Change the cheese, says Dairy Crest

UK – Dairy Crest has announced the result of its new marketing research this week, which claims that there are fundamental flaws in the way cheese is sold.

Entitled ‘Cheese Report 2003′, Dairy Crest commissioned the research to create a greater understanding of consumers’ behaviour in shops when buying cheese. According to the research, consumers buy cheese for particular occasions and are not necessarily interested in how or where the cheese is produced. The company claims that this is a serious mismatch and that addressing the problem could increase cheese sales.

Dairy Crest has now decided to market its cheese to seven different market segments: everyday (including value, special and regionals), meal solutions, adult snacks, better for you, gifts, taste and discovery and kids.

Commenting on the news, Dairy Crest cheese marketing director David Turner said: “Despite cheese being one of the largest sectors in UK food retailing, our research reveals major opportunities for growth remain.” The news comes just a few weeks after Dairy Crest revealed its financial results, when the company blamed poor commodity cheese prices for falling income.