Kiwi shoppers are still going nuts for ginger, but additions to Foodstuffs’ biscuit aisles have brought new competition across the North Island.
While you never have to look too hard to find a classic Kiwi-holding-its-own-against-the-world story, the chances are the first place you’d look might not be the biscuit aisle of your local supermarket.
Across New World’s North Island stores, the humble Griffins Gingernut has been taking on all-comers to reign supreme as the most purchased biscuit of 2021.* Competition for 2022 just got a whole lot stiffer for the loveable Kiwi hardman though.
Using customer data and in close collaboration with supplier partners, Foodstuffs North Island has refreshed its biscuit aisles to incorporate more variety through local and international favourites, such as McVitie’s Penguin, CookieTime, Chanui and Mrs Higgins.
Foodstuffs North Island Head of Grocery Food & Frozen, Jocelyn McCallum, says that with over 1000 different biscuit options to choose from to fill the shelves, the challenge they faced was to reach the right balance of much-loved local favourites, established international brands and new entrants into the market.
“We know that when it comes to choosing our sweet treats, us Kiwis are creatures of habit. But historically this has been a category with a lot of very similar products that has left little room for innovation,” says McCallum
“By delving into our customer insights, we’ve been able to work with our local supplier partners, like Chanui, to help them consolidate their product sizes and allow us to give our customers the variety they’ve come to expect from us.”
“CookieTime is a prime example of Kiwis’ cookie loyalty. We knew shoppers often chose another flavour within the CookieTime brand before trying another biscuit on the market, so we’ve worked closely with them to ensure we could continue to give our customers the full range of flavours they love,” she says.
CookieTime’s General Manager, Lincoln Booth, says that at almost 40 years old, it is rewarding to know New Zealanders are still crazy about the CookieTime brand.
“We’re focused on being a heritage brand. The Kiwis who have grown up eating CookieTime are now sharing that love with the younger generations, and therefore the customer insights we get through the partnership with Foodstuffs are important as they help us to develop new products that cater for changing tastes and expectations.”
Adding to the international flavour of the biscuit aisle, Foodstuffs North Island’s relationship with global product distributor Hutchinson’s has seen an expanded McVitie’s range appear on the shelves.
“We’re expecting to see an instant following from those who have lived in the UK who already love them, and we’re confident that Kiwis will love them too,” says Hutchinson’s National Account Manager Nicole Gommans.
Whether we love them quite enough to knock the humble yet mighty Gingernut off its top perch, however, remains to be seen.
Top 10 best sellers at New World last year
1. Griffins Gingernuts Twin Pack
2. Toffee Pops
3. Mallowpuffs
4. Gingernuts 250g
5. TimTam Chocolate
6. Wine Biscuits Twin Pack
7. Squiggle Hokey Pokey
8. Super Wine 250g
9. Cookie Bear
10. Tim Tam Chewy Caramel
Look out for these new additions to the biscuit range
• Cadbury Mini Freddo and Friends
• Griffins Mini Donut biscuits
• McVitie’s Penguins
• Mrs Higgins choc chip
• Oreo Batman Cookies
• Cadbury Mini Fingers
• McVite’s Caramel Digestives
• TeeVee Biscuits
• TimTam Deluxe
• TimTam Obsessions
*Based on top biscuit sales for North Island New World stores for 52 weeks to Feb 25, 2022.
