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Marketers deliver their firm - but fair - verdicts in the P&I hamper test, as James Thornton finds out
John Lewis
Festive Feast
RRP: £100
Contents: Domaine de la Perrière Corbières; Cuvée Royale Brut Crémant de Limoux; Domaine de Taverna Vin de Pays des Cévennes; Jules Destrooper chocolaté thins; Bendicks white chocolate mints; Buiteman's black pepper baguettes; Pane Italia pancetta and sun dried tomato tartini; Farmhouse Recipes handmade farmhouse date & walnut cake; Percol Fairtrade espresso organic arabica coffee; Forest Preserves mango ginger chutney; Shikar poppadums with red chilli; Cavendish & Harvey mixed fruit drops; Guylian Opus belgian chocolates; John Lewis luxury butter shortbread selection; Matthew Walker classic Christmas pudding; Rose Farm mustard with cider; St. Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit orange & ginger plus four fruits; Tracklements brandy butter; Walkers luxury mincemeat tarts.
Niki Macartney senior brand manager, Comfort
Presentation: The first impression is great - the food comes in an impressive basket, which I'd guess is the most expensive item in the package. Its high quality means you'd definitely want to keep and re-use it.
Breadth of offer and quality of products You get a lot of different items - 20 in all - for your money and, of course, there's the hamper itself, which is an important part of the overall package. It was all good quality food and drink, and there were some absolute gems, such as the poppadums and mango chutney, mixed in with the traditional, rather mainstream, festive fare of brandy butter, mince pies, chocolates and wine.
Conclusion: The price is a little high for an FMCG premium, and although you do get a lot of items, I wouldn't buy it partly on that basis. The hamper wasn't put together specifically for me, my target audience, or even with an FMCG campaign in mind. If I were to opt for a hamper premium though, I'd go for one that had less of random selection and more points of difference, even if it meant having fewer items or cutting back on the obviously expensive basket. For my target market, I'd be tempted to go for something bespoke rather than a family all-rounder - but I did enjoy it.
Clearwater Hampers
Caraway
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