UK’s Waitrose launches DUG sales, highlighting the potato drink as one of this year’s food trends products
Well-known UK grocery chain Waitrose & Partners is now launching Veg of Lund’s plant-based drink DUG in 220 of its more than 330 stores in the UK. In 1983, Waitrose was the first major UK supermarket to sell organic food and has continued to be a leading player with a major influence on developments in the grocery sector.
On 26 October 2021, Veg of Lund announced that Waitrose & Partners has signed an agreement to sell DUG, starting from February 2022. The launch has started well, sales are in line with some of Waitrose’s more established plant-based milk alternatives and the grocery chain expects volumes to increase as consumers discover the new plant-based beverage.
Since its inception in 1904, Waitrose & Partners has positioned itself as the leading grocery retailer focused on premium products and is one of the most influential players in the UK market as well as other major consumer markets. In its annual food trends report, Food & Drink Report 2021-22, Waitrose highlights DUG as one of the top seven products that fit into the overall trends, which has received attention in several media outlets around the world.
“Waitrose has ordered the first shipments and we are excited about their customers’ reception. Waitrose is a grocery chain that stands for quality at all levels, as a royal supplier and a strong brand internationally too. We are very happy to be part of their trend report, it has created extra interest in DUG from both traditional and social media,” says Emma Källqvist, Acting CEO and CFO of Veg of Lund.
“The launch of DUG in our stores has started well and sales are in line with some of our more established plant-based drink dairy alternatives. We look forward to working closely with Veg of Lund to inspire and educate our customers about the new alternatives to animal milk that are available in the UK. Our customers love to shop alternatives in Waitrose and we look forward to seeing growing demand for DUG,” says Alice Shrubsall, buyer at Waitrose & Partners.
“We have high hopes of reaching new and important customer categories through the launch with Waitrose. Despite corona restrictions, we managed to reach out widely in the UK market, and we have customers in several categories, most recently ready meal producers. With greater opportunities to travel and meet consumers and arrange in-store tastings, 2022 should be the year of the potato and the year of DUG’s breakthrough,” says Graham Stonadge, Veg of Lund’s UK sales director.
For more information, please contact:
Veg of Lund AB
Emma Källqvist (Acting CEO and CFO)
Telephone: +46 721 869 018
E-mail: emma.kallqvist@vegoflund.se
About Veg of Lund AB (publ)
Veg of Lund develops unique plant-based foods meeting consumers’ demands for taste and sustainability. The company has roots in research at Lund University and owns patented methods for developing new food categories in the fast-growing market for plant-based foods. Veg of Lund’s climate-smart and tasty products are sold in Europe and Asia under the DUG® brand. The company’s share is listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market under ticker VOLAB. Read more at ir.vegoflund.se. Mangold Fondkommission AB is the company’s Certified Adviser and can be contacted via telephone: +46 8 5030 15 50 or e-mail: ca@mangold.se.
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