The UK’s number one breakfast cereal, Weetabix1, saw a surge in sales of their Weetabix Original cereal with Sainsbury’s reporting an uplift of 15% since Tuesday.
And it all came about as a result of a social media post that went viral earlier last week which featured baked beans on Weetabix, sparking a massive conversation and debate nationwide over the recipe between not just the public but also amongst other big UK brands.
With the tweet generating over one billion views worldwide, boxes of Weetabix Original and cans of baked beans have been flying off the shelves and into online baskets, across the country.
Gareth Turner, Head of Brand at Weetabix Food Company, said: “We certainly didn’t imagine we’d get such a big response on social media and it was fantastic to be the number one trending topic in the UK earlier this week.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, our ‘Love Story’ between Weetabix and baked beans seems to have caught Brits’ imaginations with shoppers keen to try the pairing themselves. The surge in demand has ‘bean’ keeping us very busy as packs have flown off the shelves!”
Lauren Orchard, Cereals Buyer at Sainsbury’s, said: “It must have bean love… Move over Posh and Becks, Sonny and Cher, Brangelina… Weetabix and baked beans are the new most iconic duo in town.
It’s bean a whirlwind week for the pair and in Heinz-sight we should have seen it coming. At Sainsbury’s we’ve rolled out the red carpet, cleared the shelves and made space for the duo to be displayed side by side where they rightfully belong. The question is, will you get be-Heinz it?’
To make the most of the opportunity, Burton Latimer based Weetabix has created an in-store point of sale activation ahead of Valentine’s Day, with Weetabix and Heinz Baked Beanz showcased as the ‘Love Story of the Year’ for the romantic weekend ahead.
1] Nielsen data to 26th December 2020