US vegan snack brand comes to the UK

23-Jan-2019 - Last updated on 23-Jan-2019 at 11:10 GMT

Lärabar to launch in the UK. Pic: General Mills

General Mills is bringing its US snack brand Lärabar to the UK launching its fruit and nut bar in three varieties to Sainsbury’s and Amazon

The brand will debut three multipacks: Apple Cinnamon, Banana Choc Chip and Peanut Butter Choc Chip, (RRP £2.90) for a pack of three.

Wellness snacks

Lärabar was founded by Lara Merriken in 2000, before being acquired by General Mills in 2008, achieving $200m in sales across North America in 2018.

It is one of the fastest growing wellness snack brands in the nutrition category, having achieved 25% growth last year and tripling its market penetration over the past three years.

Richard Williams, business director, New Ventures, General Mills Europe, said this is its first 100% vegan and ‘real food’ snack bar launch in the UK, addressing consumer demand for simple, minimally processed snacks.

“Having launched in 2000 in the US with great success, Lärabar is the trailblazing and original fruit and nut bar in the snacking category and we’ve picked a range of flavors to appeal to the UK market,” said Williams.

“This is our most ambitious launch ever in the real food space with deliberate investment on touchpoints that drive brand awareness and engagement such as social, targeted experiential sampling and partnerships with key influencers in the nutrition/wellness space.

Vegan/free-from

“E-commerce will also be a key focus for UK growth to attract shoppers that want minimally processed real food who predominantly shop online.”

Lärabar joins Fibre One and Nature Valley in General Mills’ portfolio and represents a significant opportunity for General Mills to enter the UK vegan/free-from market and the UK’s health and wellbeing market, for ‘food made from food’ on the go.

It will be initially sold in Sainsbury’s and Amazon (Prime Now, Pantry and Fresh) alongside a £700K ($910K) marketing campaign focusing on in-store sampling, shopper marketing, and social media activations.

The three varieties launching in the UK have been handpicked from a mix of top sellers in the US and on-trend flavors that resonate with British consumers.