Golden Popcorn targets fast growth in Britain and Republic

Golden Popcorn, the Northern Irish snack foods business, is growing sales of cinema style popcorn in Britain and Republic of Ireland as part of a new growth strategy.

The company, the leading Irish manufacturer of cinema-style popcorn, has signed deals that will expand business with retailers in the Republic of Ireland and England.

A contract with a major online grocer in Britain has led to the company's 100g bags of salted, sweet and salty and sweet snacks being available over the internet for the first time.

Golden Popcorn already supplies cinemas in the Republic and has recently signed a deal to provide own label popcorn to a snacks business in Dublin and with Larry's Snacks in Donegal.

Larry's Snacks is supplying Golden Popcorn's 105g bags of salted popcorn to retailers throughout the west of Ireland.

Lucy McDowell, Golden Popcorn's managing director, commenting on the new business, says: "We are extremely excited about the potential for growth of recent contracts. Certainly the online grocery business moves us onto another plane and we're very encouraged by recent feedback.

"We are supplying cinema style sweet popcorn (120g), cinema style salted popcorn (105g) and salty and sweet (100g). Sales are steady and there have been repeat orders on all three lines. This is our first experience of on-line sales and we are very encouraged by it," she adds.

Golden Popcorn is the leading manufacturer of cinema style sweet and salted popcorn in Northern Ireland. Customers include cinemas, supermarkets, independent shops, catering companies, bowling alleys, amusement arcades, fun fairs and ice-cream vendors.

The company is also a distributor of maize, sugar, oil, nachos and popcorn cartons, delivering throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

As well as sweet and salted popcorn, the company has developed a highly innovative raspberry flavoured popcorn which contains no added salt or sugar and is suitable for sale in schools.

Golden Popcorn, which holds BRC 'A' grade Global Food Standard certificate, was established in1996 and is based in Mallusk, near Belfast, in county Antrim.