St Pierre rolls into lunchtime

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St Pierre has launched two new sandwich carriers, Soft Pretzel Rolls and Mediterranean Herb Brioche Rolls, marking the premium bakery brand's first move into the sandwich roll segment.

The launch is backed by category data. Lunch occasions for the brand have grown 46 per cent year on year, with in-home lunches up 42 per cent and lunch now accounting for 27 per cent of all St Pierre occasion spend.

The wider UK lunch occasion is valued at £26.4bn by Worldpanel data.

Consumer behaviour is also shifting away from sliced bread. One in five lunchtime sandwiches now features an alternative carrier such as a roll or bun, the highest proportion recorded in five years and rolls' share of lunch occasions has also reached a five-year high.

The Soft Pretzel Rolls carry the distinctive flavour associated with pretzels in a softer texture, and come pre-sliced. The Mediterranean Herb Brioche Rolls pair the brand's brioche base with aromatic herbs and are positioned for both hot and cold fillings. Both products are HFSS compliant, weigh 67g per roll and carry an RRP of £2.50 for a four-pack.

Alison Palmer, head of brand development at St Pierre Groupe, said the launch represented "a natural next step in our journey to broaden the occasions where shoppers can enjoy our products," adding that the rolls were intended to offer "premium taste, variety and versatility to the lunchtime occasion."

Soft Pretzel Rolls are currently available in 320 Tesco stores and 248 Asda stores, with a rollout into 320 Sainsbury's stores beginning 14 October. Mediterranean Herb Brioche Rolls launched in 254 Asda stores from 14 September.