Norway-based canned seafood supplier King Oscar on Tuesday announced it expanded its skinless and boneless sardine line.
In the last year sales for the international supplier’s King Oscar Skinless & Boneless Sardines have grown 160 percent and have been the primary growth driver and new users to the segment.
The line now includes King Oscar Spanish Style Skinless & Boneless Sardines. The sardines are packed in olive oil with peppers, cucumber and carrot and sustainably caught from the Mediterranean Sea. The company expects the product to be available throughout the U.S. in September.
According to Nielsen data, the company’s Skinless & Boneless Sardines dollar sales increased 124.7 percent for the 52-week period ending 17 May 2014, with the most recent 12-week period seeing a 68.3 percent increase.
The company said the line is still a relatively small part of its product profile. The company currently holds 59.5 percent of the premium sardine category, according to Nielsen data.
“We’ve targeted Skinless & Boneless as a growth segment for our brand, and it has really paid off over the past two and a half years,” said John Engle, president of King Oscar USA. “We see the new King Oscar Spanish Style Skinless & Boneless Sardine introduction as a way to satisfy consumer demand for innovative products while simultaneously maintaining our leadership position as category innovators. We intend to demonstrate that canned seafood can be as exciting as every other category within center store.”
