After three years of decline, Napolina returned to growth following a full brand redesign and sales rose 19.5% within a year, from £91.7million to £109.5million.
Napolina is the No.1 Italian brand in the UK in a category that accounts for 8.2% of all main meals, but the competitive landscape combined with cost-of-living factors had made it vulnerable. Consumers were turning to own-label brands, sales had declined 22% in a year and Napolina was under pressure.
At the end of 2023, Princes rolled-out new packaging designed by Honey to reawaken the brand. The design built on key brand equities and created distinctive elements such as a graphic silhouette of Mount Vesuvius, which have driven stronger cohesion across the 63 SKUs.
The design improved range navigation and stand-out across all products, and a shelf impact study predicted 75% of buyers would notice Napolina’s Peeled Plum Tomatoes within 3-5 seconds, compared to 54% previously. Personality and colour intensity have been injected through a new photography style which amplifies and celebrates the ingredients, and quality perceptions have improved. 68% of shoppers think the brand offers good value for money, up from 57% previously, and Napolina has won back ground from own-label.
Smashing the brand’s target to increase buyers by 10% in year one, shoppers of Napolina Tomatoes, Pasta and Oils leapt 15.6%, 18.2% and 28.9% respectively. Consumers are increasingly buying across multiple categories now; an extra 100,000 Tesco shoppers are buying the brand’s Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Pulses.
