Lite n’ Easy ramps up its supermarket push

One of Australia’s original meal delivery firms, Brisbane-based Lite n’ Easy, is expanding its push into the supermarket sector.

Line leader Bhavika Vashi in the Lite n' Easy Main Assembly Hall, Banyo. Picture: Liam Kidston.

One of Australia’s leading pre-made meals home-delivery services is seeking to ramp up its supermarket presence after strong growth during the Covid-19 pandemic.

After more than three decades of being purely a home-delivery service, late last year Brisbane-based Lite n’ Easy launched its Select range into Queensland IGA and Drakes supermarkets offering six of it most popular frozen meals including spaghetti bolognaise, savoury beef rissoles and Tasmanian Salmon pasta.

Lite n’ Easy meals are currently in 107 supermarkets and chief executive Dennis Stark said with week-on-week growth continuing the number of outlets could expand in the future.

“This is a new business area for us so we’re starting from scratch but already we’re seeing an increase in sales each week,” he said.

“We are putting our foot in the water. One of the key things is to give people the opportunity to sample our meals.

“It’s a big change and we’re ready for it and the market is ready and we’re looking to expand down the track.”

Lite n' Easy's CEO Dennis Stark at the company’s Banyo facility.

Lite n’ Easy delivers more than a million fresh and frozen meals per week across Australia, with the Banyo facility producing all of the meals.

In a crowded pre-made meal sector Lite n’ Easy was recently rated No. 1 in Canstar Blue’s Healthy Meal Delivery services for the third year in a row.

It scored five stars for Value for Money, Variety of Meals Available, Freshness of Meal or Ingredients, Customer Service, Ease of Ordering, Delivery and Overall Customer Satisfaction.

Late last year the company went of a recruitment drive increasing staff numbers from 1600 to about 1800 people across Australia.

According to latest financial statements lodged with ASIC Lite n’ Easy more than doubled its profit in 2019/2020 to $5.24m from $2.01m in previous financial year.

Lite n’ Easy staff working at the Banyo assembly hall.

Mr Stark said research has shown because of the Covid-19 pandemic more people increasingly embraced the pre-prepared meal option.

According to an independent survey prepared for Lite n’ Easy 69 per cent of respondents were trying to eat healthier while 48 per cent said they were using more pre-prepared meals than before.

“We believe in the long-term growth potential of the business,” Mr Stark said.

“We are focusing more on healthy meals rather than weight loss which is just one aspect of our products,” Mr Stark said.

“We want to be more things to more Australians whether be retail sampling of healthy pre-prepared meals or Homecare packages for the elderly and Australians needing support through NDIS. We want to be there for all Australians.”