiting for the Italian Retail Seminar on 7-8 May.
• As part of FFB Germany’s work to rebuild trust in British meat, FFB Germany and EBLEX attended the Lebensmittel Praxis Fleischkongress. Interest in British meat was expressed by several key players in the industry, including Tenglemann and Edeka. Tastings of British meat were eagerly anticipated - as the queues demonstrated!
• EBLEX sponsored the meat at the annual dinner of the IVBFF (the international association of meat management experts), which is a key date for the actual and future key players in the meat industry.
• Seamark have approved FFB Portugal’s proposal to manage the supply logistics of their seafood products in Portugal (breaded seafood, Black Tiger prawns & shrimps). FFB Portugal will manage a ‘buffer stock’ of Seamark products in Portugal and manage follow-on sales.
• Greencore have validated a proposal for an introduction to the French market under the Yorkshire Market Entry Package.
• FFB France has contacted 4-5 leading retailers to present Symington’s soup, pasta and rice products.
• North Downs Dairy took part in a one day market visit with FFB France and found it worthwhile.
• FFB NA staff attended the Natural Expo West show on Thursday 13 March, promoting clients and supporting Quorn and Dorset Cereals, who were exhibiting.
• FFB Belgium also arranged a dinner for HCC and one of the largest Belgian wholesalers to tie in with the Tavola fair.

Trends

The French media has recently focussed on the decline of consumer purchasing power and steep price rises on standard goods. A French government minister carried out public shop at several mainstream retailers to highlight the price rises. Stores are responding by promoting their price cuts and low prices, and discounters have a high profile in the media despite a stable market share.

28 March 2008