Angel Delight whips up comeback as 50th anniversary nears

Angel Delight is making a comeback half a century after the whipped dessert first hit the shelves.

Sales of the brand jumped 30 per cent over the six months to the end of September, according to its maker, Premier Foods, as consumers were tempted back by a new ready-to-eat version of the milky dessert, first launched in 1967 by Bird's.

“Angel Delight, one of the group’s smaller and historically less heavily invested brands, grew by 30 per cent in the period, benefiting from the launch of convenient ready-to-eat pots,” the company said.

In its traditional form, which is still available, consumers whisk milk into the Angel Delight powder, which comes in strawberry, chocolate, banana and butterscotch flavours.

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The resurgence of Angel Delight reflected a broader trend in Premier’s first-half results, as consumers opted for products that were designed to be eaten “on the go”.

“Batchelors is now the fastest-growing major brand in our portfolio following the launch this year of convenient pot format products such as Super Noodle pots,” said Premier Foods chief executive Gavin Darby.

“The Batchelors brand has also benefited substantially from the launch of Pasta ‘n’ Sauce pots, another range of convenient quick meals perfectly suited to today’s time-conscious consumer.”

Other brands owned by the group include Ambrosia, Mr Kipling and Oxo.

Sales up

Premier Foods’ sales rose 1.5 per cent over the six months to £353.3 million (€393 million), while pretax losses narrowed to £1.2 million from £8.7 million over the same period a year earlier.

Mr Darby said a strong performance in the second quarter, with sales up 6.2 per cent, helped to offset a “challenging” first quarter. He said expectations for the full year were unchanged.

Mr Darby said Premier's strategic partnerships with Japanese instant noodle company Nissin and Cadbury owner Mondelez International were paying off, together delivering more than 40 per cent of revenue growth in the second quarter. – Guardian