Mackie’s grows beyond Scottish routes
Honeycomb is one of Mackie’s most popular flavours helping drive sales.
Mackie’s of Scotland has reported record ice cream sales of £20m in its last financial year. The family-owned business sold more than 13.3m litres of ice cream over that period.
Mackie’s strong sales figures in financial year 2022-23 were underpinned by an 11% annual increase in the ice cream company’s market penetration across the whole of the UK. The growth has seen Mackie’s add half a million customers across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to its significant existing share in Scotland, where it occupies 21% of the ice cream market.
Mackie’s said its sustainability initiatives have played a part in its recent sales successes, enabling the Aberdeenshire firm to absorb rising costs, rather than passing them on to its customers.
In reaching this landmark figure, the Aberdeenshire-based brand sold over 13.3 million litres of ice cream – enough to fill more than five Olympic swimming pools – made possible by its continued investment into its production facilities and workforce.
The increase in penetration across the UK is tied to Mackie’s sales successes upon landing nationwide spots in major retailers for its second most popular flavour, Honeycomb, which finds itself alongside Mackie’s best-selling Traditional across the UK in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons.
Prior to this, it was predominantly Mackie’s Scottish customers who were familiar with its wide range of ice cream flavours, and the expansion of choice beyond Traditional to the rest of the UK has proved popular with the nation’s ice cream consumers, reflected in strong sales growth for the company.
Another reason for the company’s strong sales rise in recent years has been its bold growth strategy, which has seen it swallow the majority of the industry’s rising costs to keep its prices as close as it can to those from before the cost-of-living crisis.
Commenting on the strategy, Stuart Common, managing director of Mackie’s, said: “Our recent sales success is a reflection of our team’s hard work and considered, responsible decision-making.
“While the cost-of-living crisis has pushed up the prices for our raw materials, we’ve taken every effort to limit price rises that are passed onto our customers, which has been reflected in reduced profits.
“However, our increase in both sales and market share demonstrates that consumers reward companies like Mackie’s for leaving more in their pocket without compromising product flavour, sustainability, or quality.
“We’re thrilled to have returned such an impressive increase in our sales during a difficult period for the sector. The key for us now is to continue to grow our reach while ensuring our new customers become long term advocates for us, as the economy settles.”
In a bid to convert more consumers to the brand and continue its strong growth, this summer Mackie’s has embarked upon its largest marketing campaign to date, with adverts showing across ITV1, STV, radio, digital radio, podcasts, programmatic, social and on-demand players this summer.
