A FAMILY-OWNED ice cream and chocolate enterprise has hit document gross sales after pursuing an bold progress technique south of the border.
Scotland’s favorite ice cream model, Mackie’s of Scotland has greater than doubled its ice cream gross sales in 10 years, with gross sales of its ice cream alone reaching greater than £20m in its final monetary 12 months.
In reaching this landmark determine, the Aberdeenshire-based model offered over 13.3 million litres of ice cream – sufficient to fill greater than 5 Olympic swimming swimming pools – made attainable by its continued funding into its manufacturing amenities and workforce.
Mackie’s robust gross sales figures in monetary 12 months 2022-23 have been underpinned by an 11% annual enhance within the ice cream firm’s market penetration throughout the entire of the UK.
This enhance in penetration is tied to Mackie’s gross sales successes upon touchdown nationwide spots in main retailers for its second hottest flavour, Honeycomb, which finds itself alongside Mackie’s best-selling Conventional throughout the UK in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons.
Previous to this, it was predominantly Mackie’s Scottish clients who have been acquainted with its big selection of ice cream flavours, and the growth of selection past Conventional to the remainder of the UK has proved common with the nation’s ice cream shoppers, mirrored in robust gross sales progress for the corporate.
Reaching £20m in ice cream gross sales is the most recent knowledge level on the corporate’s track-record of long-term sustainable progress, having begun making ice cream in 1986 when it started its transition from producing and promoting milk after noticing adjustments in client shopping for habits.
Again in 1986, the enterprise seen that with the rise of grocery store grocery procuring, the variety of individuals having their milk delivered was in decline, and preferences for semi and skimmed milk have been leading to an extra of cream on the household farm. Making the most of this, it started producing ice cream utilizing its dairy herd and shortly after promoting to native outlets and supermarkets. Since then, its ice cream has turn out to be Scotland’s favorite.
Another excuse for the corporate’s robust gross sales rise in recent times has been its daring progress technique, which in distinction to its opponents, has seen it swallow nearly all of the trade’s rising prices in an effort to maintain its costs as shut as it might probably to these from earlier than the cost-of-living disaster.
Commenting on the technique, Stuart Widespread, Managing Director of Mackie’s, stated: “Our latest gross sales success is a mirrored image of our staff’s exhausting work and thought of, accountable decision-making.
“Whereas the cost-of-living disaster has pushed up the costs for our uncooked supplies, we’ve taken each effort to restrict value rises which are handed onto our clients, which has been mirrored in decreased income.
“Nonetheless, our enhance in each gross sales and market share demonstrates that buyers reward corporations like Mackie’s for leaving extra of their pocket with out compromising product flavour, sustainability, or high quality.
“We’re thrilled to have returned such a powerful enhance in our gross sales throughout a tough interval for the sector. The important thing for us now could be to proceed to develop our attain whereas making certain our new clients turn out to be long run advocates for us, because the economic system settles.”
The expansion has seen Mackie’s add half one million clients throughout England, Wales, and Northern Eire to its important current share in Scotland, the place it occupies 21% of the ice cream market. Its reputation has been elevated by the corporate’s latest accolades on the 2023 Nice Style Awards, with every of its oldest flavour, Conventional, and latest flavour, Toffee Fudge, receiving two stars and glowing critiques by panellists.
In a bid to transform extra shoppers to the model and proceed its robust progress, this summer time Mackie’s has embarked upon its largest advertising and marketing marketing campaign to this point, with adverts exhibiting throughout ITV1, STV, radio, digital radio, podcasts, programmatic, social and on-demand gamers this summer time.
Mackie’s sustainability initiatives have additionally performed a component in its latest gross sales successes. Its appreciable renewable vitality technology capability has insulated it from the worst of the vitality value rises, and up to date funding in a low-carbon refrigeration system have decreased its refrigeration-related vitality necessities.
This has enabled the Aberdeenshire agency to soak up rising prices, somewhat than passing them on to its loyal clients, who’re shopping for extra Mackie’s merchandise than ever earlier than, whereas different manufacturers with quickly rising costs are falling out of favour with shoppers seeking to make financial savings.
Stuart added: “Mackie’s has all the time positioned the preferences and considerations of our clients and the local weather on the core of its enterprise. Regardless of these being difficult occasions for all, we’ve got labored exhausting to offset value will increase and the expansion we’ve loved reveals that this was the best technique.”
In addition to being the biggest independently owned ice cream producer within the UK, Mackie’s is among the UK’s high ice cream manufacturers, with its one litre Conventional tub among the many best-selling premium ice cream merchandise within the UK.
The corporate produces all its ice cream utilizing contemporary milk and cream on its fifth-generation household dairy farm, Westertown, close to Inverurie in Aberdeenshire.
To seek out out extra about Mackie’s of Scotland, please go to: www.mackies.co.uk
