pladis is extending its McVitie’s Penguin brand into the savoury snacking category for the first time with the launch of Penguin Bites, a new range of baked, non-HFSS snacks aimed at families and sharing occasions.
The move marks a significant brand extension for Penguin, one of the UK’s most recognisable biscuit brands, as pladis looks to capitalise on growing demand for permissible savoury snacks and family-friendly sharing formats.
Available in Cheese, Salt & Vinegar and Lightly Salted flavours, Penguin Bites are small penguin-shaped baked snacks packed in 125g sharing boxes designed to stand out within the savoury biscuit fixture.
According to pladis, the launch forms part of a wider strategy to evolve the Penguin brand beyond its traditional chocolate biscuit bar roots.
“As the rise in family savoury snacking continues alongside increased demand for products suitable for sharing occasions, Penguin Bites allows us to meet these consumer needs while offering a permissible, non-HFSS option,” said Asli Ozen Turhan, Chief Marketing Officer, pladis UK&I.
The company highlighted Penguin’s strong brand credentials, with 92% consumer awareness, positioning the brand as a natural platform for category expansion. Consumer testing also delivered encouraging results, with 80% of parents and children finding the concept appealing or very appealing, while 71% believed the product was a good fit for the brand.
The launch will be supported by a 360-degree marketing campaign during the Back-to-School period, including in-store activations, social media activity and PR support under the campaign strapline, “McVitie’s Penguin has gone crackers!”
Penguin Bites represents the first stage of broader plans for the Penguin brand, as pladis seeks to unlock new growth opportunities within the UK’s savoury snacking market.
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