They said the meat-free market is on a "very strong upward trajectory", primarily driven by younger generations.
Spar has revealed their first wholly plant-based fillet roll with the aim of "challenging the traditional chicken fillet roll".
The retailer decided to make the jump to a vegan option of the nation's favourite hangover snack as there has been a 109% increase in the sale of plant based alternatives during the pandemic.
Spar announced the launch of their new plant-based fresh food line as it aims to meet the "growing demand" for vegan options throughout the country.
The new offering will be led by Spar’s signature plant-based fillet, which the company claims is a first for the Irish market.
The company expects the fillet to "quickly become a customer favourite" with participating stores offering all the trimmings you would expect of the famous Chicken Roll - minus the meat or dairy of course.
The fillet will include plant-based spread, cheese, coleslaw and chicken and will launch in stores on university campuses before rolling out to other Spar stores.
Sales figures from the retailer show that the chicken fillet equates to approximately 2.5 million individual rolls sold per year, with Spar now targeting sales of approximately 120,000 rolls for the plant-based fillet over the next 12 months.
However, the company doesn't expect the plant-based fillet to overtake its traditional predecessor anytime soon.
"We know there’ll always be a special place for the classic spar chicken fillet roll in the heart of Irish people, and we don’t expect this to change any time soon, however, we do envisage this evolution of our offering drawing in a new cohort of customers that otherwise might not have shopped with Spar," John Moane, Chief Commercial Officer of the brand in Ireland said on Tuesday.
“The plant-based meat-free market is on a very strong upward trajectory, primarily driven by younger generations who are increasingly more health and sustainability focussed," he added.
