It may well be their very last Christmas but that hasn’t stopped Safeway from, if not going out with a bang, then at least adding a seasonal sparkle to the very best of its own-label packaging this month.
MetalFX is a proprietary design and print technology that opens up a whole new colour spectrum from which millions of striking metallic colours can be achieved through the use of only one spot metallic ink.
It has been used by three of the retail groups licensed printers – Polestar Jowetts, Integrated Packaging and Paragon Labels to position Safeway’s ‘The Best Christmas Ever’ range in time for the peak selling season.
Highlighting the range is ‘The Best Belgian Chocolate Cookie Selection’, incorporating a variety of colours on the same pack, which previously would have cost the brand owner twice as much for spot metallic colours. Other products include Cheese Straws, Christmas Sundaes and Pudding Crown, and Christmas Nuts & Sandwiches.
Commenting on behalf of Safeway, Nikki Etherington, packaging buyer/technologist, said: “Working with MetalFX has given us the freedom to push the boundaries of our design with the use of metallic colours on packs, whilst still maintaining a competitive price for our packaging. We are very pleased with the result, and believe the sparkle works really well for our brand with ‘The Best Christmas Ever’ message.”
Tyneside carton specialist Print Design & Graphics (PDG) has also recently used MetalFX for Sara Lee’s a new range of ‘Entertaining With …’ luxury desserts.
“We have developed a unique drying process which is absolutely essential to get the metallised effect as MetalFX recommend,” explained PDG’s technical director Alan Dawes, “and the results are stunning. The packaging contains a subtle range of metallic silvers, blues and purples, giving it a luxurious and prestigious feel, which makes it literally shine out from its competitors.”