Tuesday 18 December 2012

110 new confectionery products!



It’s been a busy old year and we are not done yet! The UK confectionery market knows no limits and Sweet Retailing has reported on 110 new confectionery products since January. We’ve never counted before – that’s a lot! I am quite sure that is not the sum total of new launches within the UK as some manage to escape us. Suffice to say that from our experience, the UK confectionery market is alive and kicking with new sweets and chocolates a plenty.

Looking at the 110 new confectionery products as a whole, there are some interesting observations to note and so we thought that we would share them with you.

2012 started with lots of talk about Easter confectionery. Crème Egg, leading the market as ever, launched Crème Egg Splats whilst Galaxy Bubbles appeared in a filled egg. Ferrero joined the rush for mini egg sales, launching its very first mini egg product. Doesn’t it seem a long time ago since all that happened?

We reported on two new Vimto sweets as this popular flavour took hold good and proper during 2012. Vimto Fruit Drops and Vimto Bon Bons introduced themselves, ready to take the retail market by storm and join the foray of Vimto flavoured sweets.

Perhaps one of the busiest areas was character bagged sweets. We all seem to love them whatever our age and now there are many more to choose from. Sweet Retailing wrote about Barratt Alley Cats and Hound Dogs, Moshi Monsters £1 bags, Maynards Sour Patch Kids, Miss Penny Penguin and Horatio Hog (doesn’t he look a bit like our friend Percy Pig?).

The retro trend was also supported further, mentioning Hancocks retro lolly bags and the re-launch of the Wham brand by Tangerine as a couple of examples. Selling retro sweets will continue to be a key opportunity whilst we are all rather cash strapped I think.

The summer was of course awash with all things red, white and blue. Confectionery was no exception. Interestingly, House of Dorchester is confident that the British confectionery theme will continue well into 2013 and has launched a new range on the back of this.

Of all the 110 new confectionery products that we have written about, I thought I would bring you my three personal favourites.

Top of the list has to be the The Jelly Bean Factory’s Belgian chocolate covered jellybeans – what a delicious idea that is right up my street.

I commend Divine Chocolate with the launch of their Dubble Beano Easter Egg earlier in the year. This is a great partnership with a much loved brand and it has given them mileage to develop an Easter egg product with a real point of difference – this year developing a fun on-pack competition for kids of all ages.

Third spot goes to Swizzels Matlow’s Sweet Shop Tin. It might just be another tin but it’s a great way of showcasing many long-standing sweet brands within a sharing gift, with the aim of building regular sales at other times of the year too. And we all want that empty tin don’t we?

With just a few weeks left in 2012, we are thoroughly looking forward to writing about the UK confectionery market throughout 2013 and beyond. Sweet Retailing loves to hear from confectionery retailers and manufacturers alike so please do get in touch when you feel like it and maybe we can create an interesting story together.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Mr Simms unveiled



Firstly, I shall apologise for the lack of recent posts to the Sweet Retailing blog. It is with good reason as I shall explain – we have been a little busy…

After months of discussions, head scratching and a great deal of typing, we bring you a unique and most inspiring, brand new e-book. 

The subject? Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe.

So many of our readers are intrigued by the success story of Mr Simms. Who wouldn’t be? Within eight years, Martin Peet has created an iconic sweet shop brand out of nothing and now boasts in the region of 100 shops across the UK. He must surely have quite a bit to say about that and might even be able to offer some great advice? Of course! It’s all in our brand new and exclusive Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe e-book.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending a huge amount of time talking to Martin about his sweetie empire. I can drive to Eccleshall without the Sav Nav now and I stand a vague chance of being recognised in The Star Café! We’ve thoroughly delved into the past, looked firmly into the future and picked apart the current workings of the franchise which provides the backbone to Mr Simms. Knowing that every retailer would want to ask Martin countless questions about Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe, we’ve done that too! Martin was happy to use his immense experience and knowledge in confectionery retailing to highlight some of the key factors to success.

Is a step up a good or bad thing?

Should you sell to your customers?

What are Martin’s top “must-stocks”?

How do shoppers look around a sweet shop?

We know Martin’s answers to these and many more questions about confectionery retailing. We’ve popped them all safely into our new e-book for you to enjoy.

So where is this e-book I hear you ask?

Well, you can buy it for a mere £3.75 directly from Sweet Retailing right now. 33 pages of a riveting read. That’s 11p a page and certainly cheaper than most magazines these days. We show you the introductory page and the contents page before you buy too.

We’ve put an immense amount of effort into our beloved Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe e-book so we hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I guarantee that you will learn something of value from reading it and rest assured we’ll get back to a little bit more blogging now.


Wednesday 31 October 2012

Chocolate - it's a man thing



It seems that our men are taking the lead where chocolate consumption is concerned. Yikes I’d better hide that bar of Divine a bit better!

Recent Kantar Worldpanel data suggests that those with the biggest increase in chocolate consumption are men aged 45 to 64, closely followed by men aged 35-44 and men aged 17-34. We are becoming out-numbered girls!

Here are the figures in full:

12 months ending May 2012 (Kantar Worldpanel)


Share %
Change % y on y
Children
27.5
4.9
Male 17-34
13.1
10.5
Male 35-44
6.4
10.5
Male 45-64
11.2
13.1
Male 65+
4.0
-0.5
Female 17-34
12.7
1.4
Female 35-44
7.4
1.9
Female 45-64
11.3
9.3
Female 65+
6.3
0.8

It’s clear to see that the tables are turning and men are starting to be major players where eating chocolate is concerned. With 34.7% of chocolate currently eaten by men and 37.7% enjoyed by women, it would not take a particularly big percentage change to see the men take the overall lead.

Big market share areas continue to be children (27.5%) and those aged 45-64 whether male or female (22.5%).

Chocolate manufacturers are sure to be looking seriously at this trend and we might start to see more “manly” chocolate promotions appear. You could do your own too. If you sell alcohol, think about linking chocolate up with beer, both in display and by way of a promotion. Or perhaps newspapers and chocolate? Or car magazines! You could also think about how you might create a unique big boy’s chocolate display in your confectionery shop.

In the meantime, if you are female and especially if you are aged between 45 and 64, there is a very clear need to find a better hiding place for your own chocolate – don’t leave it to chance!

 

Friday 5 October 2012

Definition of British chocolate



House of Dorchester highlighted an interesting point to us recently. What constitutes “British” chocolate these days and just how much of the chocolate claiming to be British actually is? Natalie Dimmock from House of Dorchester has some interesting thoughts to ponder.
 
“There was a time when big names associated with the UK chocolate industry could convincingly lay claim to their ‘British’ credentials, with companies like Cadbury taking on such a sizeable scale of production that the business built a whole town to accommodate the work force.

Fast track to today, when chocolate continues to dominate the confectionery market. With sales of chocolate increasing by 17% over five years, the popularity of chocolate products looks destined to increase. Growth can in part be attributed to the recession, which has fuelled the ‘cheap night in’ - a concept which inevitably incorporates a chocolate indulgence. However, in a year when ‘Brand Britain’ has taken on a whole new dimension, it has to be noted that a number of ‘chocolate players’ continue to trade on their British heritage. But, when you dig deeper, how many of these brands can truly be defined as a veritable and credible Team GB brand, flying the flag for British industry?

Firstly, it is important to identify what actually constitutes a thoroughly British chocolate brand. If we are to be literal about this, then being British should only apply if the company remains under British ownership. Anyone reading the financial pages of the nationals will be aware that a large number of British manufacturers are now under Icelandic or American ownership. There are many chocolate brands whose history is rooted in the UK or who may refer to the fact that they are UK based. Green & Blacks, Terry’s, Elizabeth Shaw, Bendicks, Cadbury’s, Rowntree – these are all popular brand names with an undisputed UK heritage. But to qualify as being a full-blown British chocolate brand, surely the relationship with Great Britain should permeate throughout the business rather than just relate to the origins of the company?

For me, to be eligible to cite the British chocolate brand claim, it needs to meet the following criteria:

  • The parent company that owns the brand, must be British owned

  • The chocolate product must be physically manufactured in the UK, accepting that the liquid chocolate / cocoa mass will need to be imported from cocoa growing countries

  • The chocolate must be made according to an original, British derived recipe

  • The packaging which supports the chocolate product should be sourced from the UK

  • British transport companies should be used to transfer the product to its various retailers / consumer outlet destinations

  • Added kudos can be derived from the formal approval of the product by British taste authorities such as the prestigious Great Taste Awards. The holding of a Royal Warrant and therefore the recognition of the product by the British Royal family will also go some way to asserting bona fide British brand status

In the current market, upon closer inspection, many chocolate brands which are inferring the ‘Buy British’ call to action, are in reality duping consumers. A number of players have moved their production out of the UK, citing the ability to streamline costs abroad, to locations such as Germany, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia or Belgium as the rationale for the relocation.

But surely in a society where companies are being encouraged to increase the level of transparency in their dealings with consumers, more should be done to put in place clearer British brand guidelines? When consumer research is telling us that brand integrity is being held in such high regard by our customers, how can so many chocolate brands be allowed to continue what effectively constitutes the dissemination of misinformation.

This becomes all the more critical when we examine the positive impact the true British brands play in the UK. Aside from the obvious benefits relating to the creation of jobs in roles across a myriad of disciplines ranging from manufacturing to marketing and sales, British brands also play a vital role in protecting our heritage. With so many UK chocolate players being acquired by international conglomerates, there is a real risk that the chocolate industry could leave our shores for good. We should be doing everything possible to ensure the chocolate making skills that have been honed and passed down from generation to generation remain an essential ingredient in Britain’s colourful culinary culture. And, at a time when we are seeing consumers re-embracing ‘artisan’ and choosing the passion and expertise associated with hand-crafted chocolate products over those manufactured on a mass production basis, smaller British chocolate brands should be allowed to enjoy some payback for their long term investment in UK industry.

House of Dorchester is certainly not the only British chocolatier to abide by the ‘British brand’ code of conduct and we congratulate all our colleagues who remain committed to maintaining the same high standards associated with authentic British chocolate. Our fear is that too many consumers, whilst believing they are supporting a British chocolate brand, are perhaps unwittingly adding to the demise of the UK chocolate making industry.





Tuesday 18 September 2012

Creativity can profit


I was really interested to read this recent article about Aunt Nellie’s Sweet Shop in Ireland, creating a Willy Wonka style confectionery promotion of their own with some important football tickets to win. How creative! I bet it helped to bring many more people into the shop, which quite frankly is what every retailer wants these days.

Many businesses that retail confectionery rely solely on promotional opportunities offered to them by manufacturers or suppliers. Whilst this is clearly a good source of activity to take advantage of, there can surely be nothing better than your own bespoke promotional event to benefit your own specific locality? And it needn’t cost a great deal either.

Aunt Nellie had the right idea. A simple piece of paper was placed into the winning sweet bag whilst the tickets were kept safe and sound. The organisation of such a confectionery promotion need not be very taxing. Making use of in store displays, posters in windows, social media and good old conversation, the news of a fun promotion can quickly be spread in the locality at next to no cost.

So for a bit of fun, we got our thinking caps on for just a few minutes and came up with a little bit of basic inspiration, to get you thinking along the right lines. Of course, we’d love to hear from anybody that has created a successful bespoke confectionery promotion in their shop. Please just get in touch!

  1. Make use of raffle tickets inside some bagged up sweet selections, offering a selection of smaller prizes which could be as simple as free stock, a small child’s toy (think Kinder Surprise!) or a percentage discount voucher on their next purchase.

  1. If you sell pick and mix sweets from a display of jars, choose a secret winning sweet, different every week (hide a promotional card behind the jar!). If a customer buys some of these sweets they can win a voucher to have the same amount free or half price next week.

  1. Create a simple prize draw. A customer is entered if they buy a certain amount of confectionery from a particular range or display. The prize could be a hamper selection of confectionery. Why not ask a supplier to get involved with you?
Find plenty more confectionery fodder at www.sweetretailing.co.uk

Tuesday 14 August 2012

A point of difference?

I think that the objective of any UK confectionery retailer is to maximise their sales and stand out against the competition so that they have a point of difference. Nothing new there then.

It has always been said that price is only ever a short term point of difference – someone can always be cheaper. How true. But what about your product range?

A recent hot topic is American confectionery. Considered a niche sector of the UK confectionery market, American sweets and chocolates have really taken the market by storm in the last 12 to 24 months. More UK retailers and wholesalers have sprung up, dedicated to this profitable and different confectionery category whilst many confectionery retailers have been and continue to enjoy strong sales of these different and fun treats.

But what happens when the supermarkets get wind of it? We are about to find out. Asda has already leapt headlong into American confectionery, firstly with Hershey’s and Reese’s over a year ago and now with American Confectionery bays in 100 stores. It was revealed in The Grocer (4 August) that Tesco is to trial an American fixture in 10 of its stores. The range will include Hershey’s chocolate.

So is this the end of the advantage that smaller confectionery stores and retailers have on American confectionery or can they still use the category as a point of difference and benefit from the strong sales that exist? I guess that only time can tell and it certainly demonstrates the importance of keeping a close eye on the quality and uniqueness of your product range. It doesn't all have to been remarkably different of course, but you will want to be assured of those sectors and ranges that are.

Maximising the potential of any advantage that you have has never been so important. Smaller retailers are certainly able to do this, given that they can really get to understand their local shopper profile and what they want to buy from them. This is where they can truly stand apart, carving out a local position for themselves regardless of what the larger stores are up to. It never hurts to understand what’s going on behind your back though.

Monday 16 July 2012

Rain makes customers grumpy


We are all getting fed up with it and none of us can do anything about it. The rain continues, ignoring the fact that our water table is full to the brim. Online feedback forum, Feefo, has recently revealed that the poor weather directly affects retailers in more ways than we think, with a greater amount of negative feedback being posted. Can there really be a link?

Feefo manages online feedback for all manner of UK retailers including Fat Face and The White Company, facilitating more than 1,000 reviews and ratings on a daily basis. From early June, the company noticed a significant uplift in the number of negative comments that their clients were receiving.

So confectionery retailers watch out! We are far more likely to take it out on the shops that we visit at the moment, as our spirits are dampened, not knowing whether summer is actually going to take place this year.

On the positive side of things, we know that confectionery has become a leading “pick me up” during the difficult economy and so perhaps it can reward your shoppers in the same way when the downpours show no sign of shifting? Perhaps you could actually turn it to your advantage, offering a special deal on every day that it rains? Downpour Deals! You heard it here first…

Thursday 21 June 2012

Can music increase sales?



Some very interesting UK market research has suggested that playing music in your store can ultimately increase sales. Is it that simple and can music boost sales for a confectionery retailer I wonder?

The research was undertaken by music licensing organisations PPL and PRS for Music. They talked to 1008 small and medium sized enterprises (many of them of course did NOT sell confectionery!). Here is what they discovered in a nutshell:



  • 55% felt that playing music could increase your sales
  • 79% believed that it could create a better atmosphere for customers
  • 81% said that playing music increased staff morale
  • 25% said that they would lose business without it
  • 86% felt that music could help to relieve tension or awkward silences for their customers

Now I haven’t personally been into many stores selling confectionery (except the likes of department stores) and found their choice of music gently surrounding the sweets I might like to indulge in. Maybe we are missing a trick here? Has anyone tried music in their shop to positive or negative effect? We would love to know!

Retailing certainly needs to appeal to the senses and whilst confectionery retailing can easily appeal to sight and sometimes smell, why not our hearing too? But then what style of music would you play? Get it wrong and your customers will turn right round and leave before buying a thing! Retailers seeking that old fashioned look might wish to choose some suitably aged music to get their customers into the right time frame whilst shops targeting a younger audience might consider something a little more up to date. Could it work? There is only one way to find out. 

For more confectionery retailing thoughts please take a look at www.sweetretailing.co.uk 

Update...we received these interesting comments from Dawn at The Candy Cabin in Chesterfield. We welcome further thoughts!

Just a few thoughts on playing music in my candy store. I have a PPL license, I usually play Radio 2 as it covers a wide range of audiences. However some of the midday chat can be partly controversial at times so I then switch to my iPod. I usually play 80's or 90's soft pop; no rock or dance/trance stuff. Strictly 'top-40'. I had a comment from customers, all positive, on playing music. One customer told me he thought it was very cool walking into a sweet shop that plays 80's music!

I couldn't work in the shop without music. It would just be too quiet!! As long as the music is calm, uplifting and not too loud it can help the customer experience.

Thanks Dawn, it's good to know that music can actually have a positive impact in a sweet shop.


Friday 8 June 2012

Sell sweets with a smile

We might all know that offering good customer service is a step in the right direction to a successful confectionery retail business, but it is always useful to find some factual reasoning behind this, especially when the UK high street is struggling to find its way. 

YouGov has recently undertaken a consumer poll to understand what brightens someone’s day – all the more important when the weather is so damp and dismal. Most of the key things that the poll highlighted don’t cost a penny and we think that bricks and mortar UK confectionery retailers can really excel in “day brightening” given that confectionery is generally a fun purchase. 

The top way to help someone’s day go well is to give them a nice big smile. What’s more, a smile is a two way thing as you tend to get a smile back and that brightens your own day too! High up on the list is to say “Good morning” – another simple winner. Other relevant key day brighteners include:

·         Offering a compliment

·         Giving them time to chat

·         Holding the door open for them

·         Listening 

These can all be implemented in a confectionery retail environment at NO cost whatsoever. The simple commercial logic is that if you can brighten someone’s day a little, they will enjoy coming into your shop, might buy more sweets and are more likely to come back and tell their friends - all helping you to sell more sweets. 

It really might seem obvious to many, but given some of the poor personal service and interaction I have received from many retailers in recent times, there is certainly no harm in stating the obvious when the opportunity arises! A high level of customer service will have a positive impact on your sales and comes at little or no cost to your business. 

What the YouGov research did underline is that not every simple action can be replicated in a retail environment. I don’t know many sweet shops that give you a hug, make you a cup of tea and buy you flowers whilst you decide what treats you decide to indulge in. 

So don’t let the weather get your confectionery sales down and focus on bringing the sun back into your customers’ days. 

For lots more talk about UK confectionery retailing visit our website at www.sweetretailing.co.uk 

Visit YouGov at www.yougov.co.uk




Thursday 10 May 2012

Discounted Thorntons chocolate

It is such a shame that Thorntons chocolate shops are still struggling, reporting a 2.7% drop in third quarter sales this week. And now the news that the UK chocolate manufacturer and retailer intends to turn a good number of its more troubled stores into factory outlets, selling off end of lines, shorted dated stock and over stocks at a typical discount of 50% (The Grocer 5 May 2012). 

When the UK confectionery market is generally demonstrating a positive course, it is sad to see such an established British chocolate icon struggle to take itself forward at the moment. Stock has a cost and as such it might be a wise move to develop a factory shop style outlet in order to facilitate its clearance, but I cannot help thinking that this will do little to help Thornton’s image. 

Long known as a specialist and most delicious British chocolate brand, will the existence of chocolate factory outlets diminish this image and develop Thorntons into yet another discount brand? I do hope not. On the other side of the coin, many quality clothing brands manage to balance full priced stores with factory outlet stores, poised to sell off their excess and less popular stock. 

From a financial point of view, it has to be good business sense to develop a route to market for sub standard and excess stock, freeing up the asset to become additional cash flow. From a brand perspective, it will be very interesting to see where Thorntons is to go next.

Visit the Sweet Retailing website.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Now on Facebook

Sweet Retailing has tentatively embraced the dizzy world of Facebook at long last! Our shiny new Facebook page will keep you up to date on new stories, products and advice in addition to offering you snippets that cannot be found on the website. And of course it gives you the perfect opportunity to get involved in the discussion as you see fit.

We'd love to meet you there if Facebook is your thing so please drop in soon and let us know what you think.


You can go straight to Sweet Retailing on Facebook here

You can follow us on Twitter here

And of course you can visit the Sweet Retailing website here

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Chocolate printers on ebay

There has been much enthusiastic discussion about the unveiling of a commercial 3D chocolate printer and so we thought that we would do our bit and bring you the facts in case this is an opportunity for your own UK chocolate business.
 
The UK company that has developed the world’s first commercial 3D chocolate printer is called Choc Edge Ltd. Led by Dr Liang Hao, this new company based in Exeter has now made Choc Creator version 1 available for sale at a standard price of £2,888. 

The 3D printer uses melted chocolate to build up a bespoke 3D chocolate shape in layers. YouTube videos are already in circulation! 

To mark the launch of the new 3D chocolate printer, Choc Edge is apparently auctioning 10 printers on ebay, starting today. 

This is clearly a creative opportunity for chocolate companies and organisations that use chocolate in some way, though the plan must be sound, given the purchase cost. Thorntons had expressed an initial interest and it is easy to see how a chocolate retailer might develop this into a bespoke idea.  

Sweet Retailing would love to hear from any anyone that purchases Choc Creator for their business. We would be very interested to understand how its creativity has been successfully harnessed.

Thursday 29 March 2012

Would you like plastic with that?


The annual report on Easter egg packagng is out once again, thanks to Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson. Apparently in the UK, we still place 3,000 tonnes of waste into landfill, having unwrapped and enjoyed our Easter eggs.

The worst offenders were reported to be Thorntons and Marks and Spencer, still using too much plastic when packaging their Easter egg range. Nestle, Mars and Cadbury however were praised for greatly improving the situation and working with much more cardboard. Indeed Nestle recently announced that the packaging in its 2012 Easter egg range is 100% recyclable – a bold statement if ever there was one! 
The confectionery industry must take responsibility for its potential to make landfill waste, as should many other grocery industries. It is clearly a tricky balance between good presentation, safe transportation and cost management on the one side and minimising waste on the other. But if Nestle can do it…?

I guess the challenge is that confectionery shoppers, who more often than not are purchasing on impulse, do not necessarily stop and think “No! I won’t buy this one because I cannot recycle the plastic!” If the price, presentation and content fit the bill, the quick answer is just to buy it and be done. Can we blame ourselves when life is so busy and budgets are squeezed?

I would be interested to hear from any retailers that feel their customers do prioritise this issue at shelf level. Perhaps you use it as a USP for your Easter egg range?

So whilst we bash the big manufacturers and retailers over the head for producing too much landfill waste, are we as shoppers truly voting with our purchases to demand confectionery and indeed Easter eggs that are packaged with the environment in mind?

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Is UK confectionery doomed?

A recently published NHS report found that between 1997 and 2010 average consumption of sugar confectionery and chocolate in the UK fell by 39 percent among four to ten year olds and by 35 percent among 11 to 18 year olds.


So the facts suggest that in the UK, children are eating less confectionery. A good thing for childhood health in many ways but is this going to have a significant impact on the growth of the UK confectionery market going forward and is this reduction in childhood consumption really noticeable in all areas?

 
Sweet Retailing recently discussed the new confectionery Key Note report, which certainly suggested good growth for the UK confectionery market throughout 2012 and then a slower rate of growth until 2016.

 
Would it be right to assume that if childhood confectionery consumption is falling, that adult consumption of confectionery in the UK is the significant key to growth? Many of us are certainly turning to our favourite sweeties and chocolates to get us through the economic turmoil! What will we do when the UK economy has bounced back?

 
It’s an interesting one. If children are eating fewer sweets these days, such habits are likely to stay with them as they become adults. Would this suggest that the UK confectionery market is doomed once the next few generations have died off and the children of today have taken our place? Given that confectionery has such a rich and fabulous history in the UK, I would personally find this hard to believe. I am quite sure that the range of confectionery available to us will change and evolve over time but surely the joy of consumption will keep us loving all things sweet for many generations to come? I sincerely hope so!

visit the Sweet Retailing website

Friday 9 March 2012

American beauties

I’ve just been reviewing some contributions that we have received for an American sweets article that is underway for our Sweet Retailing website – is there no limit to the UK confectionery market?! 

American sweets are clearly a growing confectionery opportunity in the UK and a number of companies have been popping up in the last few years to focus purely on this category, both online and on the high street. The future of the UK confectionery market has plenty of stars and stripes in it! 
 
Confectionery is such an exciting and interesting category to retail in the UK when you choose to look beyond the mainstream brands. I am not saying that the brands should not be considered (some sweet shops intentionally avoid them though) but there is so much more to UK confectionery than the most common brands alone. 

And we all want to buy it right now! Down in the doldrums with the state of the economy, the perfect pick-me-up is our favourite sweets or chocolate bar, even an American chocolate bar it seems. I read some research recently that discovered (somewhat unsurprisingly I thought) we predominantly turn to chocolate (and not fruit!) when we are stressed. How true. 

So confectionery retailers, think creatively, try new things, have fun and look forward to reading our article on the market for American sweets!

www.sweetretailing.co.uk

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Chokablok confectionery

Oh dear. It’s been reported that Tesco is to extend its own label Chokablok brand into the confectionery aisle, just in time for the Easter egg onslaught. Previously kept for premium ice creams, the Chokablok brand is to sport a range of premium Easter eggs to include names such as Billionaires Dynamite Egg and Starstruck Supernova Egg. It is also being mooted that Chokablok chocolate bars are to follow.

Well, the Chokablok Easter egg packaging and presentation looks ok actually. Whether shoppers will flock to buy Chokablok eggs instead of the usual Cadbury Buttons, Smarties and the like, only time will tell.  

With regard to the “supermarkets vs. all other confectionery retailers” discussion at Easter time, it certainly confirms that the likes of Tesco are only going to bite in deeper to retain and grow their share. 

But this is shell eggs. There is so much more to Easter confectionery than shell eggs! And if you are a smaller retailer, you only need a small piece of it to really boost your sales during the spring months. So surely it is a case of keeping to your planned path, listening closely to your customers, offering a creative and different range of Easter confectionery whilst leaving the shell egg battle to start and finish in the supermarkets.

Keep up to date on UK confectionery discussion at Sweet Retailing!

Monday 30 January 2012

Thorntons franchise for £1k

So I hear that troubled chocolatier Thorntons is to reduce its franchsie fee next month down to just £1,000. Yes £1,000! In 2010 this figure stood at £15,000. The chocolate retailer is also bringing in a smaller retail format that could be a chocolate shop within a shop.

Will businesses rush at the opportunity and help to re-invent the Thorntons brand? Could it work to have a small area of your store developed into a Thorntons concession?

I personally thoroughly enjoy many of Thornton's lovely chocolates but I fear that they need to do a bit more to their image and their exclusivity to re-invent themselves. Perhaps this is on the cards too? I do hope so as it would be a terrible shame to see the demise of this long established British chocolate company that has adorned our high streets for such a long time.

Keep up to date on confectionery retailing news and issues at the Sweet Retailing website - this blog is not the half of it!

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Silly price season

It's that time of year again when the supermarkets tend to get carried away with their Easter Egg prices. 2012 is not likely to be an exception and if anything, things might be worse if you believe the rumours being mooted about.

Promotions on key brands have already started in earnest, mainly small impulse items at the moment but branded Easter Eggs will be next on the list.

We all like to find a good promotion or bargain these days and if anything, many of us have come to expect it! The supermarkets will once more play to this and use branded chocolate eggs to get us through their doors so that we buy a great deal more as well.

So where does this leave the smaller retailer of confectionery? Well, there is MUCH more to Easter than branded chocolate eggs and that is where such retailers should look to. Take a good look at the supermarkets near you and cross all of their top deals off your stock list. Why bother with them? Specialist confectionery wholesalers can show you many different products to consider selling and then of course you might want to get creative yourself! For example, the British public adore their mini eggs, so why not come up with some novel gifting presentations using this much loved sweet?

To ignore the Easter oportunity is a shame as there is clearly money to be made. A whopping £230m was spent on Easter confectionery last year (up 4.8% year on year). So identify your place in this market and then do it justice, with originality, determination and enthusiasm!

Sweet Retailing can keep you up to date with new confectionery products and even a supplier directory if you want to check out somewhere new.

Friday 6 January 2012

Cadbury packaging investment

We’ve heard on the grapevine that Cadbury is investing £6m in shelf ready packaging for some of its chocolate bars in addition to creating re-sealable packaging for the Cadbury Dairy Milk bar range. An interesting move. 

Apparently the cases are to be spring loaded so that when a bar is taken out, the next one is pushed forward. Cadbury assures us of greater visibility from the move as the bars will stand up on end, all resulting in increased sales. 

We have more questions than answers at this point.  

  • Will this format suit the allocated space in all retailers?
  • Will Cadbury still sell the “old style” bars to offer display flexibility?
  • Surely one would have to display an entire case to benefit from the spring loading functionality. Not all retailers will have this space?
  • Will the price have to go up following the investment?!
  • Are we going to see Mars and Nestle follow suit?
This is a really interesting development that might be a real winner for retailers that sell a large amount of branded confectionery from a large display area. It might also give Cadbury a head start on a most creative packaging concept. But will it cause issues for smaller retailers who don’t have the shelf space for full spring loaded cases? As Sweet Retailing learns more, we will certainly keep you posted.