Abra-ca-Debora has overhauled its entire portfolio in a bid to restore growth in chilled pancakes.
Its chilled ready-made pancake range is now HFSS-compliant, after recipes were reformulated to reduce salt, fat, saturated fat and calories.
The brand has also replaced buttermilk with oat milk in all of its pancake recipes, a move it said would increase the fibre content of the products, as well as reduce its own carbon footprint.
The overhaul came in response to declining sales in chilled pancakes, the brand said. Value sales had declined by 15% year on year in the 52 weeks to 5 September, it said, citing NIQ data.
The loss was down to “HFSS legislation restricting secondary displays and promotions” and the “rising popularity of weight-loss medications changing shopping habits”, Abra-ca-Debora claimed.
“The decline in chilled pancakes reflects a change in how the category reaches shoppers rather than a loss of appetite for the product,” Sam Dooley, brand manager at Abra-ca-Debora, told The Grocer. “We concluded that these pressures are permanent, and that the right response was to reformulate rather than wait for the market to adjust.
“When creating our fully HFSS-compliant range, our aim was to strike the perfect balance of nutritional benefits and great taste. The range offers shoppers a product suited to the way they eat today, while allowing retailers to give pancakes greater prominence again.”
Alongside the reformulation, the brand has added an American Style pancake flavour, which has rolled out in Tesco, Asda and Morrisons (rsp: £2.40/240g). The NPD is also HFSS-complaint.
Packaging has also been revamped across the range with “brighter, more vibrant” designs and clearer occasion cues.
The relaunch will be backed by a marketing campaign, spanning social media, PR and sampling.
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