British Food Brand Expands to New Markets: Sausage roll lovers all over the UK are familiar with high street baker Greggs and the company’s highly recognizable food & drink logo. However, the company has found far more popularity and success in the North, where the business began seven decades ago. This may change in the near future, as Greggs is planning to open new shops appealing to the sensibilities and tastes of the South.
The first part of this change in branding will be the appearance of the shops. The new shops will offer wood fittings and softer lighting, with the cases set further back in the store to allow room for eating and talk. This is an attempt to compete with the many coffee and sandwich shops that are eating into Greggs’ market by offering a more aesthetically pleasing experience.
Second, the UK company is changing its marketing approach. Many people are familiar with the recent advertisements featuring comedian Paddy McGuiness. The company has decided to drop McGuiness and instead is introducing a campaign emphasizing the freshness and quality of their fare. A musical number will push the new Greggs strapline: “Greggs, the home of fresh baking.”
While value is important, a UK food & drink brand that focuses on price alone cannot survive in a market where quality is king. As such, Greggs is now choosing to emphasize the homemade nature of their food, much of which is made in-store. Supermarket Wm Morrison recently found success by rebranding to emphasize the same attributes, which had the result of attracting higher income customers who can afford to buy more expensive, higher margin products.
One interesting change that the company is making is a change in how queueing works in the stores. Many customers felt pressured by the old system, where customers had to wait in queue before seeing the selections and then quickly decide so the next customer could take their place. The new arrangement with cases pushed farther back will allow customers to see selections and make choices while they are waiting in line. Another benefit is that there will be less crowding due to a larger section of waiting space.
The Greggs logo design is a good example of a successful food & drink logo. In bright and eye-catching colours with high contrast writing, the logo is highly recognizable and capable of maintaining power through changing times. It should be noted that this food & drink logo includes the old strapline, which likely will be quietly replaced with the new and improved one.
The company has not yet indicated whether the Bakers Oven shops that it owns and operates will undergo similar branding changes. With more than 1,400 shops around the UK employing almost 20,000 people, the company may seem like a success story. However, in many cases finding continued success means changing with the times. Whether Greggs can reach out to an upscale market not known for its love of sausage rolls remains to be seen, but this rebranding will certainly keep the business relevant in years to come.