The company has renamed its Proper Corn brand Poshcorn and plans to roll it out in Europe this Spring, says marketing director Jocelyn McNulty.
Sweet & salty and sea salted Poshcorn will initially expand into France, where Tyrrells has previously held back with popcorn preferring to concentrate on establishing its core product range, McNulty told BakeryandSnacks.com.
The UK’s premium crisp brand emerged on the French market in 2011 and has since blazed a trail to become category market leader. Other key EU markets include Germany and the Netherlands.
“Popcorn grew by 32% last year and Poshcorn by 48.9%, so it is a category that is really going places. France is an established market for Tyrrells crisps but popcorn will be a new direction for us in the region,” said McNulty.
‘Feminine’ snack
Poshcorn is being marketed to 30+ women as a more ‘feminine’ snack and as a healthier, lighter alternative to chocolate snacks, she explained.
“Sweet snacks are generally more feminine and popcorn presents a fantastic opportunity to replace traditional chocolate snacks. Popcorn is a fresh category and we know how to get the best results. We also know consumers are looking for something different – and Poshcorn hits the spot.”
The new popcorn varieties - coconut & caramel and lemon cupcake - join the ranks of established favourites sweet & salty (reformulated using golden caster sugar) and sea salted, and add a bit of ‘fun’ to the category, McNulty added.
“The new recipes have a strong personality and are fun and feminine - but we mustn’t loose sight of the fact that sweet & salty is our biggest seller by a long way. Our strategy focuses on balance, offering variety and getting the most out of both existing and new varieties.”