bay fishmongers tesco

Tesco has expanded its Farms brands range with two new seafood products, sold under a new Bay Fishmongers brand.

The retailer launched a 180g chilled coldwater prawn SKU last week (rsp: £2.40/180g), alongside a 180g king prawn pack (rsp: £2.25/150g).

The new prawn lines follow the low-key launch of a Bay Fishmongers salmon fillet line last November priced at £10/kg, and mark the first departure by Tesco from the Farms brands’ core meat, poultry and fresh fruit & veg lines.

Bay Fishmongers was an extension to Tesco’s range of “fresh quality food to customers at outstanding value”, said a Tesco spokeswoman.

It is understood the salmon product is supplied by Icelandic Seachill as part of its long-term supply agreement with Tesco, signed last October. It is sourced from salmon farms in Scotland and Norway.

The brand’s king prawns are farmed and frozen in Vietnam or Thailand, while the coldwater prawns are caught and frozen in waters off the North West and North East Atlantic and Iceland. They are packed for Tesco by supplier Blue Earth, it is understood.

The products are competitively priced compared with similar Tesco own-label alternatives, with the salmon some £4.67 cheaper per kg than an equivalent bag of six Tesco salmon fillets.

A 150g pack of Tesco own-label King Prawns costs 75p extra at £3. The rsp for a 200g own-label pack of Tesco coldwater prawns stands at £3.20 (on offer at £3 until 11 April), compared with the Bay Fishmongers SKU, priced at £2.40 for 180g.

More than two-thirds of Tesco’s customers had now bought Farms brands lines, the spokeswoman said. “Customers are able to save around 17% off the cost of a typical basket of 10 of the most popular meat, fruit and vegetable lines by choosing to buy products from the ranges.”