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.