New deal with Waitrose in Britain for Irwin’s Bakery
Irwin’s Bakery in Co Armagh has won with Waitrose to secure a new listing for its Together-branded cranberry & orange super seeded loaf. The bread is now being stocked in 300 Waitrose stores and strengthens the Portadown-based bakery’s existing relationship with the retailer, which currently lists six Irwin’s lines, including two other fruited breads.
Food NI member Irwin’s launched the Irwin’s Together range in 2021, following over £500,000 investment in R&D. And since then, Irwin’s has increased its share of the speciality bread market with a five per cent growth in the fruited category.
“This latest business win demonstrates our continued success in creating demand for speciality breads among GB consumers,” said Chloe Ormiston, category & shopper insights manager at Irwin’s Bakery. “In a challenging market with changing shopping behaviours, Irwin’s is passionate about giving added product benefits to consumers. “Increasingly we’ve seen a rebalancing of what consumers deem as important, with value, health, practicality, and enjoyment all in play.
“We’ve also seen a decline in traditional breakfast choices, with a switch to morning goods options driven by health and convenient indulgence. “This research by Kantar has driven our desire to bring excitement to the fruited and morning goods categories, delivering great-tasting products that consumers are asking for. “The development of this new style of fruit loaf, with added seeds and grains, opens up the business to a new market, giving us the opportunity to engage with a younger audience who wouldn’t normally consider a traditional fruit loaf.”
