Waitrose expands its Italian offerings by stocking Zizzi frozen products, enhancing customer choices.
- Starting 11 September, UK customers can enjoy Zizzi’s popular pasta meals and garlic bread at a discounted rate.
- The initial launch will involve a 20% promotional discount across around 250 Waitrose stores in the UK.
- Zizzi’s move into Waitrose builds on its retail success from previous launches in other supermarket chains.
- Zizzi aims to improve product quality with investments in nutritional content, reflecting consumer demand for healthier options.
Waitrose has announced a partnership with Italian restaurant brand Zizzi to stock a selection of its frozen products, thereby broadening its premium Italian cuisine offerings available to UK consumers. This collaboration will see Zizzi’s renowned pasta meals such as Casareccia Pollo Piccante and Chorizo Carbonara, alongside their Garlic Bread, being offered in around 250 stores across the UK starting from 11 September. This initiative not only exemplifies Waitrose’s commitment to enriching its product line but also offers customers more diverse meal choices.
To celebrate the introduction of these new items, Waitrose will launch a promotion featuring a 20% discount on the Zizzi products upon release. This discount is designed to attract consumer interest and encourage initial trials of the new range. Such promotional strategies are commonplace in the retail food sector, often helping to boost short-term sales and increase brand visibility in a competitive market.
Zizzi has been successful in penetrating the retail market previously, having launched its ‘Zizzi at Home’ frozen range in Sainsbury’s in 2020 and subsequently expanding into Tesco in March 2022. The continued growth into Waitrose signifies a strong consumer reception and indicates a demand for high-quality frozen Italian dishes. This expansion within major UK supermarkets underscores the brand’s strategy to capitalize on its restaurant success and translate it into retail opportunities.
Underpinning this retail strategy is a focused effort by Zizzi to enhance the quality of its frozen offerings. The brand is investing in balancing the ratio of sauce, and reducing calories and saturated fat in its pasta meals. This aligns with a broader trend in the food industry where there is an increasing consumer shift towards healthier eating options, reflecting evolving dietary preferences and health consciousness among British consumers.
Managing director at Zizzi Restaurants, Harry Heeley, emphasized the British public’s appreciation for authentic Italian food, attributing the success of the Zizzi at Home range to its quality, taste, and value. He stated, “British people are Italian food aficionados and are always on the hunt for quality meals that reflect the experience they have in restaurants… I’m positive Waitrose shoppers will also embrace the range and enjoy the Zizzi experience.” This sentiment highlights the brand’s confidence in extending its culinary appeal from dining establishments to home kitchens.
Waitrose’s collaboration with Zizzi marks a significant step in expanding its premium Italian food portfolio, promising a favourable reception from its customers.
