Food processing giant Danone has signed up customer insight and analytics firm Symphony EYC to support a new drive in the UK yogurt sector.

French-based Danone, who own Shape, Activia and Actimel, say the deal will enable them to add value to retailer partners by maximising category performance within the yogurt segment of UK supermarkets.

“The yogurt category is extremely competitive with significant focus on new product development,” says Max Stricker, Category Management, Danone. “Consumers are not just eating yogurt at a set time of day, which opens the door for new ranges and wider appeal.”

Stricker says Danone can now generate items and category performance analysis in hours where it previously took days to do so.

He added: “With the help of Symphony EYC‘s Assortment Management solution we are now able to analyse purchase behaviour quicker and more efficiently, revealing potential gaps in the category.”