essentials basket

Bestway is targeting Booker’s Euro Shopper range with an amnesty campaign called Ditch the Euro.

The campaign, launched yesterday and running until 10 October, will allow retailers to bring a single Euro Shopper product to a Bestway or Batleys depot and redeem it for a whole case of the equivalent Best-in Essentials product for free. Bestway ran a similar campaign in September last year to mark the relaunch of Best-in Essentials, but that amnesty was for any rival brand.

Euro Shopper has been highly successful since its 2007 launch. IThe range generated retail sales of £156m in 2012, and it now has 83 lines, including its best selling energy drink.

Bestway has limited Ditch the Euro to six products - baked beans 400g, milk chocolate 100g, digestive biscuits 300g, chopped tomatoes 400g, lemonade 2-litre and granulated sugar 500g. However, it said there was no limit to the number of times retailers could redeem products during the campaign.

It would not reveal how much it was investing but the figure was “substantial”. The campaign will be supported by trade press ads and a radio ad in its 62 depots.

“Last year, the response from retailers was exceptional and we are envisaging a substantial increase this year,” a Bestway spokesman said. “We expect the stock to sell through in four weeks rather than the eight-week promotional period last year.”

Best-in buying manager Nick Brown added: “Ditch the Euro is all about embracing great British value and trialling our Best-in Essentials lines. This year we have focused the promotion on major KVIs, which we know will sell quickly and give retailers a healthy return. We then hope they will restock and expand their own-label range using Best-in Essentials.”