Let them eat frozen cake

Opportunities abound in convenience according to Coppenrath & Wiese

Coppenrath & Wiese has launched an apple crumble caramel tart in a 500g pack

SCOTTISH shoppers have never been shy about picking up a treat, which should be good news if you’re in the frozen dessert business.

Numbers would suggests that consumers are increasingly turning to frozen desserts, with the category enjoying growth of 5.6% in UK convenience – according to Kantar Worldpanel figures for the year to 21 January 2019.

The UK’s frozen dessert category is now worth £160m, and Lisa Bähre, account executive at frozen dessert specialist Coppenrath & Wiese, reckons this presents “a huge opportunity for retailers to capitalise on.”

“As spring approaches with the evenings getting warmer and longer, the dessert focus should start to switch,” she said.

“Whilst the traditional hot eating desserts should be the base of any range prior to Easter, consumers are now starting to look for something lighter and fruitier but also easy and quick to prepare.

“The popular Coppenrath & Wiese Strawberry Cheesecake (485g) makes the perfect addition to the range during the spring summer period and won’t take up much freezer space.”

Consumers are now starting to look for something lighter and fruitier but also easy and quick to prepare

A freezer missing cheesecake would appear to mean a retailer missing out, as Bähre highlighted Kantar figures which show that cheesecakes and gateaux now account for over 45% of the frozen dessert category in c-stores, “and should therefore form the basis of any dessert offer”.

For those looking to expand beyond a core cheesecake and gateaux, Bähre suggested it might be worth turning to tarts, where Coppenrath has been looking to plug a gap with NPD in 2019.

“Coppenrath and Wiese extended its range earlier this year with the launch of the Apple Crumble Caramel Tart (500g) filling a gap in the convenience channel vs. total market, where tarts have proven very popular and become a real trend over the past few years.

“The new apple tart not only picks up on the caramel flavour trend, but offers ultimate convenience to the customer as it can be enjoyed hot after only 20 minutes in the oven, or eaten cold after is has been defrosted.

“The Coppenrath & Wiese Apple Caramel Crumble Tart launches in time for Easter which is one of the most important events of the year for frozen dessert sales.

“Easter provides fantastic opportunities for retailers to inspire their customers with new, innovative product offerings and promotions.”