Premier Foods celebrated National Curry Week this year by taking Sharwood’s, the No.1 Indian sauces and accompaniments brand in independents on the road.
The idea was to inspire retailers looking to maximise incremental sales by making the most of ‘meal at home’ occasions and key calendar events.
Throughout National Curry Week, the Sharwood’s branded van visited various cash & carries to trial delicious products prepared by Premier Food’s expert chefs.
Wholesale Manager went to Bestway, Park Royal, London to ask Courtney Lewis, Grocery Customer Director for Independent Convenience & Wholesale at Premier Foods, about the biggest trends for sauces in wholesale and what is it about the Sharwood’s range that makes him proud.
To watch the video interviews, go to wholesalemanager.co.uk.
How is the sauces category currently performing?
At a macro level, versus pre-Covid levels, the category is performing well. More consumers are cooking at home, they are looking to recreate those restaurant quality meals in the household. The total category is huge, now worth £992m at a total level1. Sharwood’s is the number one Indian cooking sauces and accompaniments brand in independents with 42% share2.
Which are Sharwood’s biggest products in cash & carries?
Within the cash & carry channel, we have those iconic flavours that people know and love. We are really conscious within cash & carry and wholesale, because the independent retailers tend to have smaller spaces within their stores therefore it’s really important they have the leading flavours that people know and love. From a Sharwood’s perspective we have Tikka Masala, Korma and Balti. We also have Poppadoms and Mango Chutney within wholesale.
Who are the customers for your products in wholesale?
Within my team we look after independent wholesalers like Bestway, Unitas and Spar. They all service that independent market, where things such as meal for tonight and the Big Night In occasions are still relatively new. We only have to look at the marketplace which is more competitive than ever with established and new players increasing their presence. With Sharwood’s being an iconic brand in cooking sauces, we are very much using this opportunity of National Curry Week to talk to independent retailers and wholesalers around the occasion and the opportunity it represents to them in terms of increasing that basket spend when shoppers are in their store.
What are the biggest trends for sauces in wholesale?
Shopper behaviour has changed post-Covid. Local stores are becoming more than just a top-up destination. People are often time poor therefore will continue to seek products that save time in the kitchen, all whilst providing a tasty meal. So convenience remains key in the sauces category, therefore it is really important for retailers to offer a range of meal for tonight or Big Night In solutions to tap into that fakeaway occasion, the art of recreating your favourite restaurant or takeaway dishes in the comfort of your own home. This has really soared in popularity over the last few years.
National and seasonal events such as National Curry Week enable wholesalers and retailers to hike that sales spike even further from the increased awareness these events drive. We know consumers continue to look for quality and premium offerings from brands they know and trust so Sharwood’s delivers against this.
How do you think the cost of living crisis will affect the sauces category?
More people are cooking at home due to the cost of living crisis. 64% stated they will eat out less, 63% are ordering less takeaways3. However, their desire for restaurant quality products remains, therefore there is a real opportunity for the cooking sauces category. These products allow consumers to create that quick and easy restaurant quality meal at home. It also offers really great value. To bring that to life, we are running a Best Restaurant in Town campaign where consumers can make a Sharwood’s Veggie Tikka Masala for under £1 per serving. We also ran a food waste campaign, Fresh Take on Food Waste, which helps consumers transform their leftover ingredients into delicious meals.
So the cost of living impact is around people being more savvy with their spend but that desire for quality products in the household still remains.
Given the cost of living crisis, do you advise wholesalers to focus on the Big Night In opportunity and meal deals?
People are choosing to eat out less and they are ordering less takeaways so meal for tonight and Big Night In is going to be important. People are still time poor so they can come into a convenience outlet and pick up all the ingredients to recreate that meal. It’s a big opportunity for the retailers. That meal for tonight is bringing those complementary products together. You could range cooking sauces alongside chilled protein, pasta, rice and that is really around inspiring shoppers and helping to drive basket spend. If somebody is in a rush they can come into a store and pick up all the components to make that meal. It’s an opportunity for retailers to increase their basket spend.
What is it about the Sharwood’s range that makes you proud?
Sharwood’s delivers on taste and quality, it’s an iconic brand. Sharwood’s takes consumers on a taste adventure with this delicious and really authentic range. It delivers on taste and quality. We have hand rolled poppadoms that are actually made in India, and our range includes flame baked naans. We have 130 years of brand history in the UK, a high penetration into the brand of 37%4. We have a top quality core range offering where we lead the way on innovation such as our Sharwood’s healthier for you versions, where we have removed calories. When we talk about taste and quality we outperform the competition in blind taste tests which is a real testament to the quality of the product.
How important is it to offer different pack formats across the sauces range?
It is important because there are different occasions they will tap into. Smaller jar sizes will naturally cater to couples or small families but the bigger jar sizes will cater for large families or those holding social gatherings and are also a way of unlocking value. So by having a flexible range you are catering to different shoppers.
What can wholesalers do in depot to grow sauce sales?
Visibility is key. Ensure your stock is visible to retailers and use key events throughout the year such as National Curry Week, meal for tonight and fakeaways to drive those incremental sales. They obviously all service retailers, they play a role in providing that insight with suppliers to retailers. It’s the same for retailers – they should maximise the opportunities that calendar events like meal at home and Big Night In offer. It’s about using eye catching displays, stocking the best sellers such as Sharwood’s and offering a wide range to meet consumer needs and recreate that meal for tonight occasion in-store.
You cooked Balti, Chicken Tikka Massala and Korma at the Bestway depot takeover. Why do you want to focus on these three products?
It’s those iconic flavours that people know and love. It’s the ones we range in wholesale. It also gave people coming into the cash & carry an opportunity to try those products. It was linked to the range we sell but it’s also linked to those leading variants within the range.
How do you think the depot takeover will boost your business?
The depot takeover was a great way to kickstart a campaign. We had great standout at the front of the depot, we had additional awareness that the curry van created. We also ran an incentive where people would go into a prize draw to drive that rate of sale. It’s available across the full range and it’s a great way to kick off a campaign but also to start some of those broader conversations around what the opportunities are that the meal for tonight and Big Night In occasions represents.
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