Tayto targets British market By Jon Myles 
IRELAND’S favourite snack is set to launch an all-out assault on the British market.
Crisp manufacturer Tayto has announced ambitious plans to increase its sales on this side of the Irish Sea.
The company wants to grab a bigger share of Britain’s £2billion-a-year crisps and snacks market.
The Irish brand, which produces crisps at its base in Tandragee in Co. Armagh, has made its first move by buying a snack factory employing 25 people at Skelmersdale in Lancashire.
The company has also acquired a 32-acre former Courtaulds textile site in Lurgan in Co. Armagh, which it intends to develop as a central distribution depot for the whole of Britain and the North of Ireland.
Tayto’s Group Sales Manager John McQuaid said the acquisitions represented a significant investment for the family-owned business and would form a key part of its ambitious growth strategy by building on a rapidly increasing market share in both domestic and export markets.
He said: “In Northern Ireland the crisps and snack market alone is worth £72.8million and is growing by 2.4 per cent year-on-year — while the British market is worth over £2billion.”
“Tayto has not only met national competition head-on in our own market but we are now making real inroads into the British market.
“We have maintained our position as the leading local brand and are making real progress in Britain through our use of character licensing.”
Tayto products have been available in selected outlets across Britain for some time but this is the first concerted push into the market.
Its licensed snack brands including Bob the Builder, Simpsons and Fimbles, which are expected to generate sales of more than £3million in 2004.
The company is also soon to launch a new luxury crisp, which it hopes will grow revenues even further.
Experts believe the company is well-placed to take a substantial percentage of the British snacks market.
One analyst said: “They have a distinctive product which has already carved out a niche through mainly word-of-mouth sales.
“If they really get behind the product in Britain they could do very, very well, although there is toughcompetition.”
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