Bells of Lazonby has gained listings in Coles supermarkets in Australia for its Bells & Whistles brand – a range of vegan and gluten-free cake slices.
The three-strong range, which comprises Berry & Cashew, Nut Truffle and Ginger & Apricot flavours, will be available in the retailer’s stores across the country as of 23 October.
Bells & Whistles has also secured new listings in the UK, landing in Waitrose on 19 August and Asda on 21 September, following its launch in Sainsbury’s in June.
“The brand launch was a great success and our new cake slices were received very well by vegans and non-vegans alike,” said Josh Boydell-Smith, head of brand and marketing at Bells of Lazonby.
“To have it rolled out into Waitrose, Asda and Coles at such an early stage is testament to the quality of our product and the appetite for delicious ‘free from’ product out there.”
Australia has proved to be a lucrative export market for some UK baking businesses. In 2017, Bells of Lazonby secured a deal with Australian business Bakery Depot to send its We Love Cake brand down under and, prior to that, Premier Foods launched Cadbury cakes into the country.
The cake exports have been a major success for Premier, particularly in Australia where Cadbury and Mr Kipling were the main contributors to 81% revenue growth in 2017/18. Total international revenue rose 25% year on year.
More recently, however, Premier’s international business has declined, which the company said was the result of phasing shipments of Cadbury cakes to Australia following capacity issues, and UK wholesalers raising the price of some Premier products they exported.
It added, however, that Cadbury cakes and Mr Kipling continued to gain retail market share in Australia, achieving a record share of 16.6% in the half-year to 29 September 2018.
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