Waitrose’s NPD efforts look set to continue, with the launch of a new own-label range of pizzas and assorted sides.
The supermarket has registered the brand ‘Urban Pizza’ and an associated logo with the government’s Intellectual Property Office.
The listing covers two classes. One is the preparation of a swathe of pizza and pizza-based products including pizza pies, garlic bread and condiments. The other covers a variety of sides including French fries and potato wedges, mozzarella sticks, and preserved, dried and cooked fruits.
It’s the latest in a wave of new NPD launched by Waitrose in recent months, as the once again profitable supermarket continues to modernise its customer offer.
Last month saw the launch of a new exclusive ingredients range with chef Yotam Ottolenghi, in what was the supermarket’s first major celebrity tie-up since it ended its partnership with Heston Blumenthal in 2023.
It added to the launch of a 65-strong “AI-inspired” seasonal range including burgers, snacking lines and quiches earlier in April.
Last week the supermarket extended its vegan and plant-based ranges, aimed at making the range more appealing to ‘flexitarian’ diets.
“We apply for a number of trademarks but not all are used,” a Waitrose spokeswoman told The Grocer in response to the new listing.
Waitrose chief customer officer Nathan Ansell previously told The Grocer in November the supermarket would increasingly focus its innovation efforts on dine-in products and ranges, in response to a growing trend of customers trading down from restaurants to ‘big nights in’ during the cost of living crisis. Waitrose would also launch more food-to-go products as people return to offices in greater numbers.
It’s come alongside five separate waves of price cuts since the beginning of 2023, aimed at making high-end Waitrose more competitive.
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