Creams Café, the UK’s largest & beloved dessert chain, has won the “Most Innovative Business” award at the prestigious 2024 Hospitality Awards, hosted by Business Awards UK. The awards, which celebrate exceptional talent and achievements in the UK hospitality industry, recognised Creams for its outstanding commitment to innovation and customer experience.
For the last 16 years, Creams has worked to become a household name, creating delicious desserts using only high-quality ingredients. Renowned for its unparallelled approach to product innovation, reimagining classic desserts and introducing new flavours, textures and products to UK high streets, Creams keeps its menu fresh and appealing by developing new dessert concepts to meet customers’ cravings. The NPD team thrives on bringing joy to customers through their consistent development of new menu items for the core menu, as well as seasonal and special offerings.
The process of creating new products is centred around enhancing the customer experience, and Creams effectively anticipates and responds to changing consumer preferences & needs to formulate their new menu items. Their innovation strategy focuses on addressing challenges and seizing excellent opportunities. A prime example of this is their latest summer menu launch, which addresses the consumer desire from customers to be able to take advantage of the summer weather and enjoy their desserts outside and on-the-go.
To meet this demand, they introduced a new range of portable products, featuring five delicious treats perfect for enjoying on the move. These include a collaboration with Pepsi’s Popworks brand to create a sweet take on nachos, and desserts inspired by social media crazes, including The Crookiewich – warm cookie dough in a toasted croissant, filled with Creams’ signature gelato and topped with chocolate sauce and sprinkles.
In the winter months, which typically see slower foot traffic in Creams stores, the team saw an opportunity to create a new dessert range which would draw customers in from the cold. Creams introduced seasonal products, such as ‘The Adorable Snowman’, to capture the holiday spirit and the Winter Warmer range, which received an incredible response and demand from consumers. The success of these launches reversed the previous drop in winter sales by 50% and altered customer perception of Creams as only a summer hotspot.
Everett Fieldgate, CEO of Creams Café, commented on the win: “Innovation is at the heart of what we do at Creams. Winning the Most Innovative Business award is a true testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to creating unforgettable experiences for our customers. Our goal has always been to bring new and exciting moments of joy for everyone who steps foot into one of our stores.
“Within this competitive market, it’s important to adapt and innovate quickly to offer our customers something completely different whether it’s through seasonal offerings or putting our own twist on trending flavours. Watch this space as we are always finding new ways to surprise our customers with new and exciting dishes.”
As Creams Café continues to grow and innovate, this award signifies its position as a leader in the UK’s dessert and hospitality sector. The company remains committed to its mission of spreading joy through innovative, high-quality desserts and unforgettable dining experiences.