Significant investment aligns SPAR NI’s own brand teatime solutions under The Kitchen

Significant investment aligns SPAR NI’s own brand teatime solutions under The Kitchen
Neal Kelly, Category Development Director and Bronagh Henderson, Fresh Marketing Manager launch the new The Kitchen range.

SPAR NI’s popular range of meal solutions, branded The Kitchen, Cooked Locally, has been developed in collaboration with some of NI’s best local producers, creating a wide choice for shoppers looking for quick and tasty evening meals.

Following sales of over £10 million in 2022 and a demand from consumers for high quality and value meals for tonight’s tea, SPAR NI’s existing range of own-brand products have been amalgamated under one streamlined brand, with delicious new meals from local suppliers thanks to a £300,000 investment from Henderson Group.

The Kitchen has choice and value for shoppers at its core, with 73% of shoppers wanting to try new foods that are made locally and easier to cook[1], the range welcomes a vast selection of quick and tasty meals with little to no preparation time.

SPAR NI place focus on meeting their shoppers’ needs and with research revealing over 60% of shoppers feel there should be fewer seasonal offers and instead lower everyday prices[2], The Kitchen range is available at the competitive price of three products for £12.

The range now also includes a luxury line which invites shoppers to enjoy restaurant quality food from the comfort of their home. Two luxury meals for £12 include luxury beef lasagne or a ‘fakeaway’ curry.

The investment into the range ensures shoppers are greeted with a wide variety of tasty products on their doorsteps, from mains and sides to meals for one and desserts. The company has also made the brand’s new packaging easier to recycle.

The Kitchen range is a collection of over 100 products created by Henderson’s team of chefs alongside 11 local suppliers from across the island of Ireland, such as Daily Bake, K&G McAtamney, Davison’s Puds and Big Pot. The range will also bring new flavours to the table with the introduction of two sauce brands in 2023; Honed in Strabane and Spice O’Life from County Cork.

‘Supporting local and working with local suppliers is vital for us to meet those shopper needs while also providing our retailers with competitive and innovative products for their shelves’

Never seen before products make up a third of the new brand, which range from comforting family favourites to exciting new flavours. Expect luxury woodfired pizzas, loaded ciabattas and naan breads made in Co. Fermanagh, plus innovative chicken dishes made in Co. Antrim, with crispy salt and chilli or honey chilli chicken strips delivering consumer trends.

Neal Kelly, Category Development Director at Henderson Group said: “Shopping for tonight’s tea has never been easier thanks to The Kitchen range. The rebrand has provided stores the opportunity to expand their offering for shoppers with a range that brings both convenience and luxury to households, at competitive prices.

“Supporting local and working with local suppliers is vital for us to meet those shopper needs while also providing our retailers with competitive and innovative products for their shelves.”

SPAR NI are once again supporting the Balmoral Show as Platinum Sponsor where the SPAR shop will return and in the marquee, the ‘DISH-tractingly’ tasty new meals will be available to try on site from Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th May, showcasing the new products and their local suppliers.

The iconic red Stetsons will be available to pick up in exchange for a donation to SPAR and EUROSPAR NI charity partners, Marie Curie and Cancer Fund for Children. Last year, show goers raised over £18,000 in just four days.

The Kitchen is available now in NI SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores. For more information on The Kitchen, visit: www.spar-ni.co.uk/explore/the-kitchen/.

[1]  (NielsenIQ Scantrack, November 2021).

[2] 1,000+ ALL shoppers, Feb’23