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.
