Global confectionery market trends

Ever wondered what the confectionery market is doing throughout the world these days? Well a USA company called Persistence Market Research can certainly tell you more in their latest report about the global confectionery market that is available to buy. Meanwhile, here’s a thought provoking summary.

Europe continues to dominate the global confectionery market, followed by North America and Asia Pacific. In terms of size, the USA, not surprisingly, leads the way with the largest confectionery market globally, followed by China and the UK.

India in the Asia Pacific is the fastest growing confectionery market in the world. Furthermore, the growth rate is expected to rise.

So what factors determine the growth of confectionery consumption in a country? In broad terms it comes down to rising disposable income, a growing retail market, an expanding population, increasing urbanization (urban dwellers consume more confectionery than rural dwellers), hectic lifestyle characteristics and more women in the workforce. So overall, as an economy develops, so will the consumption of confectionery in that country.

The increased number of women working has a positive impact on the level of disposable income and so in turn, increases the amount of confectionery purchased for the family. A hectic lifestyle meanwhile (and many of us can appreciate this point) leads to a greater likelihood of consuming confectionery, either as a snack or as a treat when you feel you deserve it.

So what does the future of the global confectionery market look like? The number of working women in the USA is expected to increase 5.4% by 2022 whilst India’s number of urban dwellers will reach 404 million by 2050 – for China, this figure is 292 million. The signs are that the global confectionery market will remain buoyant for some time to come.

But take note of the potential restraints on the market. Rising health issues continue to be a leading factor and has so far resulted in the growth of the sugar free confectionery market. Government regulations could yet have a significant impact on the confectionery market and of course the global confectionery market is extremely vulnerable to key raw material costs, most notably sugar and cacao.

Want to learn more about the global confectionery market? Go to Persistence Market Research to read more about the report that is available.

www.sweetretailing.co.uk

 

Should you trademark a shape?

It’s now the turn of Nestle to try and trademark the shape of a Kit Kat in the UK. This is not an entirely new story as Nestle has been battling the same legal challenge in the EU since the early 2000s, first achieving a trademark, only to have it made invalid after Cadbury disputed it. Here’s a quick summary of the situation today…

Nestle Confectionery is insisting that its four-fingered chocolate bar should become a trademark in the UK, in its own right, regardless of its packaging or the Kit Kat brand name which is stamped onto the chocolate.

Having now been rejected by the High Court and due to opposition from rival confectionery manufacturer Cadbury, Nestle has decided to take its trademark application case to the European Court of Justice.

Nestle argues that the distinctive shape of a Kit Kat has become exclusively associated with the brand as much as the brand name itself and should therefore be protected.

Cadbury, meanwhile, is insisting that other chocolate products have a similar shape as a result of the simple manufacturing method commonly used to create chocolate-coated wafer bars.

You only have to Google to see the level of PR that Nestle is now achieving with this story (our comments included!), so do they take these actions primarily to secure the trademark or is there some element of creating a huge amount of noise around a key brand. You’ll all remember the story of Cadbury protecting its particular colour of purple.

So what exactly can you trademark these days? We investigated a little more so that we could provide some answers.

Words and logos are certainly the most common things for a business to trademark but the list definitely does not stop there anymore.

Product packaging shapes

The iconic Coca Cola bottle shape is perhaps the best known example here. Used widely in their range, it’s always immediately clear what the contents are.

Product packaging designs

Staying with the Coca Cola example, Coke has also registered its red theme with white wave line.

Colour schemes

If you can establish that your customers distinctively recognise your store through a colour scheme, you might well have grounds to trademark it.

Sounds

Really? Think of the Intel jingle; it’s trademarked! It’s all about whether the factor concerned is distinctive and unique to your brand; whether it is a way that your customers recognise your brand.

Colours

Whilst we all know about Cadbury registering a certain colour of purple, UPS also applied to trademark a particular shade of brown.

Whether you are Nestle protecting your iconic Kit Kat chocolate brand or a much smaller operator in the UK confectionery industry, protecting your business by way of trademarks can be a serious consideration, so whilst in particular cases it can be expensive, it is certainly important to ensure that you are protecting your brand assets as fully as you think you should. Just don’t expect to enjoy the same level of PR that Nestle does with your actions!

www.sweetretailing.co.uk