McVitie’s brings dessert flavours to biscuits with new British Icons

Global snacking company giant pladis has announced the launch of a new limited-edition range – British Icons – under the nation’s top-selling biscuit brand, McVitie’s.

The range introduces four new, quintessentially British and dessert-inspired flavours to McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Digestives and McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Hobnobs brands.

Available in new Strawberry Cheesecake and Lemon Drizzle flavours, McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Digestives will take on a fruity new form, whilst McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Hobnobs will incorporate a touch of indulgence in Chocolate Brownie and Sticky Toffee Pudding flavours.

“McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives and McVitie’s Chocolate Hobnobs are two of our star performers – and you’d be hard-pushed to find a UK shopper who’s never tried one of these iconic biscuits,” commented Emma Stowers, brand director for McVitie’s at pladis UK&I.

“Now, we’re adding brand-new flavours to these shopper favourites, and the on-trend, treaty flavour combinations – will further build on the success of our established McVitie’s range – helping the brand appeal to even more shoppers.”

With the new additions, the brand aims to attract consumers between the ages of 25 and 40 to the biscuit aisle – and the everyday treats sub-category – whilst driving purchasing frequency among existing McVitie’s shoppers.

Building on the success of established brands within the McVitie’s portfolio with innovative NPD has proved an established route to incremental sales, pladis noted.

In January, the brand launched a tropical flavour update to another of its shopper favourites with the launch of McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Pineapple, while the ‘Best of British’ McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives range has achieved value sales worth £5 million since its February launch.

The two brands in the new launch, Digestives and Hobnobs, have seen strong growth following the pandemic restrictions, with sales growing by 35 per cent between March and September.

“Innovation is crucial when it comes to keeping shoppers engaged with what’s on offer in the biscuit aisle. This is particularly important for younger shoppers who are increasingly seeking unusual and exciting flavour experiences,” Stowers said.

“We’ve got a track record of success with introducing new formats and flavours to our bestsellers and we can’t wait to see what shoppers think of these exciting, new additions.”

The McVitie’s British Icons range is available in Asda at an RRP of £1.59. From January it will roll out across other major retailers as well as in convenience and wholesale. Packaging will be recyclable through pladis’ partnership with Terracycle.