Present Day
Walkers is now owned by PepsiCo with the current logo as a derivative of the North American Lay's logo, and the company is still a significant presence in Leicester. Gary Lineker, formerly a Leicester City footballer, is now the face of the company, featuring in most of their advertising campaigns. The official website states that an estimated "11 million people will eat a Walkers product every day". The company employs over 4,000 people in fifteen locations.
In February 2006, Walkers changed their brand label and typeset. They also announced they were to reduce the saturated fat in their crisps by 70%. They started frying their crisps in "SunSeed" oil, claiming the oil's higher monounsaturated fat content made it healthier than the standard sunflower oil which they used previously, establishing their own sunflower farms in Ukraine and Spain to be able to produce sufficient quantities of the oil. Walkers updated their packaging style in June 2007, moving to a brand identity reminiscent of the logo used from 1998–2006.
Many of Walkers brands were formerly branded under the Smiths Crisps name. This comes from the time when Walkers, Smiths and Tudor Crisps were the three main brands of Nabisco's UK snack division with Tudor being marketed mainly in the north of England and Walkers in the south. After the takeover by Pepsico the Tudor name was dropped and the Smiths brand has become secondary to Walkers. The only products currently retaining the Smiths brand are Salt & Vinegar and Ready Salted Chipsticks, Frazzles and the "Savoury Selection", which includes Bacon Flavour Fries, Scampi Flavour Fries and Cheese Flavoured Moments.
In 1997, Walkers became the brand name of Quavers and Monster Munch snacks. In August 2000 Walkers launched Max, a brand with a range of crisps. More Max flavours were introduced in 2001. In the same year Walkers bought Squares, a range of snacks from Smiths.
In 2002 Walkers bought Wotsits from Golden Wonder. In May 2002 Walkers launched Sensations, a range of crisps in the UK. Walkers introduced the Quavers flavours Salt & Vinegar and Prawn Cocktail in July 2002.
In 2003, Smiths brands Salt & Shake, Scampi Fries and Bacon Fries were relaunched under the Walker's identity. In 2005 Walkers launched Wotsits Twisted, a range of cheese puffs in the UK. Nutrition information has appeared on the front of Walkers crisps packets since 2006.
In 2007, Walkers launched Sunbites, a healthier range of lower/better fat crisps made using wholegrains.
In July 2008, Walkers launched its "Do Us A Flavour" campaign, challenging members of the public to think up a unique flavour of crisp. In January 2009 six flavours were picked and released as special editions, available until May 2009. During this period, consumers could vote on their favourite and the winner would become a permanent flavour. The winner of the competition was Builder's Breakfast by Emma Rushin from Belper in Derbyshire. This flavour was itself discontinued a year later in May 2010 in order for Walkers to focus on the upcoming 'Flavour Cup'.
In summer 2009 Walkers launched its premium Red Sky brand of "all natural" potato crisps and snacks.
In April 2010 the company launched a promotional campaign entitled the 'Walkers Flavour Cup' to find the world's favourite flavour. The flavour with the most fans at the end of the tournament would be declared the winner. Walkers encouraged people to engage in social media activity and upload photos and videos to their website proving people's Superfan status of Walkers Crisps. The best fan from each of the 15 flavours won £10,000. In the end, English Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding won the flavour cup.
For the 2011 Comic Relief, four celebrities; Jimmy Carr, Stephen Fry, Al Murray and Frank Skinner each represented four new flavours and the three whose crisps sell the least amount would be waxed by Denise Van Outen on 18 March 2011 on Red Nose Day (see below).
In early 2013, Walkers revised their packaging, with a new design and typeface. Slogans such as 'Distinctively Salt & Vinegar' and 'Classically Ready Salted' were added to the front of packs. The previous packaging design had only been around for 12 months. Along with this packaging design came news that the company would start using real meat products in its Smoky Bacon and Roast Chicken flavoured crisps. This prompted substantial opposition from vegetarians, vegans and Muslims, who were now unable to consume the crisps.
Read more about this topic: Walkers (snack Foods)
Famous quotes containing the words present and/or day:
“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)
“I thus could not live, and I admitted it, unless on the entire earth, all creatures, or at least the greatest number, were turned toward me, eternally vacant, deprived of an independent life, ready at any moment to respond to my call, given to sterility until the day I deigned to grace them with my light. In short, for me to live happily, it was necessary for those chosen by me not to live at all.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)