Fox’s Burton’s Companies (FBC) is looking to increase the presence of Danish brand Royal Dansk Butter Cookies in the UK and Ireland after becoming its exclusive distributor.
The St Albans-headquartered manufacturer – which produces sweet treat brands including Maryland, Fox’s Fabulous, Jammie Dodgers, Party Rings, Rocky, and Wagon Wheels among others – said the move would help consolidate it as the leader in butter cookies in the British and Irish markets.
Its ambition is to unlock Royal Dansk’s existing potential as a seasonal favourite, it said, particularly around core seasonal events such as Christmas, Easter, Eid, and Diwali, as well as gifting occasions like Mother’s Day. It is currently listed all year round in Waitrose and Ocado, and seasonally in other supermarket retailers.
The total butter cookies market in the UK is worth £2.7m annually but is growing by 25% year on year [NIQ data for 52w/e 21 September 2024]. FBC noted its intent to help double this market in the next few years through premium-yet-affordable tins, which will be fully supported with in-store activations and field sales.
Proving that luxury biscuits don’t need to be coated in chocolate, Fox’s Cookie Assortment was the seventh top branded seasonal and assortment product last Christmas, growing 43% year on year [NIQ data 16w/e 28 December 2024 and Kantar data 16w/e 29 December 2024].
Nor do they need to be considered as gifts just for seasonal celebrations. FBC revealed it was also aiming to deliver against Royal Dansk’s year-round consumption potential, with the UK and Ireland following the blueprint of the brand’s success in the US, where it is the Danish butter cookie market leader with 26% of sales taking place ‘off-season’ [Circana data from 2022].
Royal Dansk started out as a bakery in the village of Helsingør in 1966. The company has subsequently grown to operate two factories in the villages of Nørre Snede and Ribe, baking more than 25,000 tons of cookies every year. Production is to continue in Denmark.
“Royal Dansk is one of those sought-after brands that UK shoppers are often on the lookout for, but don’t yet come across in most grocery retailers,” commented David Hebson, trade marketing director at RBC. “The brand’s heritage, iconic blue tin, delicate crisp texture and very buttery recipe are something that we are excited to bring to more UK & Ireland shoppers than ever before.”
Most recent financial results for FBC UK reported improvements in sales, volumes, profitability, and market share – revenue of £491.2m for the 53 weeks to 31 August 2024 was 28% up on the £384m in FY23 while adjusted EBITDA almost doubled to £20.2m.
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