A positive indicator that the economy is on the up again is that Glanbia Consumer Foods Ireland posted record sales of Avonmore cream this Christmas, with 3.5 million pots of fresh cream sold in the month of December alone, with the key period just before Christmas accounting for a 24 per cent increase year-on-year.
The week before Christmas saw the highest ever volume of Avonmore cream dispatched in a single day, while the month of December was a record breaker with the highest ever volume of cream dispatched in a single week and month. The performance was driven by growth across retail, food service and home deliveries.
Glanbia’s Colin Gordon (pictured left) says Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream was the best seller over Christmas, while the new Caramel Whipped Cream posted strong sales. Developed in Glanbia’s Innovation Centre in Kilkenny and launched in November, the caramel cream is ideal for mince pies and Christmas pudding.
Traditional seasonal favourites including Baileys Whipped Cream and Dessert Cream also performed strongly to drive overall growth. Avonmore’s range of fortified milks, including Super Milk, Protein Milk and Lactose Free Milk, saw an average of 10 per cent growth year-on-year across the category. Mooju flavoured milk sales almost doubled year on year.
Marketing campaigns which drove the 2015 performance include a partnership with celebrity chefs Catherine Fulvio and Neven Maguire, a dedicated CookWithAvonmore.ie website, sponsorship of weather bulletins on RTE and above and below the line campaigns across the brand. Irish International and Carat are the advertising agencies involved.