Princes has added new lines to its Crosse & Blackwell 4Kids pasta range in the UK as it relaunches the brand.
The UK food and drink group said it will take 4Kids into pasta meals with the launch of two products: pasta with sausages and pasta with chicken and vegetable meatballs.
Chris Wright, marketing director for Crosse & Blackwell, said: "The pasta shapes range is already established in the market and we spotted an opportunity to replicate this success in the pasta meals sector with a range of exciting new products. We are committed to investing in the Crosse & Blackwell and 4Kids brands and these are the first of many new products that will be launched over the next 12 months."
Princes will also use durum wheat pasta in each of the products and has updated the packaging for each SKU.
It has put a "five-a-day" flash on the packaging, which has a new design to "maximise" the seven character licences Princes holds for the products, including Scooby Doo and Spongebob Squarepants.
CROSSE & BLACKWELL RELAUNCHES 4KIDS PASTA
Crosse & Blackwell’s popular 4Kids range of canned pasta is being relaunched to target a greater share of the £10m character pasta market.
The revamped range, which hits stores in December, will include updated packaging and new recipes for the existing seven strong line-up of pasta in tomato sauce. The brand will also extend into the pasta meal category for the first time with two new products – pasta with sausages and pasta with chicken and vegetable meatballs.
4Kids already accounts for 24% of the character pasta market, which is currently growing at 26% year on year in value terms. The relaunched line-up is aimed at young families and will capitalise on this popularity – featuring a new packaging design to maximise the brand’s seven character licences including Spongebob Squarepants, the beloved Disney Princesses, Disney/Pixar Cars and Scooby Doo. A new five-a-day flash has also been added to the packaging and all products will begin using quality durum wheat pasta to maximise food values for parents.
Supported by strong in store promotional activity it is the first major investment in the 4Kids range since canned food giant Princes acquired the Crosse & Blackwell brand in July 2011.
Chris Wright, marketing director for Crosse & Blackwell, said: “The 4Kids range combines fun characters with good quality, filling meals – making it a winner with both parents and children. The pasta shapes range is already established in the market and we spotted an opportunity to replicate this success in the pasta meals sector with a range of exciting new products. We are committed to investing in the Crosse & Blackwell and 4Kids brands and these are the first of many new products that will be launched over the next 12 months.”
4Kids pasta shapes are available in 213g cans with an RSP of 49p. 4Kids pasta meals come in 213g cans with RSPs starting from 69p.
