Hyper-realistic meat alternative brand THIS™ is expanding its food-to-go range, launching across the UK in Boots and extending its WHSmith offering, targeting commuters on the go at stores in town centres, train stations and airports.
Providing hungry Brits with even more of a reason to eat THIS™ on the go, THIS™ Isn’t Chicken Korean-Style Noodle Salad and THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad will launch into Boots for the first time, as part of their Meal Deal on 10th July, and a THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Bacon Wrap and THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad launched into WHSmith on the 6th July.
Making their debut as part of the Boots Meal Deal, the THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad and THIS™Isn’t Chicken Korean-Style Noodle Salad will be launching in stores nationwide. The noodle salad which is first to market to Boots will feature the brand’s award-winning plant-based chicken pieces, while the pasta salad will also include bacon lardons. The pasta salad will feature a creamy sun-dried tomato dressing and fresh spinach leaves. The noodle salad combines udon noodles, crunchy edamame and red cabbage with a Korean-style sauce with gochujang paste & lime.
Two new lunch options will be available to purchase at WHSmith stores across the UK, THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Bacon Wrap, which features the award-winning meat alternatives, along with the crunchy iceberg lettuce and plant-based mayo and is exclusive to the retailer, and THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad. The new meals join two existing popular sandwiches on the shelf; THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Sweetcorn and THIS™ Isn’t Chicken & Stuffing, which were the brand’s first foray into food to go.
Andy Shovel, co-founder and Co-CEO at THIS™ commented: ”Gone are the days when the best plant-based option was the hummus and roasted vegetable sandwich. Nothing against hummus but at THIS™ we don’t think people should compromise on their lunch options so if you want a delicious chicken and bacon wrap or salad, we’ve made it for you. We’re stoked to be growing our existing WHSmith range and we’re excited to be part of the iconic Boots meal deal.”
Nick Ingram, buying manager food to go, WHSmith Travel, commented: “I’m really proud of the work the team have done to step change our meat free and plant based offering twice in the last year across a number of brands and product areas. I’m delighted to have THIS™ as key Food To Go partners in this journey helping us to signpost the category for busy travel customers.”
With sales 45% up YoY in 2023 so far, THIS™ was named as the UK’s fastest growing food and drinks brand over the last two years (Alantra Fast 50, 2023). The latest food-to-go range follows the brand’s launch of their THIS™ Isn’t Lamb Kebabs and THIS™ Isn’t Streaky Bacon earlier this year .
Brian Hickey, buyer at WHSmith Travel, added: “We’re excited to launch this new range to our hungry travellers across the country, it gives us a more diverse offering, providing a wrap and a salad on top of the already loved sandwiches. We launched THIS™ plant-based range a year ago and it has been a really big success. We look forward to the big plans we have in place for the range this summer.“
What better timing for the new THIS™ food-to-go launches as the number of vegetarians and vegans is significantly up in the UK vs 2019*, and eating more plant-based meals or reducing the amount of animal products in our diets can contribute significantly to our efforts to build more sustainable economies.
