The baker has worked with Tesco’s group food sourcing team – which sources products that could work across the retailer’s global business – to tailor seven Warburtons-branded lines for the European market. They include a white Toastie loaf, fruit bread, brown bread, crumpets and English muffins.The products are being sold in 126 Tesco branches in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.
The loaves are freshly made in Warburtons’ UK bakeries before being exported using Tesco’s logistics service to transport the products.
All the lines are sold in the UK but have been adapted for central European shoppers, who want a stronger taste. The products have also been adapted to meet the extended shelf-life requirements, beyond the UK standard of six days, adding preservatives to extend it to 18 days. All of the packaging has been translated into local languages.
Damien Ghee, the group’s new business director, said Warburtons was trialling the products in each country for six months, adding that sales have been encouraging.
He said: “If all goes well we will have the confidence to then invest in that region and will be looking at various options, including introducing our own manufacturing facility, acquiring a local bakery or working in a joint venture.”
Warburtons manifested its new business strategy, growing through expansion outside the UK and diversification into snacking, by having a presence at the Anuga Food and Drink show in Germany earlier this month.
Highlights:
- Fast track learning from overseas market(s)
- Direct partnership getting the product taste right for end-user
- Using partner’s expertise without middle men
- Using the partner’s established supply chain
- Getting products on shelves in the partner’s outlets
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