UK confectionery market facts

A new Keynotes confectionery report was launched in March and is clearly available to buy. Meanwhile, there are a few snippets being reported from it and we detail them here for you, keeping you up to date on the UK confectionery market.

On a positive note, Keynotes forecast that the total value growth of the UK confectionery market will be 8.6% between 2015 and 2019. Two factors will account for this rise:

1.       Retail price inflation

2.       An increasing demand for premium quality confectionery following the recovery in the economy

In 2014, total value sales of UK confectionery grew by 2.1%

A big concern at the moment is the level of sugar in confectionery, as the government and the media make shoppers fully aware of the situation. 60.2% of UK consumers are concerned about high sugar levels in confectionery, with worried parents starting to limit consumption for their children.

The future of the UK confectionery market is never totally clear, as is the case for any market category. Whilst sugar is likely to shape it in some way, the fact remains that we all have a soft spot for confectionery and will most likely always find it in our hearts to enjoy the odd sweet treat. I for one would agree with that!

And if you don’t think that the UK confectionery market is growing fast enough for you, take a look at this top 10 list for the fastest growing chocolate markets across the globe as supplied by Euromonitor International. You might be tempted to consider a business venture in India or Venezuela during the next few years:

CAGR% growth in chocolate 2010-2015

India	17.2
Venezuela	17.2
Algeria	11.9
UAE	11.6
Saudi Arabia	11.5
Argentina	10.0
Nigeria	9.4
China	8.7
Pakistan	8.1
Costa Rica	7.8

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Who eats the most chocolate?

According to recently discussed Euromonitor data, Around $100 billion worth of chocolate will be eaten globally during 2015. Within this, there are some clear winners and losers where the per capita amount is concerned. Luckily, us Brits are doing a good job of eating our fair share! 

Here’s a run-down of the top ten biggest chocolate eating countries for 2015:

1.       Switzerland        $236.00 of chocolate per person (that’s about £150!)

2.       Ireland                $146.90 of chocolate per person

3.       UK                     $146.00 of chocolate per person

4.       Norway              $145.10 of chocolate per person

5.       Denmark            $105.60 of chocolate per person

6.       Austria               $104.20 of chocolate per person

7.       Sweden              $103.00 of chocolate per person

8.       New Zealand     $97.00 of chocolate per person

9.       Australia            $96.10 of chocolate per person

10.   Finland               $94.60 of chocolate per person

Interestingly, whilst the USA is the largest chocolate market in the world, when comparing per capita values, they rank 20^th at $56.80 per person.

Milk chocolate not surprisingly leads the world but dark and filled chocolate are continuing to see growth trends whilst white chocolate sales are actually on decline globally.

So it would seem that the UK chocolate market is not a bad one to be in at the moment, though we are all perhaps eating as much of the brown stuff as we’re able and so brand differentiation and adding value become much more important to gain market share.

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Is chocolate good for you?

The overall verdict seems to be that chocolate, at least the dark 70%+ variety, is actually good for you in many ways. Who are we to disagree!

There’s reams and reams on the subject of whether chocolate is good for you right across the internet and so we thought we’d just list the key health benefits that are becoming more increasingly reported for chocolate. We’re not talking your typical countline bar though and it is not a green light to eat as much as you can…

Chocolate is good for your brain

Dark chocolate can apparently protect your brain, especially from damage caused by having a stroke. This is apparently due to a compound call Epicatechin which is found in dark chocolate.

Chocolate stengthens your bones

The benefit of white chocolate is that a 50g bar will contain one sixth of your daily recommended allowance of calcium. Be mindful of the sugar level though.

Chocolate can help to lower your blood pressure

Recent research identified a statistically significant effect of chocolate lowering blood pressure, at least in the short term. This is due to the flavanols found in cocoa beans which help in the production of nitric oxide. This in turn stimulates the blood vessels to dilate.

Chocolate contains lots of lovely antioxidants

Dark chocolate contains significant amounts of antioxidants and we’re told that these are great to fight disease. They are also found in many green vegetables…and red wine.

Chocolate might help with PMS

Good news! As chocolate releases endorphins that help to calm us and contains much magnesium, it can be effective at that tricky time of the month.

Chocolate has the potential for cancer prevention

It’s clearly not the answer for all cancers but research is suggesting that some of the compounds found in cocoa can suppress some cancer cells dividing.

So perhaps a certain quality and quantity of chocolate really is good for you. More research is likely to develop this line of thought further I’m quite sure so in the meantime, I’ll remain loyal to my favourite bars of lovely dark chocolate…in the name of health you see.

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