an editorial supplement to The Grocer Ready's steady to grow Investment's the name of the game to keep ahead of the changing dynamics of the market place and growing demand for convenience. Karen Dempsey reports on two producers which are at the heart of this sector growth The ready meal market in Ireland is on a roll with the current appetite at home and abroad for all things convenient. Two of the largest ready meal producers in the republic ­ Green Isle and Rye Valley ­ have been at the centre of this growth. Green Isle, based in Naas, is big on brands, with more than 50% of its sales accounted for by branded product. Its four business units are pizza, fish, pastry and food service and while domestically its Donegal Catch product has a 60% share of the fish market in Ireland, its best known branded export is Goodfellas pizza. A £28m investment in a pizza plant launched Goodfellas onto the Irish market in 1993. "The target was to reach 50% market share in two years and we achieved that in the first four months of launch," says Liz Lanigan, pizza category brand manager. The UK launch followed two years later. And a further £25m extended the plant in 1998 to accommodate the production of Goodfellas Pizza Pie. With 98% spontaneous awareness of the Goodfellas brand in Ireland, Green Isle could be forgiven for resting on its pizza laurels. But that's not the case at all. Changing dynamics of the marketplace ­ particularly the arrival of the UK multiples into Ireland ­ has prompted a change in thinking for the brand. Lanigan says: "The markets are so different between north and south. The north is dominated by the UK multiples ­ so we have a separate office that looks after the north as it has special needs ­ while in the republic there is more fragmentation between multiples and independents." But south of the border that is changing. "In Ireland we own the market so we can dictate what we do and safeguard the brand. But in the UK bogof activity is gradually eroding the market. Goodfellas has never done bogof activity but the arrival of Tesco in the republic is bringing in the UK mentality of heavy discounting. So the onus is on us to come with value promotions and get the balance between the price and brand building promotions." She adds: "We are doing a health check on the brand and working on a new brand vision." Details are still under wraps. But it is likely to involve a change in advertising tack and a relaunch is on the cards for Pizza Pie - which isn't a pie at all but a thin and crispy pizza with a raised edge to fit more topping on ­ to push the concept better to consumers. Lanigan says: "Deep pan is the backbone of the business and can be difficult to convince consumers that Goodfellas can mean something else. Our new vision will dictate where the focus will be and that may be outside pizza. Goodfellas doesn't have to limit itself to pizza." Rye Valley Foods ­ which originally set itself up as a private label frozen convenience food producer - is not limiting itself to its core areas either. Since it was taken over by Golden Vale in July 1998 its turnover has more than doubled to about £60m. The UK now accounts for about 90% of that (with its main own label customers being Asda, Iceland and Sainsbury) and its ambitions are to turn it into a company turning over £250m. "The strategy for growth is simple," says Mel Bugler, md business development at Rye Valley. "It's about organic growth, and doing more of what we do for our customers. That involves understanding consumers' needs and changing the product to meet those needs." Since Golden Vale took over the company has benefited from a £40m investment programme - £25m to extend the frozen ready meal plant Carrickmacross in the republic ­ which now claims to be the largest and fastest ready meal plant in Europe, producing a million meals a week - and £15m for a snack factory in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. Bugler says: "We work in close partnership with our customers in the UK and effectively we become an extension of their marketing department." For example it has someone working permanently as a colleague at Asda in Leeds who is a Rye Valley employee but an Asda colleague which Bugler says brings the benefit of fully understanding Asda consumers and being able to get products to market quicker. Rye Valley's biggest seller is Asda Chicken Curry, which is worth about £5m in retail sales annually. Its spectrum of products includes traditional British ready meals, Chinese, Indian and Italian. But its team of 14 npd people are working on developing new recipes, with Cajan, Creole and Mexican being among key new trends. What is also a major part of the company's growth is the new plant in Enniskillen which, as a dedicated frozen snack factory, claims to be the first of its kind. And it is also a symbol of a more settled political environment and Rye Valley's move to more of an island of Ireland approach. "What the Enniskillen factory capitalises on," says Bugler, "is the emerging trend for grazing, snacking and grab and go." The kind of snacks it makes is hand held food' which encompasses baguettes, tortilla wraps and pastry pockets ­ a US innovation that is a cross between shortcrust and puff pastry. Iceland is a customer for these products with its MegaBites range. And Sainsbury's Snack n' Go sub brand has 10 products in its range, including steak and onion baguette, Mediterranean vegetable wrap and Pepperoni Pizza Pastry Pocket. With the might of Golden Vale behind it we can expect even more developments ­ and possibly acquisitions ­ from the Rye Valley camp. {{SUPPLEMENTS }}