Richmond launches new Meat-Free Burgers

• The announcement marks a significant commitment to growing the Meat-Free Category 
• The Meat-Free Burgers will be available in a 170g pack including 2 x 85g patties
• The new launch allows Richmond to continue to cater to more family mealtimes and preferences

Richmond, a proud part of Kerry Foods, has today announced the launch of Richmond Meat-Free Burgers. The announcement is a significant development for the brand, renowned for its sausage expertise, as it expands further into the meat-free category. The new Meat-Free Burgers will be launching into shops this month in the chilled aisles.

Richmond has been serving meals since 1889, and is now a household family favourite, with a 34.4% penetration across 9m households.[1] As the Nation’s Favourite Sausage Brand,[2] Richmond has already seen huge success in the meat-free category, with its Richmond Meat-Free Sausages equating to a RSV of £7.9m, becoming the number one brand with the highest repeat rate in the Meat-Free Fresh category.[3] Now Richmond is helping retailers offer even more choice for families at mealtimes.

With the launch of its Meat-Free Burgers Richmond is allowing retailers to tap into one of the fastest growing segments; the Fresh Meat-Free Burger category is currently growing 116.8%.[4] The launch of Meat-Free Burgers allows Richmond to continue to tap into more family mealtime occasions. Additionally, with 63% of consumers looking for healthier proteins,[5] Richmond Meat-Free Burgers directly align with changing consumer habits and enable retailers to offer healthier choices that don’t compromise on taste.

The continued expansion of Richmond’s Meat-Free portfolio follows the successful launch of its Frozen Meat-Free Sausages. Since launching three months ago, the range has become the number one best seller in the Frozen Meat-Free market.[6] The Richmond Meat-Free Burgers launch marks a continued commitment from the brand to encourage existing shoppers to try meat-free alternatives and allow retailers to offer more choice to shoppers.

Victoria Southern, Category & Marketing Director, at Kerry Foods says: “We’ve worked hard over the past year on innovating our product portfolio so it reflects what families really want at mealtimes and we’ve already had some really positive responses from consumers around extending our meat-free range. Eighty-eight per cent of them agree this new product is suitable for both adults and children[7], as great tasting, fuss free meals are key – especially when dealing with different dietary preferences. Given the roaring success of our Meat-Free Sausages we’re really excited to be expanding our range even further to ensure we can cater to a whole variety of mealtime occasions and we’re confident our Meat-Free Burgers will be a hit with shoppers looking to moderate their meat intake and with those looking to try something new from the Richmond brand.”

Richmond Meat-Free Burgers are perfect for family mealtimes and the ideal portion size, at 85g a patty, to suit both parent and child. This taps into the growing trend for quick family meals – an occasion which has seen growth of 21.6% compared to last year.[8]

_{[1] Kantar, Total Richmond Penetration, 52 w/e 14th June 2020}

_{[2] IRI MarketPlace MAT value w/e 11.08.2019}

_{[3] Kantar Data: ending 14th June 2020}

_{[4] IRI Meat Free L12wks £% change 12th July}

_{[5] Mintel Consumer Snacking, May 2019}

_{[6] IRI data (excludes Dicounters) ending 9th August 2020} 

[8] ^{Frozen Ready Meals Segmentation study}