FITZBILLIES

How Fitzbillies, a 104-year-old bakery, had its best Christmas ever

The Client

Fitzbillies – a beloved 104-year-old Cambridge institution with three retail spaces – had history, heritage, and heavenly baked goods. But heritage alone doesn’t fill online shopping carts during the festive rush.

The Mission

Drive festive season sales nationally (not just locally)
Reach new customers beyond Cambridge
Grow the database for ongoing engagement
Make Fitzbillies the Christmas bakery choice
Do it all in just 4 months before Christmas

The real challenge? Competing against every bakery, every confectioner, and every festive hamper company in the UK during the most competitive season of the year.

What we did

We turned a local treasure into a national Christmas sensation.

We created a national and regional Christmas PR campaign
Secured regional TV coverage
Submitted products for reviews and taste tests
Positioned Fitzbillies in festive gift guides and roundups
Secured strategic collaborations by partnered with complementary brands
Used collaborations to supercharge database growth
Secured new listing, generating 283 orders
Combined influencer activity with brand collaborations
Enhanced social media presence authentically
Created buzz that drove both engagement and sales
Secured 3 Fitzbillies products in Good Housekeeping’s Top Ten Christmas ‘tried and tested’ feature

What we delivered

National & regional PR campaign
Product submission for editorial reviews
Regional TV coverage coordination
Strategic brand collaborations
Database growth strategy
Influencer programme management
Social media amplification
Retail listing acquisition
Festive gift guide placements

THE RESULTS IN NUMBERS

£ PR Value

New orders

secured from one listing

Reach

across broadcast, print, online, and social media

“We were delighted with the results the team achieved, outperforming the KPIs set for influencer activity, increasing basket spend and media coverage”

We appointed The Food Marketing Experts with a very targeted brief to generate wider national awareness of Fitzbillies and specifically to stimulate online sales of the Christmas collection, whilst also building the consumer database. We were delighted with the results the team achieved, outperforming the KPIs set for influencer activity, increasing basket spend and media coverage, and achieving a reach of over 88,935,000 across broadcast, print, online and social media. We had a record Christmas, and it was wonderful to know more families and friends would be enjoying the delicious taste of Fitzbillies all over the country.