CLIFFORD The Big Red Dog is due to make his debut in Safeway in March. The kids' cartoon character will feature on yogurts in the store after a Safeway director spotted the phenomenon of Clifford in the States and asked Arla Foods to supply the licensed product.
The big red dog is now gaining popularity in the UK after a run on Cbeebies, the BBC's children's satellite channel and is soon to appear on terrestrial children's television.
The yogurts and fromage frais will be promoted at their launch with a special price of 99p to appeal to mums and for the kids, the yogurt features a free limited edition sticker sleeve, or a cut-out-and-keep kennel-shaped moneybox on the fromage frais.
Clifford comes as the latest in a long line of successful licensed children's yogurts for Arla Foods, including Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes and Bob the Builder.
Arla has produced licensed yogurts for several years and leads the market in this very profitable niche according to consumer marketing manager, Isla McGuckin.
"We were one of the first companies to market licensed yogurts," says Isla. "They have proved really popular, not least because they benefit from the characters appearing, often on a daily basis on television."