Friday 21 March 2014

New retail formats for sweets



The box turned up in the post. Not wrapped, no damage, all intact. It was clear to see what it was so I wasted no time in “pushing and peeling” the four windows as instructed. Six little bags of sweets lay inside to tempt me – I’m now supposed to “graze” all day with any other colleagues in the office…

Confectionery is certainly an evolving category. The fact that we all love a sweet treat from time to time is resulting in the development of some interesting formats and retail styles in order to tempt us to choose a particular avenue.

This example comes to us courtesy of Mr Big Tops. Clearly based on the principle of a Graze box (which admittedly is a little more healthy), a quick look at the website suggests that they ideally want you to subscribe – a box every week even! You give a “thumbs up" to a selection of 60 sweets and then they surprise you each time. The cost of a 375g box is £3.75 with free postage and  you can simply purchase a single box if you are suitably self-controlled.

Nifty idea and the Mr Big Tops brand uses every inch of its box, inside and out, to develop the brand and encourage engagement. Whilst Mr Big Tops is not the only company offering boxes of sweets delivered by post, I certainly smile at their carefully considered format and presentation.

The methods of retailing confectionery are becoming abundant and I really doubt that we have seen the last of them yet. With the benefit of technology and creative flair, our sweet shoppers have ample choice and we must work hard to look after the customers that we have before they are tempted elsewhere.

Wednesday 5 March 2014

192 Sweet Shop Names



Have you spotted our new, resourceful little e-book called 192 Sweet Shop Names? It is quite simply what the name suggests and priced at just £1.25 (less than the price of many bagged sweets), well worth a read for anyone trying to name a new confectionery retail business.

Working in the confectionery industry, we are always thinking of fun names and decided to start jotting them down. Months later and a quick count determined that there were 192! That is the simple story behind this project. We decided to publish the list because it just might be helpful to some of our visitors.


Naming a sweet or chocolate shop can be a daunting task and also a very important one. Do you want a modern or traditional feel? Young or grown up image? Witty or serious name? At the end of the day, your gut feel will count for a lot. You might also find a previous article that we wrote of help to you:


A final bit of advice would be that once you’ve chosen your final name, live with it for at least a few days. Ask a few friends what they think and try to imagine what your branding and your store might look like as a result of the name. Consider if it is easy to remember and easy to say. If it keeps passing the test, you’ve found your dream sweet shop name!