Dr Schär UK committed to driving growth of gluten free category

Dr Schär UK, parent company of leading retail brand DS-gluten free, has made big strides in 2013 following the launch of three first to market products on the retail arm(1) and a host of new listings. Capitalising upon a category that has seen double digit growth in the last five years(2), the forward thinking business has commissioned 15 new products to join the DS-gluten free portfolio in 2014.

The planned NPD will include a number of first to market products and managing director, Bob Trice is excited about continuing the momentum: “2013 has been a positive year for the retail business, both in terms of product launches and enhancing our retail range. We’ve worked for over 30 years in the gluten free food category and it is the sole focus of our business. Our expertise and understanding of gluten free consumers is unmatched and we are committed to normalising gluten free living by continually innovating and renovating our portfolio to ensure our products are as tasty and delicious as gluten containing equivalents.”

By constantly striving to push the boundaries in this rapidly growing market, the retail business has increased listings by 12% YoY.(3) “Gluten free foods are commanding more shelf space and we are seeing an increasing number of convenience stores now stocking gluten free foods,” remarks Bob. “In fact, we have recently secured listings within Tesco Express, Morrison’s Local and Sainsbury’s Local for a number of our key products and we intend to continue this expansion with other DS-gluten free lines in 2014.”

Next year’s business focus centres on expanding the DS-gluten free presence in the everyday and speciality bread category. “We have a fantastic inhouse product development team, who work alongside chefs and dietitians to develop product lines specifically for the UK consumer,” enthuses Bob. “We know our customers look for high quality and great tasting products,(4) particularly with bread. But one of the challenges facing this sector of the gluten free market is guaranteeing the bread stays fresh up until the expiration date. While many companies are turning to preservatives to prevent their seven day bread from turning stale, here at DS-gluten free we’ve developed cutting edge packaging to avoid adding unnecessary chemicals to our products. We believe that the combination of technical innovations and pioneering first to market products like DS-gluten free Quiche Lorraine and Apple Crumble, mean our customers can be assured that their preferences are at the heart of what we do.”

References

1. New 2013 DS-gluten free products: Quiche Lorraine, frozen White Rolls and Apple Crumble
2. IRI data shows the total gluten and wheat free market was worth £111,852,326 in 2012 vs £131,095,087 in 2013 so growth of 17.2% yoy
3. 11.8% increase in distribution points 2013 v 2012 for UK and 10.9% for ROI
4. DS-gluten free consumer online survey, 131 respondents, October 2013