SPAR North of England launches new Trudi’s brand in UK exclusive

SPAR North of England has launched Fyffes’ new ethical trade brand Trudi’s in a UK exclusive for bananas.

The large premium bananas are free of plastic packaging and are available in a paper banded pack of five or loose, including as part of SPAR Meal Deals. This is meeting shifting customer demands and is driving sales in store.

'Good Fruit, Doing Good’ is Trudi’s consumer claim and brand DNA which is giving back directly to communities that grow them.

This is supporting the building of school facilities, empowering women in their careers, and providing nutritious meals to communities where Fyffes own farms and supplier farms are located.

Fyffes has brought a choice of tropical produce to millions around the world in its 130-year history, and SPAR customers in Northern England have gained a taste for the new Trudi’s brand with encouraging boosts in volume into stores and sales through the tills.

Wilf Whittle, trading controller at James Hall & Co, said: “We have been working with Fyffes for years now. We enjoy an excellent relationship with them, and we are delighted to be making the first move in the UK market with their new Trudi’s brand.

"The quality of fruit is excellent, and we are offering an improved sized and specification with Trudi’s.

“Modern day consumers like to know where their fruit is coming from, and we were cautiously optimistic that customers would take to the brand. When customers think of quality ethical and sustainable bananas, we want them to think of SPAR.

“The purple branding really stands out in store, and it has triggered a purple patch for our sales of bananas in the large, banded packs of five, and with the loose single fruit.

"We pride ourselves on availability, and while the market across retail has been short recently following shipping delays, we maintained full availability which is a credit to all involved within this supply chain.”

Toni Direito, sales manager at Fyffes Group, said: “Trudi’s is founded on consumers’ desire to not only eat healthy, fresh, and nutritious produce but to ensure that the fruit we eat is also doing good in the communities and with the people who cultivate our fresh produce.

“We are on a mission to show the world that nothing tastes better than knowing your fruit is doing good and our Trudi’s brand is deeply rooted in creating the best for both worlds – our growers in Central America and our consumers in Europe.

“A huge thank you to SPAR and James Hall & Co for embracing the vision and taking the lead in ensuring communities benefit while providing a choice to consumers who wish to give back and do good by buying a purpose driven brand.”

James Hall & Co is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.

For more information about James Hall & Co, please visit www.jameshall.co.uk.