New convenience store strategy for Heinz

Heinz is aiming to significantly boost its convenience sector sales over the next 12 months with more product development, promotions and a restructured trading team.

While the fast-growing convenience market represented about 25% of packaged food, it only accounted for around 17% of Heinz’s UK business, said customer marketing manager Stuart Burns. He said a recent restructuring of the sales operation into specific sales and customer teams, rather than product category teams, also meant that convenience store chains would be dealing with the same Heinz contact for several categories.

Heinz, which has just opened a 9,300m2research and development centre in Pittsburgh in the US for ketchup, condiments and sauces, meals, snacks and infant products, has confirmed that it has appointed the investment bankers JP Morgan Chase and UBS to sell its European seafood and frozen businesses, which have annual sales of more than £770m.

The estate includes six factories in Fakenham, Leamington, Luton, Okehampton, Westwick, and Dundalk in Ireland, plus the Liverpool-based John West canned fish business. Together, the sites employ 2,300 people.

Paul Kenny, acting general secretary of the GMB union, said he would expect any new owners to maintain the “wealth of family-friendly policies” that Heinz had put into place.