AN increasingly competitive retail environment for supermarket grocery items has prompted Western Australian owned Anchor Foods to revamp one of its core brands – Spencers.
AN increasingly competitive retail environment for supermarket grocery items has prompted Western Australian owned Anchor Foods to revamp one of its core brands – Spencers.
For the past 12 months the company has invested in market research and contracted the services of branding strategist Braincells to help update the brand, which includes Spencers Spices, as part of its national sales growth strategy.
The need for a new look has been on the agenda since former Kailis and France Foods chief executive David Clapin bought the company from Goodman Fielder in 2002.
Anchor Foods is now preparing for a major advertising campaign, which is the next phase of is marketing strategy.
Based on its defined brand value of authenticity, Anchor Foods marketing manager Lloyd Constantine said a series of television advertisements would be shot in different countries during March and April this year.
“In conjunction with Braincells we determined that we have a really authentic product. We bring in the best ingredients from places such as Pakistan, India and Malaysia,” Mr Constantine said.
“We are going to do a high glossy commercial for the herbs and spices that has the brand value of authenticity.”
He said the advertisements followed a year-long revamp of the Spencers range.
“We’ve relaunched our packaging and on the spices packets are some interesting facts and a story about where the spices come from,” Mr Constantine said.
“That is building on that brand strength of authenticity.
“We’ve added the tag line ‘The World of Authentic Flavour’.”
The dry herbs and spice market is worth $107 million nationally and Anchor Foods has a 3 per cent share across the country.
The majority of its sales are in Western Australia, followed by South Australia, and the company’s goals are for strong national penetration.
“If you break down sales State by State we would have 90 per cent of the WA market,” Mr Constantine said.
The new television commercials will be created by Braincells and will only screen in WA.
National advertising will be dependent on sales growth in the sector.
Aside from developing one of its core brands, Anchor Foods also aims to grow its business through the introduction of new product ranges.
“We’re launching jasmine rice. Its Hamuli rice and it’s the best that you can get in the world. We get that from Thailand,” Mr Constantine said.
“We’ve just launched pappadums. They’re in a box format and we have just got them into Woolworths. We really want to consolidate our position in WA and expand the product range.
“The category is a growing.”
