USD$300 million from its latest
financing round.
VBites, one of the pioneers of
plant-based foods in the UK, is
also riding the sustainable food
wave. Established in 1993, the
Northamptonshire-based company
WELLNESS
IS ALL WELL
AND GOOD IN
AUSTRALIA
Coles makes the health-conscious
consumer its target
Australian grocery retailer
Coles Supermarket
has launched a new
‘Wellness Road’ range
of foods to give health-conscious
customers a more affordable range
of nutritious options. By branching
out into health foods, Coles is
carving out its own health-aligned
positioning and communicating to
shoppers that it is striving to help
Australians improve their diets and
live healthier lives, says GlobalData,
a leading data and analytics
company.
The Wellness Road range includes
28 products such as Organic Black
Rice Noodles with Chia, Organic
Cacao Powder, White Chia Seeds
and Australian Almond Flour –
items that would typically be found
in a premium health food store, or
on the menu of a high-end organic
restaurant.
Katrina Diamonon, consumer
insights analyst at GlobalData,
says: “Upon closer inspection,
however, it is evident that Wellness
Road is not simply about making
highly sought-after health food
more accessible. The inclusion
of products such as ‘nutritional
yeast flakes’ and ‘textured
vegetable protein’ illustrates that
the range is not simply targeting
everyday Australians looking to
make healthier choices. In fact, it
is arguably geared more towards
the ‘healthy foodie’ segment that
would otherwise be shopping at an
upscale natural grocer.”
The range even has the potential
to draw new shoppers to the store.
According to GlobalData’s 2018
Q3 Consumer Survey, 42% of
Australians say the ‘availability of
healthy and nutritious products’ is
one of the most influential factors in
deciding where to do their grocery
shopping.
While this still lags behind the
influence of low prices (77%), high
quality fresh produce (68%), and
proximity to home or work (68%), it
nonetheless gives health-attentive
shoppers one more reason to
continue shopping at Coles.
Diamonon concludes: “The
launch is an important one from a
branding perspective: their main
rival, Woolworths, already owns
the ‘fresh’ space, having effectively
positioned itself as ‘The Fresh Food
People’ since the 1980s. Ultimately
however, by tapping into the needs
of both aspiring and dedicated
healthy eaters, Coles is effectively
positioning itself as a more
convenient and accessible health
food destination.”
FOOD TRENDS
now has 140 meat-free, dairy-free
and fish-free products, and exports
to 24 countries. VBites recently
announced the acquisition of its
third factory in Newcastle. It has also
invested in related vegan businesses,
such as Onist and One Planet Pizza.
Heather Mills, Founder of VBites, is
active in raising the profile of plantbased
foods.
She believes the future of
sustainable foods is with plantbased
products, and the key to
future growth is higher adoption
rates. She will also give insights
into how VBites is gaining market
share by grabbing ‘mindshare’ of
mainstream consumers.