Tesco Developing New Flavors For 'ChokaBlok' Ice Cream Brand; Launching Range in Central Europe

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[Definition of ChokaBlok (normal spelling is chockablock or chock-a-block): Squeezed together; jammed; packed or crowded; completely filled or stuffed.]

United Kingdom-based global retailer Tesco is in the process of developing a number of new flavors for its recently launched ChokaBlok premium ice cream brand, Fresh & Easy Buzz has learned.

The development of the new ice cream flavors, which we're told number four-to-five SKUs, are being headed up by the frozen food buying and merchandising (commercial in British industry terminology) department at Tesco's corporate headquarters in the UK.

ChokaBlok on the move

Additionally, according to our sources, Tesco this week is launching its ChokaBlok ice cream venture brand in its stores in Central Europe. It will be Tesco's first global division outside the UK to get the premium ice cream brand, which currently comes in five flavors - Cherry Bomb Brownie, Cookie Dough Mon-Star, Gold Digger Dynamite, Billionaires Shortcake and The Chocolate Extremist.

Tesco's venture brands are a new strategy for the retailer, in which it's creating numerous product brands with standalone names, rather than using the Tesco name as it does for its traditional private or store brands, although the Tesco name (in small font) can be used as a secondary part of a venture brand's name.

So far this year the retailer has introduced five of what it plans to be numerous venture brands. The brands are: Yoo (refrigerated yogurt); ChokaBlok (premium ice cream); Lathams (premium pet food); Nutricat (premium pet food) and Parioli (pasta, pasta sauces and canned tomatoes imported from Italy.)

In addition, as we were the first publication to report on last month, Tesco has also introduced two new private brands in its UK stores so far this year - Tesco goodness for kids and Tesco Flash in the Pan.

The "goodness" brand, which was developed by Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market chain in Southern California, is a multi-category range (line in U.S. industry terminology) of food products targeted to kids.

The first items introduced under the brand were a line of packaged, value-added fresh produce items, as we reported here - June 26, 2011: Tesco Bringing Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's 'goodness for kids' Brand to the UK - With a 'Tesco' Twist; and here - June 27, 2011: Tesco Introduces First Items in Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market-Developed 'Tesco goodness for kids' Brand in United Kingdom Stores.

We were the first to report the connection between Tesco's new Tesco goodness for kids brand and its development at Fresh & Easy in Southern California. Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market calls its brand fresh&easy goodness for kids.

Since our June 26 story was published, a number of mainstream publications in the UK have written about the Fresh & Easy connection we revealed. We haven't found one of those stories yet though that's credited Fresh & Easy Buzz with breaking the news the Tesco "goodness" brand was developed by Fresh & Easy.

Tesco has since June 26 announced its "goodness" brand and has been launching additional items in its new kids' range in its UK stores, including the ready meals we reported on in the June 26 story linked above, along with a variety of food and drink items in the shelf-stable grocery (such as juices and snack items) and refrigerated perishables (such as cheese snacks) categories.

The retailer says it plans to introduce about 70 SKUs in its Tesco goodness for kids brand in its UK stores this year.

We also were the first publication to report on Tesco's recent launch of its new "Flash in the Pan" private brand, which so far features six SKUs of refrigerated ready-meals. See our stories here - July 6, 2011: Tesco Launches New 'Flash in the Pan' Brand Ready Meals in UK Stores; Files Brand Trademark in U.S.; and July 7, 2011 Not Just A 'Flash in the Pan': Tesco's New Brand of the Same Name With Potential 'Fresh & Easy Twist' Hitting United Kingdom Store Shelves.

Chok-full of new flavors, premium ingredients

According to source in a good position to know about both the initial launch of ChokaBlok and the development of the new flavors, Tesco's senior executives in charge of the venture brand program are pleased with the initial customer reception to the new premium ice cream brand, which has led to the frozen food department's getting the green light to develop additional flavors, which Tesco hopes to introduce in its UK stores before the summer is out in order to take advantage of the excitement it's building around the brand, along with being able to take advantage of the key summer ice cream selling season.

The Chockablok ice cream brand, which Tesco is marketing and promoting as an affordable luxury product (think Häagen-Dazs brand ice cream), features free-range eggs and premium ingredients including: whole milk; double cream; and a real chocolate in the varieties that include it. In fact, the brand name "ChokaBlok" is designed to depict just that ingredient focus, its tagline being: "A luxurious range of ice creams, chok full of mouth-watering goodies that you'll love."

Interestingly and ironically, we offered Tesco's ChokaBlok ice cream product development team a new item suggestion, which uses the existing (and any future) flavors to create a product in the ice cream novelty category, in our June 26, 2011 story. Since the team is in development mode, reported first in Fresh & Easy Buzz today, they - and you - might want to take a look at our story [Tesco Bringing Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's 'goodness for kids' Brand to the UK - With a 'Tesco' Twist] and see just what that new product suggestion is.

Here's a hint, playing on Tesco's marketing tagline for its ChokaBlock ice cream noted above: "A luxurious range of  frozen treats featuring ChokaBlok ice cream sandwiched between fresh-baked chocolate, vanilla and oatmeal cookies for a bite-sized mouth-watering treat that you'll love."

Line extensions from ice cream to frozen novelties are a natural in the premium ice cream category after all, as Häagen-Dazs, Magnum, Dove and others have demonstrated with their very successful premium ice cream treats, all which contain their first-introduced packaged ice cream flavors.

Related Stories

July 7, 2011: Not Just A 'Flash in the Pan': Tesco's

July 6, 201: Tesco Launches New 'Flash in the Pan' Brand Ready Meals in UK Stores; Files Brand Trademark in U.S.

June 26, 2011: Tesco Bringing Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's 'goodness for kids' Brand to the UK - With a 'Tesco' Twist

June 27, 2011: Tesco Introduces First Items in Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market-Developed 'Tesco goodness for kids' Brand in United Kingdom Stores

September 4, 2010: Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Unveils New fresh&easy 'goodness' Brand Items and Packaging

August 29, 2010: Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Expanding its fresh&easy 'goodness' Co-Branded Line; Launching Numerous New Items

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