Latest news with #Mackie's
Scotsman
06-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scottish ice cream maker has 1.5 million reasons to cheer as sun shines
'Ultimately the numbers are testament to our ice cream being chosen again and again by our loyal customers for its quality' Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The spring sunshine has helped a Scottish ice cream maker notch up its best-ever monthly sales. New figures reveal that last month Mackie's of Scotland sold 1,564,837 litres of ice cream, making it the company's most successful month on record and surpassing the previous monthly total of 1,534,746 litres, achieved during the UK's hottest June in 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The record-breaking achievement came after the UK experienced unseasonably warm temperatures, with Scotland recording average highs of 19°C in the latter part of April - up on the 14°C average during the same period last year. The UK as a whole has seen temperatures rise and the sun shine, creating perfect conditions for ice cream consumption nationwide. Mackie's has been helped by distribution gains, including for its raspberry ripple ice cream flavour. As well as the favourable weather conditions, Mackie's has been helped by distribution gains, with its raspberry ripple flavour making its debut in 255 Sainsbury's Local stores last month, and the most widely distributed raspberry ripple product at the supermarket chain. The Aberdeenshire ice cream brand's larger two-litre traditional flavour tubs have also seen gains in Tesco and Morrisons. Will Dixon, Mackie's head of sales, said: 'The weather last spring and summer was wet and windy, and this April's sunshine has given the UK a taste of brighter days to come, which they were clearly more than ready to enjoy with a bowl of ice cream. 'April's record sales have been given a boost by the brilliant weather, but ultimately the numbers are testament to our ice cream being chosen again and again by our loyal customers for its quality.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The firm's recent sales success has seen it become the fourth most popular premium ice cream brand in the UK, retaining its spot as Scotland's best-selling, according to industry data. Over the past year, Mackie's ice cream was purchased by around 25 per cent of households in Scotland, and 8 per cent (up from 6 per cent) of all UK households, the Kantar WorldPanel figures show.
The Herald Scotland
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's best pantomime to be honoured for first time
Theatre critics have agreed to recognise festive shows after nearly 20 years of their annual awards with a new 'outstanding pantomime' prize. They have hailed Scotland as 'the natural home of pantomime' thanks to the long history of star performers like Stanley Baxter, Jimmy Logan, Andy Gray and Gerard Kelly, as well as modern favourites including Elaine C Smith and Johnny McKnight. Read more: The new prize will recognise 'the best overall panto' produced in Scotland each year. And the panto award will be sponsored by one of Scotland's leading ice cream producers, Mackie's. The prize will be presented for the first time at the annual Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) at their annual ceremony, which is being staged in June at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. Elaine C Smith was recently honoured for her outstanding contribution to pantomime productions. (Image: Andrew Billington Photography) Michael Cox, co-convenor of the CATS judging panel, said: 'Scotland has long been considered the natural home of pantomime, from the early-20th-century music hall productions to the heyday of Stanley Baxter, Rikki Fulton, Jimmy Logan, Una McLean and Johnny Beattie, who then passed on the baton to acclaimed performers such as Elaine C Smith and the late Gerard Kelly and Andy Gray. 'In recent times, writers and performers such as Forbes Masson and Johnny McKnight have further added to Scotland's panto reputation by rethinking the artform for the 21st-century. 'Our new award recognises the breadth of talent that goes into making the perfect panto.' Co-convenor Mark Brown added: 'The judges are excited to add the category of outstanding pantomime to our annual awards. 'We are grateful to Mackie's – a Scottish company whose ice cream is so closely associated with a trip to the pantomime – for sponsoring the inaugural panto award.' Stuart Common, managing director of Mackie's, said: 'We are proud to sponsor the very first Outstanding Pantomime award at the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland. 'Pantomime and interval ice cream go hand in hand, making up a cherished part of the Christmas tradition for families across Scotland.' Tickets for the awards ceremony, which is open to the public, go on sale on May 1 from the Traverse Theatre website. The new award for best Scottish pantomime has been announced weeks after Elaine C Smith was honoured for outstanding achievement at the UK-wide Pantomime Awards. Johnny McKnight, one of Scotland's best-known panto creators, delivered a prestigious lecture at Glasgow University in January on his long-time involvement with festive shows dressed in the costume of his character Dorothy Blawna-Gale, from his show The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scottish firm to make 'extreme' crisps for 900 M&S stores in major deal
A SCOTTISH firm has landed a major deal to make a new range of Marks and Spencer crisps. Taylors Snacks, based in the village of Errol in Perth and Kinross, have added 30 new staff members as a result of winning the contract to produce M&S's new Extreme Ridge range. After almost two years of discussions and collaborations with the retail giant the 'deeply ridged for extreme flavour and crunch' crisps entered 900 stores across the UK last week. James Taylor, managing director of Taylors Snacks, told The Courier that the collaboration with M&S is one of the company's greatest achievements and that he is delighted with the launch. READ MORE: Almost half of Scots worried about energy bills as price cap rises, poll shows 'We had an initial visit from M&S in the summer in '23,' he said. 'In March last year, we were awarded the business after several talks and work on getting the seasoning right. 'It's a tighter ridge compared to our Taylors range and has a different texture. It's thinner cut and crispier – a lighter bite. 'On the back of the contract, it has created around 30 jobs – everything from production staff, to warehouse, to our quality control technical team. 'This feels like this is one of our biggest achievements to successfully launch a range with M&S. 'The team has worked incredibly hard. Everyone has pulled together and we are delighted with the quality of product we've achieved.' The Extreme Ridge range comes in a variety of six flavours, including cheese and onion, sizzling steak and chicken curry. The Taylor family, who have been farmers for four generations, originally set up their snack venture with one of Scotland's biggest food brands, Mackie's, in 2009. The family bought out Mackie's shareholding in 2022 and rebranded as Taylors Snacks and have seen their Errol operation grow from 50 to 90 staff in the last three years. Taylor said there is potential to expand from Errol, business already has a further 90 staff working in Sheffield after its acquisition of popcorn firm South Yorkshire Foods in 2022 and have ambitions to become B Corp certified. 'I think we've demonstrated in Scotland just how successful we've been with a unique style of product. We definitely believe there's room for that across the UK. READ MORE: Donald Trump hopes 'terrorists' who damaged his golf course are 'treated harshly' 'There's also the potential requirement in the next couple of years for an expansion to the factory in Errol. That would be a new production facility and frying line. 'Other ambitions are to make our range healthier over the next 10 years and achieve B-Corp status.'
