Business Franchise Australia

TRUSTED GLOBALLY FOR OVER 30 YEARS IN FRANCHISING

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

Australia’s largest specialty fresh chicken store, Lenard’s, has emerged as a festive winner after reporting a considerable rise in sales over the Christmas period.

The chicken retailer reported a 25% uplift in like for like turkey and Christmas festive products sales, driven by strong consumer demand for fresh, value-add and convenience products.

Lenard’s also achieved impressive growth in online sales, ending Christmas trading week 97% up on 2015, after revamping and simplifying its online ordering system. 

In addition, 80 Lenard’s stores sold more turkey and Christmas festive products than 2015, and 24 stores increased their sales by more than 50%, driven by exceptional in-store execution, engaged staff and an improved product range. 

Lenard’s CEO, Chris Caldwell said he was encouraged by the results, which marked a year of continuous growth for the company.

“Last year, we embarked on an exciting new chapter in Lenard’s’ 30 year journey. We invested significantly in store refurbishments, marketing and product innovation to make 2016 Lenard’s’ best year yet,” Mr. Caldwell said.

“To maximise reach and sales during our peak Christmas period, we implemented a strategy to ensure relevancy for consumers. This meant revising our packaging designs and product range to include a simplified sizing range of whole turkeys, ready-to-cook turkey products and stuffing flavours free from ingredients containing gluten. 

“We are pleased to see our commitment to delivering high quality, flavoursome products to suit every Christmas gathering and budget, was positively received by consumers,” he said.  

Mr. Caldwell went on to say that while sales of the whole, pre-cooked and oven ready turkey ranges performed well, the festive value added lines contributed significantly to overall growth of 25%, with 22.75% attributed to festive value add sales.

“Our new value added festive lines including chicken pinwheels, cranberry and black cherry bon bons and festive sausages, were a game changer for us this Christmas,” Mr. Caldwell said.

“We are becoming more relevant to more Australians as we continue to respond to increased demand for fresh, high quality ingredients and convenient meal-time solutions, and look forward to continuing this successful trajectory into 2017.”

For more information on the Lenard’s range visit www.lenards.com.au.