McVities BN Mini Rolls

Source: Pladis

Children’s biscuit brand McVitie’s BN is extending into the cake aisle with the launch of mini rolls.

Available in two flavours, raspberry and chocolate, the cakes comprise of a light vanilla sponge filled with flavoured cream and are covered in chocolate. Each mini roll weighs in at 100 calories and they are sold individually wrapped in a pack of five (rsp: £1).

They are being stocked in Asda stores now ahead of a wider launch in grocery, convenience and wholesale from the beginning of next month.

McVitie’s BN owner Pladis is hoping to replicate the success the brand has had in the biscuits aisle, stating it contributed to 27% growth in the children’s biscuits category.

“McVitie’s BN has been one of our biggest success stories in recent years, massively exceeding expectations following our relaunch last year,” says Cassie French, marketing director at Pladis UK&I. “While we’ve attracted an audience of younger families and reached even more biscuit lovers with BN, there’s an opportunity to scale this with our latest NPD which taps into the popularity of mini rolls.”

Pladis said the ambient cake category is now worth £1.25bn and increasing by 9% year-on-year, with mini rolls up 12%.

French added that the mini rolls would cater to a different occasion than the McVitie’s BN biscuits and would bring a new audience to the brand.

“BN Mini Rolls offer shoppers a little bit of chocolatey indulgence, without topping the scale when it comes to calories,” she said. ”In fact, we already know that a third of UK shoppers actively seek snacks containing 100kcals or less – so McVitie’s BN Mini Rolls align perfectly with Brits’ snacking priorities.”

The BN brand dates back to 1896 and the foundation of Biscuiterie Nantaise. The biscuits have featured a smile since 1992.