News

Allied Bakeries, a leading supplier of bread and bakery products and owners of top brands Kingsmill, Burgen and Allinson, has today announced plans to invest £200k in advertising for the healthy bread brand, Burgen.

The announcement marks the first investment in Burgen since 2007 and will see the launch of a marketing and PR campaign to raise awareness of the brand in light of rising consumer demand for healthier bread options.  Market research from Kantar Worldpanel has highlighted a long term increase in consumers identifying 'health' as a key influencer in consumption decisions.[1]

To further position the Burgen brand as a healthier alternative for consumers Allied Bakeries has introduced Burgen Buckwheat & Poppy Seed to the range - a new loaf fortified with vitamin D, providing consumers with 30% of their recommended daily allowance of calcium and vitamin D in just two slices.

Steady growth in sales of the seeded segment (+ 4.4% year on year)[2] coupled with recent concerns that there are insufficient levels of vitamin D in the UK population- the new loaf from Burgen will fill a gap in the market, providing consumers with a healthy loaf that doesn't compromise on taste.

Ellen Bailey, Brand Manager for Burgen comments: "We are delighted to be launching this new loaf as part of our 2011 investment in Burgen.  Burgen is the leading brand in the positive health sector with a 32.5% share[3] and Soya & Linseed has seen a 9.5% growth in household penetration in the last year[4], indicating strong consumer demand for breads in this category.  We hope to build on this success with the launch of Burgen Buckwheat &Poppy Seed to cement Burgen's position as the UK's leading healthy bread brand."

To encourage shoppers to trial the new loaf, the marketing drive will see advertisements for the new loaf and Soya & Linseed appearing in women's magazines and national newspaper weekend supplements from May.  The advertisements will carry redeemable vouchers for shoppers to claim 20p off their next Burgen purchase.

Burgen Buckwheat & Poppy Seed is being rolled out over the next few months across major supermarket chains, Asda, Morrison's and Sainsbury's.