Lotus speculoos is a hit TikTok in the UK

The latest UK TikTok song is very Belgian: Lotus biscuits with caramel. Although the typical snack has a different name. Speculos is not very popular outside the country, so it became Peskov – shrinking “biscuits” and “coffee”. The Guardian has described Biscoff as a huge hit this Christmas, thanks to social media. Countless videos of Biscoff recipes are making the rounds in the UK: from oatmeal to an iced latte, from truffles to tiramisu, each time with the famous biscuit in the lead.

Videos are popular on TikTok, often with hundreds of likes. Moreover Some real “baking accounts” with millions of followers are adding to the hype. According to Ls de Smit, who is responsible for Lotus’ European sales offices, “there is no organized influence campaign behind it”. “We haven’t paid anyone to advertise, but it shows that our international marketing is paying off.”

Within ten years, says de Smet, Peskov had become a staple for a quarter of the British population. The biscuit maker has been investing heavily in internationalization for years. Peskov is more of an international term to avoid confusion with tongues: Lotus wants to make it a global brandCEO Jean Bonn makes no secret of it.

Through targeted partnerships with popular brands such as coffee chain Costa Coffee and donut brand Krispy Kreme, it is making itself a household name. “At the beginning of 2020, we also launched a TV spot for the spread of caramel biscuits in the UK, which underlined the versatility of the product,” says De Smet. “When the lockdown started after that, many people started trying bread at home.”

De Smet says the coronavirus has shaken up the consumption pattern. “Sales in supermarkets have crossed the ceiling.” Although the catering industry, an important source of income for Lotus, is closed, Biscoff branch grew more than 10 percent in 2020. Not only are cookies popular, but so are variants such as the caramel biscuit spread and ice cream.

The United Kingdom thus became an important growth market for Lotus: it is second only to the United States. Belgium is the third country with only caramel biscuits. According to De Smet, Lotus continues to focus on international expansion with “significant investments in product lines”.