Grab your slice of the Hot Pies opportunity

Half of all people in the UK enjoy pie and chips from their local fish and chip shop at least once a year, and of those who do, the average number of times they buy pie and chips is 14 per year - compared with 16 times for fish and chips - demonstrating that the ongoing love for pies in the fish and chip shop sector is strong1.

Pukka is the runaway number one pie brand across both the foodservice and retail sectors with 49% of people recognising Pukka without being prompted2 and 30% preferring a Pukka from the chippy to any other pie brand. With a vision to put more pies on plates more often, and a category-leading portfolio of both chilled and frozen offerings, Pukka is the driving force behind overall growth in the pie category3 and therefore a must-stock brand for fish and chip shops looking to capitalise on this demand.

Pukka’s General Manager, Isaac Fisher, explains: “Our outlook for the pie category throughout the year and looking into the future is positive, as demand for this Great British mealtime favourite continues to be strong. This means there’s a big opportunity for chip shops to tap into the new sales opportunity the category presents, by stocking the brand and flavours that their customers want most.

“Pukka pies are, and always have been, synonymous with a visit to the chippy. With half of all people in the UK enjoying pie and chips from their local fish and chip shop at least once a year, there is a clear opportunity for chip shop owners – and indeed other foodservice outlets, including restaurants tied to fish and chip shops – to capitalise on demand by offering a range of Pukka pies to suit all consumer tastes.

Consumer insights

Recently commissioned independent research found that Pukka is still the nation’s favourite pie, meaning that fish and chip shops have an opportunity to inspire pie purchases by stocking the brand within their outlets.

Almost a fifth of people prefer the taste of pies purchased from the chippy rather than shopbought pies cooked at home, and two out of three people prefer to eat pies within a chip shop setting, demonstrating that a visit to the chippy and a Pukka pie go hand-in-hand. Friday and Saturday evenings are the key purchase period, with 40% of pie consumers buying them from the chippy on these days.

“With a long history of making and baking pies, Pukka remains the nation’s favourite by a country mile and is trusted by consumers. We have a range of offerings available in fish and chip shops to help owners meet consumer demand. Our bestselling pie is the Chicken & Mushroom, followed by Steak & Kidney and All Steak. These are the absolute must-stocks for chippy owners to provide their customers with a wholesome and convenient meal.

“We work closely with our trusted foodservice partners to continue to drive growth within the pie category and demonstrate tangible added value to both them and their customers. That’s why we offer plenty of options in our range of point of sale materials, including outdoor and indoor signage,” adds Fisher.

Heavyweight support

Pukka is investing in a national TV advertising campaign to drive more customers through chip shop doors. The advert, broadcast across TV and VOD from Wednesday 18th September 2019, puts fish and chip shops at the heart of the Pukka story and is timed to coincide with the allimportant back-to-school period, when families are seeking great value takeaway meals.

The nationwide advertising campaign is supported with heavyweight print, digital, retail, foodservice, OOH, social and PR activities, as well as extensive trade promotion during the peak pie eating season of 2019 and 2020. This includes developing a new suite of point of sale materials for the chippy trade, such as open/close signs (as seen in the TV advertisement, which are available free of charge from the trade section of Pukka’s website), posters, swinger pavement signs and wall-mounted signs.

“It’s clear that Pukka is the people’s favourite,” says Fisher, “and as the fish and chip shop trade has been at the very core of the Pukka story since the company began in 1963, it was important to us that the Great British chippy starred in our new ad.” Keeping up with demand

With the enduring popularity of pies from the chippy, it is important for owners to meet this demand. Pukka delivers chilled products within approximately 90 miles of Leicester, with wholesalers and distributors throughout the UK transporting the products outside of the immediate delivery area. As the chilled pies have a four-day shelf life, this ensures that chip shop owners can immediately capitalise on demand with a low-risk and highly sought-after option for their customers.

As well as offering a comprehensive chilled range, Pukka’s foodservice portfolio features a popular range of frozen offerings, providing over 80 distributors with a range of frozen baked pies. The same range is available in frozen, but with a 12-month shelf life, allowing customers to store and heat the nation’s favourite pie when needed.

Cooking advice for the perfect serve

Pukka recommends that chippy owners avoid using the microwave, as this can create an uneven heat distribution and affect the flaky puff pastry experience that consumers look for. Instead, it is best practice to initially heat a Pukka pie to a core temperature of 75°C, cooking a frozen pie in a fan oven at 170°C for 40-45 minutes, and a chilled pie at 180°C for 20-25 minutes. Once heated, the temperature should be brought down whilst still maintaining the minimum core temperature of 65°C whilst waiting to be sold.

“In order to serve the perfect Pukka pie and deliver the best eating experience, it is crucial that they are oven baked the right way up in a single layer. Stacking them on top of one another could damage the 144 layers of carefully baked puff pastry, resulting in disappointment amongst loyal customers,” adds Fisher.

Pukka’s innovative range

Pukka continues to lead the way within the pie category by tapping into alternative consumption moments which meet the varying needs of fish and chip shop customers, ensuring that there is something for everyone. Pukka also offers exclusives to foodservice outlets in order to support sales, with the much-loved Chicken Balti pie available in fish and chip shops and sports clubs across the nation.

“Our range of pies appeal to all needs, from the traditionalist All Steak, to Chicken Balti for the curry lover, and Potato, Cheese & Onion for veggies, demonstrating that there’s something for every taste and occasion,” concludes Fisher.

1 All figures Censuswide survey of 2,019 UK adults conducted

between 19th-23rd July 2019 – unless otherwise stated.

2 Pukka commissioned research 2019

3 Kantar 52 w/e 16/06/2019