Kraft Heinz taps Metrostar and Brand Central to licensing roll out of Heinz, HP Sauce and Lea & Perrins

Kraft Heinz has tapped Metrostar and Brand Central LLC to manage the brand licensing programme for its flagship brands in the UK and Ireland. The campaign will exploring product extensions such as new food categories and merchandise partnerships with leading names in the lifestyle sector for the likes of Heinz, HP Sauce, Lea & Perrins, Amoy, and Bull’s-Eye.

The programme will build upon Brand Central’s representation of Kraft Heinz brands in the United States and Canada.

Kraft Heinz boasts a strength in brands spanning across categories with over £800M in UK and Ireland sales. The firm has more than 200 brands sold in nearly 200 countries, including eight $1bn + brands.

Metrostar and Brand Central will jointly manage the programme with Metrostar taking the lead in prospecting and licensee management.

“After discussions with several licensing agencies, we are excited to select Metrostar and Brand Central to represent Kraft Heinz in the UK and Ireland,” said Olivia Hibbert, marketing director, Northern Europe at Kraft Heinz. “We feel that Metrostar and Brand Central have the right innovative approach to take our iconic and much loved brands in to new and exciting directions for the future.”

Ross Misher, CEO of Brand Central, added: “Working with the global licensing team at Kraft Heinz, we are looking forward to expanding our program beyond the US and Canada and into Europe. There is an enormous global opportunity for Kraft Heinz across territories with its portfolio of strong brands.

“Metrostar is the perfect partner to launch into this new market with their expertise in food licensing and strong retail relationships. Kraft Heinz brands have a huge emotional connection with consumers in the UK who grew up eating these products and continue to enjoy them today.”

Metrostar MD, Claire Potter, concluded: “These brands are legends in British food and we see great potential in a number of product areas. We’re thrilled to be representing Kraft Heinz and to be working, once again, with Ross and the team at Brand Central.”

Brand Central and Metrostar partnered previously on the UK licensing campaign for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The campaign was nominated for Best Food & Drink Licence at the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards and Krispy Kreme won the Best Health & Beauty Range in 2018.