Pukka, the nation’s number one pie brand, is launching bigger versions of its two bestselling chilled pies – All Steak and Chicken & Mushroom – in response to the growing popularity of larger pie formats.
Both products incorporate the same, popular full-on flavour recipes, topped with 144 layers of Pukka’s golden flaky puff pastry, but in a bigger format. And Pukka created these with flexibility in mind, allowing consumers to enjoy them as they wish, whether they’re shared between a group of four or split by a couple.
This bigger pie format gives consumers more of the recipes they already know and love, unlocking new opportunities for people to share a Pukka pie, including as part of family meals or dinners for two. This will, in turn, broaden the appeal of the total pie fixture, driving category sales in the process.
“Launching trend-led NPD is in our DNA, but our classic recipes are the nation’s favourites for a reason. In fact, our All Steak and Chicken & Mushroom individual pies are the nation’s number 1 and number 2 favourite pies,” says Isaac Fisher, CEO at Pukka.
“So, when consumers told us that they wanted to see their favourite Pukka recipes, but even bigger, we listened by launching Pukka All Steak ‘The Big One’ and Pukka Chicken & Mushroom ‘The Big One’. We want to encourage the nation to enjoy these pies however they wish – whether they’re putting them at the centre of a family meal, or sharing between two.”
As well as responding to feedback from its loyal shoppers, Pukka has launched the range in recognition of the overall growing demand for larger pie formats – which are not only outperforming the category, put have added +£8 million to the category – to attract new shoppers to the brand.
Fisher adds: “The demand is already there for this range, and given we’re the pie brand that always makes full-on flavour our number one priority, consumers trust us to deliver on taste and quality every time.
“We’re also entering the time of year when even more people are tucking into pies – with pie sales in the autumn and winter growing by a third. Plus, we’re currently live on TV with our Masterbrand ‘Pukka for the People’ advertising campaign, meaning brand visibility is at an all-time high. Therefore, there really is no better time to stock-up on our new range.”
This launch comes as Pukka’s performance goes from strength to strength. Not only has the brand’s total sales surpassed £70 million, but it holds a 21.1% share of the category – compared to 5% for the brand in second place. Plus, over a quarter (26.8%) of UK households purchase Pukka products.
Pukka has no plans on slowing this growth down, just recently announcing a new five-year strategy to supercharge sales. This includes an ambition to become the number one brand in total savoury pastries, which it set in motion last month by launching a new range of World Flavours Parcels, which joined its existing Slices and Sausage Rolls. ‘The Big One’ will also help the brand on this journey, by solidifying its position as the nation’s number one pie brand.
Pukka’s ‘The Big One’ duo – including All Steak and Chicken & Mushroom – will be launching on Ocado on the 2nd October, before landing on Morrisons shelves from the 9th October, followed by Tesco on the 11th November and ASDA on the 18th November (500g, RRP: £4). The range will also be available to convenience and wholesale retailers.
