The confectionery company developed the new Oreo variety after a public consultation in October last year, which revealed that 43% of the British public voted for a biscuit with a brownie batter center.
“The popularity of the public vote highlights how passionate our consumers are about Oreo cookies and we hope this launch will drive excitement in-store in turn helping retailers drive sweet biscuit sales,” said Halen Potter, senior brand manager for Oreo at Mondelēz.
UK’s sweet biscuits category
Mondelēz has been expanding its presence in the UK biscuits market as it believes the country has a potential for the category. The company also recently launched a range of chocolate cookies under its Cadbury brand.
Oreo was valued at £50m ($64m) in the UK, growing at 33.4% year-over-year, according to Nielsen data ending August 8, 2016. The brand is also one of the biggest growth drivers of the country’s sweet biscuits category, contributing £11.2m ($14.4m) in 2016 alone, with a repeat rate of 51.3%.
In July 2016, Mondelēz extended its Oreo portfolio with strawberry cheesecake and mint flavors, which are currently worth £4.7m ($6m) combined, according to Nielsen data ending June 17, 2017.
Euromonitor reported Oreo ranks fourth in terms of market share in the UK’s sweet biscuits category. The top three brands are Pladis-produced McVitie’s, belVita and Cadbury.