Auburn, Maine, U.S.A.-based frozen seafood meals manufacturer Scott & Jon’s has expanded distribution in Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. Walmart already sells four of the supplier’s products, two of which contained shrimp, and now the retailer will carry eight items.
Scott & Jon’s Vice President of Marketing and Innovation Mark Ozimek told SeafoodSource that by the end of October, the company will have four shrimp bowls on sale in the retailer by adding its Shrimp Fried Rice and Shrimp Alfredo to the existing products. Walmart is also increasing the distribution of Scott & Jon’s products to almost 4,000 stores through October 2022.
Sam’s Club will begin selling Scott & Jon’s products in all 590 of its locations through the United States by January 2023, the company said in a press release. Scott & Jon’s also achieved the number-one dollar ranking for frozen shrimp entrees for the 24 weeks ending 19 September, according to IRI.
“With this latest milestone, the innovative, better-for-you frozen entrée brand is also the number one fastest-growing brand across the frozen shrimp entrée subcategory,” Scott & Jon’s said. “This growth shows the rising interest in frozen shrimp entrees despite volume declines of 11 percent in the latest period for the total frozen entrée category.”
The company originally launched its shrimp bowls, which include its Shrimp Pad Thai and Shrimp Fried Rice, to “fill a gap in the frozen entrée aisle with healthy, restaurant-quality meals which feature shrimp, the number-one seafood choice in America,” Scott & Jon’s Co-Founder Scott Demers said.
Demers said the company’s shrimp entrees were made with convenience top-of-mind, focusing on consumers wary of cooking seafood at home. “We help by crafting entrees with super-fresh shrimp which steam-cook in the microwave,” Demers said.
Scott & Jon’s garnered buzz at Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A in 2019, when its Shrimp Ramen Noodle Bowl was a finalist in the “Best New Retail Product” at the expo’s Seafood Excellence Awards. At SENA 2019, the supplier also rolled out four new pasta and noodle bowls: Shrimp Scampi Pasta, Shrimp Alfredo Pasta, Shrimp Ramen Noodle, and Spicy Shrimp Ramen Noodle.