Cathedral City has expanded outside its traditional cheddar base, making its first forays into red Leicester and smoked cheese.
The Saputo Dairy UK brand, which last year introduced a plant-based form of its market-leading cheese, will introduce new products Our Red Leicester and the cheddar-based Our Smoked into 210 Sainsbury’s stores on September 13 (rsp: £4.75/300g each).
The NPD, which is part of Cathedral City’s new ‘Our Best of British’ collection, is the brand’s first dairy line that isn’t a typical cheddar variation.
Red Leicester sales have increased by 24.3% year on year, beating the rest of the cheese category [Kantar 52 w/e 14 May 2023]. Saputo stated that it believed the introduction of a branded option in a market dominated by own label would drive additional sales growth.
The dairy firm claimed that its ‘Our Naturally Smoked’ NPD was distinct from the majority of smoked cheese competitors, the majority of which smoked through an artificial blending process.
“There is a real opportunity for us to lead the way in both sectors, bringing a Cathedral City branded offering to the red Leicester market and raising the profile of the naturally smoked category in the pre-packaged cheese aisle,” said Neil Stewart, Cathedral City’s head of marketing at Saputo Dairy UK.
“Breaking into these sectors is a watershed moment for the brand because we offer two new great-tasting products to consumers who have been looking for a quality offering that encourages them to purchase on a regular basis,” he added.
According to data from The Grocer’s top products survey, Cathedral City saw value sales drop by 12.9% to £251.9m last year, compared to a 0.8% decline in the overall cheese category [NIQ 52 w/e 10 September 2022].
Volume sales fell by 20.6%, compared to 7.4% for the whole cheese sector, as revenues fell due to inflation. However, the brand remains by far the most important in the cheese sector, with yearly sales more than doubling that of its nearest rival Dairylea, at £127.8 million.
Saputo has also announced the release of a new 500g spreadable container size of Willow, their butter replacement.
The new spread will be available in Iceland on September 11th, with listings in Asda and Bestway following later in the year.
“Willow Spreadable is a versatile, great-value alternative to spreadable butter,” said Georgina Thomas, marketing director for butters, spreads, and oils. “The new 500g pack is ideal for families of all sizes and presents us with an opportunity to capture price-sensitive shoppers who have previously opted for private label.”
The launch will be accompanied by in-store, online, and depot marketing.
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