UK relaunch for Wall’s ice cream brand

Unilever division Birds Eye Wall’s will make another attempt to revive its global ice cream brand Carte d’Or in the UK, with a fresh attack on the market this year.

The food giant has repeatedly tried to launch premium takehome brand Carte d’Or in the UK since its first failed attempt in the mid-Eighties.

The brand, which is the French market leader, is tipped to be positioned as a slightly more expensive option than its Gino Ginelli brand, but less of a luxury product than its Ranieri tubbed ice cream.

Ranieri hit the UK last year after being launched in Germany and Italy. It is expected to benefit from bigger spend this year.

Sources say Gino Ginelli may become a casualty in the long term, with some stockists lacking the shelf space to sell both brands.

An insider says: “Wall’s will create more room in the market. If there’s a casualty it will be Gino Ginelli.”

In 1990, Birds Eye Wall’s relaunched Carte d’Or with a 2.5m TV campaign by Arc Advertising in the TVS (now Meridian) area.

For this year’s launch advertising is being handled by Ammirati & Puris/Lintas, with the international account team based at Lintas Paris. TV ads will break in the UK in April.

The brand was launched in France through the catering trade.

Unilever refused to comment.

Birds Eye Wall’s is launching a water ice on a stick called Mr Long.