Mowi launches premium own-brand in UK
The first MOWI branded products to be made available in the UK went on sale in Sainsbury’s supermarkets today.
The three premium Scottish salmon products are cold smoked salmon slices (£5 for 100g), piri piri slow roast fillets (£5, 180g) and fresh Scottish salmon fillets (£4.50, 230g).
James Cowan, head of sales for Rosyth-based Mowi Consumer Products, said: “We are investing in MOWI to play a dynamic role, inspiring new consumers to eat salmon on new occasions and to inform consumers that not all salmon are equal.
A ‘stand out’ range
“MOWI is high in omega-3, and fresher than fresh for taste. Retailers who support the MOWI brand will inevitably benefit from a halo of the brand driving traffic to stores.
“We believe we have a fantastic range of salmon lines that will stand out in the retailers’ shelves.
“The products are packed to show the top quality, which will be attractive to both new and existing seafood shoppers. We are getting right behind the launch with TV and online advertising, which will drive sales, interest and valuable shoppers to our customers’ seafood aisles.”
Stair tray
One attraction of the MOWI smoked salmon slices is that they come in a “stair tray” to make plating easy without tearing.
But it must also taste good if it is to take a share of the market. The 100g pack is twice the price of the wallet-friendly Harbour Salmon Company smoked salmon also sold by Sainsbury’s and also produced at Mowi’s Rosyth secondary processing facility. It is made with fish from Scotland, Ireland and Norway.
The MOWI brand concept was first unveiled at the Marine Harvest Capital Markets Day in Edinburgh in 2018, when the company also announced plans to change the company name to Mowi.
Millennial shoppers
Executives said MOWI-branded salmon would have a higher omega-3 content, a redder colour and softer marbling, appealing to the millennial shoppers concerned about health and sustainability. The fish would be from specially selected broodstock, get special feed and come from special Mowi farms.
It was also envisaged that packs would come with QR codes which can be scanned using a mobile phone to provide a variety of information about the product.
All MOWI-branded fish must be from Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified. This initially ruled out Scottish farms, which were ineligible for ASC certification because of the use of freshwater lochs to grow smolts. The ASC has since changed its rules to allow loch-grown smolts and Mowi Scotland has had several farms certified, with more in process.
