Cherry Valley rebrands to reclaim market share

Duck producer Cherry Valley is relaunching its brand in the UK and Europe as it seeks to recover lost market share in the catering sector and prepare for a push into retail.

The new-look packs are targeted at the Chinese restaurant and wholesale trade, not only in the UK, but also in Germany, Denmark and Spain, with the language adjusted for each destination.

The relaunch is being supported by an integrated sales and marketing push, including advertising in Chinese language newspapers and on the Chinese language Phoenix CNE TV channel.

A price promotion is also under way, running to the end of November.

“We last rebranded in 2005 and would have done so again three years ago, but the recession then hit,” said sales and marketing director Eric Jagger. “Also, the market was under pressure from cheap imports from eastern Europe, and the EU started to allow cooked, boneless duck meat in from China.”

Market volume slipped away, with Cherry Valley’s production falling from about eight million ducks a year to seven million ducks a year, and its share of the Chinese sector dropping from 75% to 63%.

“We had to manage our costs tightly and delayed the relaunch,” Mr Jagger explained. “But now we are seeing good signs of recovery and, with demand growing and Christmas approaching, we thought let’s capitalise on that. It’s time to fight back.”

Mr Jagger said that the company was also looking to grow its presence in the retail sector, with listings now obtained for frozen duck into Tesco, Lidl and, for the first time, Aldi.