Van den Bergh takes axe to Dalesby’s line

Van den Bergh Foods has dropped its premium-taste spread Dalesby’s less than a year after its launch.

The failure comes despite its positioning as a buttery-type product, the fastest growing sector of the yellow fats market. The sector is led by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, another Van den Bergh brand.

The product’s market share has been languishing since its launch last September. Even at its peak in March it had only 3.4 per cent of the premium taste margarine market (volume share according to Nielsen). Sales hit rock bottom in July, when share dropped to 2.1 per cent.

Dalesby’s was the brainchild of former marketing director Simon Turner, who resigned at the start of this year. Van den Bergh says that despite the significant marketing support, market share did not meet launch targets.

McCann-Erickson created the 1m launch campaign with the strapline: “Tastes better than the taste you remember.”