Birds Eye has unveiled an extra-large, hybrid fish finger SKU amid soaring sales in the category during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new Crispy Chunky Fish Fingers will combine two of Birds Eye’s existing fish finger variants – Chunky and Oven Crispy Battered – and will weigh in at more than twice the size of the frozen giant’s standard fish finger (60g compared to 28g), it said.
Made using MSC-certified pollock, the new SKU is set to be available in Tesco, Morrisons, Iceland and Ocado from 7 September, with an additional listing in Asda earmarked for October (rsp: £3/six-pack).
“We’ve taken two really successful and popular fish finger variants and created the ideal fish finger that pairs shoppers’ love for extra crispiness and a generous amount of fish,” said Birds Eye’s fish general marketing manager Annalisa Fanali.
“During lockdown, we saw many families turning to products they really knew and loved. Thirty-nine per cent of households in the UK have bought Birds Eye Fish Fingers in the past 12 months [Kantar 52 w/e 31 March 2020] so we know how much of an appetite the nation has for our fish fingers. We’re confident this new launch will maintain the incremental growth and continue to bring new shoppers into the category.”
The launch will be supported by a return to TV for Captain Birds Eye from 24 August, which would focus on the Nomad-owned business’ existing Chunky Fish Finger.
It comes amid a period of heightened sales for Birds Eye’s fish fingers, which saw value sales climb by almost a third (31.9%) against the year at the height of lockdown [Nielsen 4 w/e 16 May 2020].
Meanwhile, the wider frozen seafood market has enjoyed sustained success since the beginning of the pandemic with volume sales up 23.9% on last year [Nielsen 52 w/e 13 June 2020].
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