It was the collaboration that no one really saw coming.
When Greggs sausage rolls appeared in the window display of Newcastle's Primark store earlier this month most people thought it was a hilarious joke.
But it turned out to be a stroke of marketing genius that got people talking and paved the way for Greggs to announce its clothing range with high street giant Primark.
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A seemingly unlikely collaboration, but one that made perfect sense to the city's Greggs fans who excitedly bought up the entire range within hours of it going on sale in Newcastle on Saturday, February 19.
Eager shoppers snapped up Greggs-branded hoodies, joggers and T-shirts, with a reversible bucket hat among the most popular items.
The range proved to be so in demand that customers queued outside of Newcastle's Primark from as early as 7.30am on Tuesday to be first in line for the second batch of the collection as it arrived in store.
Meanwhile, those who missed out engaged in eBay bidding wars for some of the most sought-after items including the Greggs trainers, with some items selling for more than seven times their original price on the site.
Now, an expert has revealed the reason why the Greggs and Primark collaboration has been such a hit.
Alex Econs, merchandising expert and founder of printing company, ICON Printing, said: "With a large number of merch released over the past year and from the news coverage and social media storm we’ve seen it generate, it’s undeniably a great marketing tactic for brands.
"Brits love novelty merchandise and are clamouring at the chance to wear their favourite brand's merch is this season.
“For novelty merchandise to be successful, the brand must toe the line between self-awareness and confidence in the brand’s identity.
"Luckily for Greggs, they have a tongue-in-cheek persona that doesn’t take itself too seriously and it’s paid off for the brand.
“From previous client projects at ICON Printing, we know that brands with a playful tone of voice can cause a bit of a stir with logo-centric design, recognisable colour schemes and some savvy marketing to transform what is essentially very simple clothing items.
"If you’ve got the personality, you can create great merch to match.”
