Co-op’s new GRO vegan brand taps into growing appetite for plant-based food

06 Jan 2020 --- Co-op has revealed significant online expansion plans as it dishes up more same-day delivery services in towns and cities across the UK in a major rollout of vegan products. The retailer will offer same-day online city center deliveries from 650 stores and take a bite out of the growing meat-free food market with an exclusive new brand, called GRO. The vegan range meets the growing demand for vegetarian and plant-based alternatives and will be available at up to 6,000 Co-op and independent stores.

According to research from the Co-op’s Ethical Consumerism report, the market has topped £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) for the first time ever and has more than doubled in the last 20 years, up from £452 million (US$593 million) in 1999.

The GRO range features over 35 meat-free products, which will be stocked in 2,000 Co-op stores and in up to 4,000 independent retailers through Co-op’s wholesale operation, NISA. It is believed to be the largest ever product rollout of own-brand vegan products by a supermarket and takes Co-op’s total food and wine vegan range to over 1,000 products. In addition, all Co-op’s beer and cider range will become vegan in 2020 while it already offers almost 120 vegan wines.

The new GRO range caters to the growing appetite for plant-based food and the new brand takes inspiration from some of Britain’s favorite dishes to create plant-based alternatives, such as the classic chili con carne and sticky toffee pudding.

More than 35 lines in the GRO range have been created with busy and on-the-go shoppers in mind, with meal solutions for breakfast to dinner. The new range also includes a vegan steak bake, a Kashmiri pizza with cauliflower and a mozzarella-resembling vegan cheese.

Plant-based innovation in food and beverages continues to flourish as a result of consumer interest in health, sustainability and ethics, which ties into the broader consumer lifestyle trend towards cleaner living. As the use of the term “plant-based” moves more into the mainstream, industry start-up companies, in particular, are taking up the challenge to deliver more clean label meat and dairy alternatives with improved nutritional profiles.

Meanwhile, retailers and the foodservice sector is also tapping into huge demand for vegetarian and vegan products. 

In just 12 months, Co-op’s findings reveal that vegetarian product sales have risen by over 12 percent and non-dairy milk alternatives have seen a 14 percent uplift.

“We stay close to our customers changing requirements. We have to provide fantastic products and services with strong ethics and a purposeful focus on convenience. Our new vegan range taps into the latest consumer trends and our online services meet the growing appetite for fast home deliveries,” says Jo Whitfield, CEO Co-op Food.

Over the next year, Co-op’s online same-day delivery services will be available across almost 100 towns and cities, served by 650 Co-op stores. Brighton, Bournemouth, Southampton will be among the first new cities to get the service this month, which is currently only available in London and Manchester. 

The Co-op will also expand its partnership with Deliveroo, which provides on-demand delivery of convenience grocery essentials in under 30 minutes. Ordering through Deliveroo will be extended to 400 stores, reaching around 100 major towns and cities. With Co-op, Deliveroo offers quick, point-to-point delivery of a range of non-perishable items via its rider network, catering for customers who want a quick, impulse buy rather than scheduled same-day delivery.

Edited by Gaynor Selby