CAN a makeover help you win more admirers? Kepak Convenience Foods, the owner of the Rustlers brand, thinks so.
The micro-snacking range has been given a new look to appeal to a wider consumer base.
Marketing director John Armstrong said: “Rustlers’ audience has changed and is no longer the sole preserve of lads and young men.
“This is reflected in the new pack designs which have researched extremely well.
“Masculine-looking packs have made way for designs which we know appeal to Rustlers’ new, broader 16 to 34 year old core target market, 40% of which is female.”
The new packs come hard on the heels of Kepak’s announcement that it intended to double sales of Rustlers products in convenience stores to £66m by 2018.
TV advertising for the brand is to continue and Armstrong said growing demand for hot food that can be eaten on the go provides new opportunities for retailers of micro snacks.
He said: “Shoppers are snacking more throughout the day and chilled micro snacks enable retailers to offer quick, hot food that, with simple cooking solutions, can be heated on the premises.
“Whilst many retailers are looking to attract more shoppers by offering hot food to go, not every outlet has the space or staffing levels to run a hot food counter.
“A microwave provides an easy-to-manage solution.
“For retailers with more space, we’ve developed a compact hot snack station which is programmed to cook Rustlers SKUs, can be used to cook any microwaveable products and comes with a built-in bin to keep the surrounding area tidy.”
Armstrong also said that Kepak is launching PMPs for what it calls Rustlers Super 6 – Quarter Pounder, BBQ Rib, Chicken Sandwich, Hot Subs Fried Chicken, Deluxe Bacon Cheeseburger and Tikka Chicken Hot Naan – at £1.99.
He said: “By stocking Rustlers Super 6, which accounts for more than 40% of sales in the micro-snacking market, retailers can share in what we estimate will be an additional £5m of sales in 2015.
“For retailers who already stock Rustlers, this is an opportunity to grow sales by an average of more than 20%.”
He added: “Price-marking the range provides price-conscious consumers with the reassurance they are looking for.”
