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.