21 February 2001

Iams To Supply UK Supermarkets

The Iams Company and parent company Procter & Gamble have announced intentions to supply their new Iams Dog Food and Cat Food product lines to grocery retailers in the United Kingdom. The move follows a similar market expansion in January 2000 in the US which focused on sales channels where Procter & Gamble sells its products, such as grocery stores, mass merchandisers and club stores. Iams had been evaluating the US expansion prior to Procter & Gamble's acquisition in September 1999. The Iams Dog Food launch and grocery channel expansion will be supported by the biggest UK Marketing support programme for the Iams brand in its history, (rumoured to be in excess of £30m). TV advertising will be developed by Saatchi & Saatchi. who were assigned global advertising responsibility for Iams and Eukanuba Dog and Cat Food brands last September and who also handle advertising for a range of other Procter & Gamble brands. In an effort to reassure specialist retailers in the UK who until now were the only outlets for the Iams brand, the company has written to businesses saying that their 'Flagship' Eukanuba brand "will remain unique to the pet speciality channel and will continue to be strengthened and developed." The company also says that specialist retailers experienced a growth in sales of both Iams and Eukanuba following the expansion to grocery outlets in the states as a result of increased levels of marketing activity and awareness building advertising. According to Iams' consumer research in North America, the majority of Iams users were in favour of the expansion, as long as the product quality was maintained. The company also states that: "More pet owners in North America are now aware of the importance of premium nutrition due to significantly increased sales and marketing investments designed to educate consumers about the difference nutrition can make in the health and well-being of their pets." James Schedler (M.D. for Europe, Middle East & Africa) said: "We will never compromise product quality for Eukanuba or Iams brands," Additionally Schedler's letter to specialist retailers goes on: "To be clear, we are not announcing this expansion for all European countries yet and for today only announcing these existing plans for the United Kingdom." But he adds in his press release: "We plan to expand distribution of the Iams brand in other European countries when the time is right." Source: Iams Copyright in this form 2001 Steve O'Malley (UKPets). This article may be reproduced with permission of the author and correct attribution to the source.