Hovis plans to cash in on the appetite for sandwich alternatives with the launch of two new ranges.

The baker will debut white, wholemeal and Best of Both variants of its Sandwich Thins (rsp: £1.29/five) and Flatbreads (rsp: £1.59/five) next week.

Both fall under Hovis’s Good Inside sub-brand, which rolled out in August. Each item is baked in omega 3 from flaxseed oil, contains fibre and 14 ‘essential vitamins and minerals’ derived from wheatgerm.

The NPD comes on the back of research that shows sales of sliced bread are down 7.2% versus a 14.7% leap in sales of sandwich alternatives [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 19 July 2015].

A £5m multi-channel Good Inside promotional push - kicking off on Saturday with a TV commercial - will support the launch alongside VOD, radio, digital and in-store activity.

Sophie Lyons, Hovis marketing manager, said: “Sandwich alternatives are seeing huge levels of growth (+30%) [IRI Total Grocery 28.03.15] within other Bakery categories and we would like to drive this even further with our unique Hovis Good Inside proposition.

“Sandwich thins have become a key alternative for bread occasions [are] now the fastest growing sandwich segment with impressive growth of +54% [IRI Total Grocery April 2015] Flatbreads are also bucking the trend within supermarket ready-meal sandwiches and we are confident that we can offer consumers a healthier alternative without compromising on taste, texture or fulfilment.”