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.

Mr Simms unveiled

Firstly, I shall apologise for the lack of recent posts to the Sweet Retailing blog. It is with good reason as I shall explain – we have been a little busy…

After months of discussions, head scratching and a great deal of typing, we bring you a unique and most inspiring, brand new e-book. 

The subject? Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe.

So many of our readers are intrigued by the success story of Mr Simms. Who wouldn’t be? Within eight years, Martin Peet has created an iconic sweet shop brand out of nothing and now boasts in the region of 100 shops across the UK. He must surely have quite a bit to say about that and might even be able to offer some great advice? Of course! It’s all in our brand new and exclusive Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe e-book.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending a huge amount of time talking to Martin about his sweetie empire. I can drive to Eccleshall without the Sav Nav now and I stand a vague chance of being recognised in The Star Café! We’ve thoroughly delved into the past, looked firmly into the future and picked apart the current workings of the franchise which provides the backbone to Mr Simms. Knowing that every retailer would want to ask Martin countless questions about Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe, we’ve done that too! Martin was happy to use his immense experience and knowledge in confectionery retailing to highlight some of the key factors to success.

Is a step up a good or bad thing?

Should you sell to your customers?

What are Martin’s top “must-stocks”?

How do shoppers look around a sweet shop?

We know Martin’s answers to these and many more questions about confectionery retailing. We’ve popped them all safely into our new e-book for you to enjoy.

So where is this e-book I hear you ask?

Well, you can buy it for a mere £3.75 directly from Sweet Retailing right now. 33 pages of a riveting read. That’s 11p a page and certainly cheaper than most magazines these days. We show you the introductory page and the contents page before you buy too.

We’ve put an immense amount of effort into our beloved Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe e-book so we hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I guarantee that you will learn something of value from reading it and rest assured we’ll get back to a little bit more blogging now.

www.sweetretailing.co.uk 

click to buy the e-book (if you have not done so already!)

Chocolate - it's a man thing

It seems that our men are taking the lead where chocolate consumption is concerned. Yikes I’d better hide that bar of Divine a bit better!

Recent Kantar Worldpanel data suggests that those with the biggest increase in chocolate consumption are men aged 45 to 64, closely followed by men aged 35-44 and men aged 17-34. We are becoming out-numbered girls!

Here are the figures in full:

12 months ending May 2012 (Kantar Worldpanel)

	Share %	Change % y on y
Children	27.5	4.9
Male 17-34	13.1	10.5
Male 35-44	6.4	10.5
Male 45-64	11.2	13.1
Male 65+	4.0	-0.5
Female 17-34	12.7	1.4
Female 35-44	7.4	1.9
Female 45-64	11.3	9.3
Female 65+	6.3	0.8

It’s clear to see that the tables are turning and men are starting to be major players where eating chocolate is concerned. With 34.7% of chocolate currently eaten by men and 37.7% enjoyed by women, it would not take a particularly big percentage change to see the men take the overall lead.

Big market share areas continue to be children (27.5%) and those aged 45-64 whether male or female (22.5%).

Chocolate manufacturers are sure to be looking seriously at this trend and we might start to see more “manly” chocolate promotions appear. You could do your own too. If you sell alcohol, think about linking chocolate up with beer, both in display and by way of a promotion. Or perhaps newspapers and chocolate? Or car magazines! You could also think about how you might create a unique big boy’s chocolate display in your confectionery shop.

In the meantime, if you are female and especially if you are aged between 45 and 64, there is a very clear need to find a better hiding place for your own chocolate – don’t leave it to chance!

www.sweetretailing.co.uk

 

Definition of British chocolate

House of Dorchester highlighted an interesting point to us recently. What constitutes “British” chocolate these days and just how much of the chocolate claiming to be British actually is? Natalie Dimmock from House of Dorchester has some interesting thoughts to ponder.

 

“There was a time when big names associated with the UK chocolate industry could convincingly lay claim to their ‘British’ credentials, with companies like Cadbury taking on such a sizeable scale of production that the business built a whole town to accommodate the work force.

Fast track to today, when chocolate continues to dominate the confectionery market. With sales of chocolate increasing by 17% over five years, the popularity of chocolate products looks destined to increase. Growth can in part be attributed to the recession, which has fuelled the ‘cheap night in’ - a concept which inevitably incorporates a chocolate indulgence. However, in a year when ‘Brand Britain’ has taken on a whole new dimension, it has to be noted that a number of ‘chocolate players’ continue to trade on their British heritage. But, when you dig deeper, how many of these brands can truly be defined as a veritable and credible Team GB brand, flying the flag for British industry?

Firstly, it is important to identify what actually constitutes a thoroughly British chocolate brand. If we are to be literal about this, then being British should only apply if the company remains under British ownership. Anyone reading the financial pages of the nationals will be aware that a large number of British manufacturers are now under Icelandic or American ownership. There are many chocolate brands whose history is rooted in the UK or who may refer to the fact that they are UK based. Green & Blacks, Terry’s, Elizabeth Shaw, Bendicks, Cadbury’s, Rowntree – these are all popular brand names with an undisputed UK heritage. But to qualify as being a full-blown British chocolate brand, surely the relationship with Great Britain should permeate throughout the business rather than just relate to the origins of the company?

For me, to be eligible to cite the British chocolate brand claim, it needs to meet the following criteria:

• The parent company that owns the brand, must be British owned

• The chocolate product must be physically manufactured in the UK, accepting that the liquid chocolate / cocoa mass will need to be imported from cocoa growing countries

• The chocolate must be made according to an original, British derived recipe

• The packaging which supports the chocolate product should be sourced from the UK

• British transport companies should be used to transfer the product to its various retailers / consumer outlet destinations

• Added kudos can be derived from the formal approval of the product by British taste authorities such as the prestigious Great Taste Awards. The holding of a Royal Warrant and therefore the recognition of the product by the British Royal family will also go some way to asserting bona fide British brand status

In the current market, upon closer inspection, many chocolate brands which are inferring the ‘Buy British’ call to action, are in reality duping consumers. A number of players have moved their production out of the UK, citing the ability to streamline costs abroad, to locations such as Germany, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia or Belgium as the rationale for the relocation.

But surely in a society where companies are being encouraged to increase the level of transparency in their dealings with consumers, more should be done to put in place clearer British brand guidelines? When consumer research is telling us that brand integrity is being held in such high regard by our customers, how can so many chocolate brands be allowed to continue what effectively constitutes the dissemination of misinformation.

This becomes all the more critical when we examine the positive impact the true British brands play in the UK. Aside from the obvious benefits relating to the creation of jobs in roles across a myriad of disciplines ranging from manufacturing to marketing and sales, British brands also play a vital role in protecting our heritage. With so many UK chocolate players being acquired by international conglomerates, there is a real risk that the chocolate industry could leave our shores for good. We should be doing everything possible to ensure the chocolate making skills that have been honed and passed down from generation to generation remain an essential ingredient in Britain’s colourful culinary culture. And, at a time when we are seeing consumers re-embracing ‘artisan’ and choosing the passion and expertise associated with hand-crafted chocolate products over those manufactured on a mass production basis, smaller British chocolate brands should be allowed to enjoy some payback for their long term investment in UK industry.

House of Dorchester is certainly not the only British chocolatier to abide by the ‘British brand’ code of conduct and we congratulate all our colleagues who remain committed to maintaining the same high standards associated with authentic British chocolate. Our fear is that too many consumers, whilst believing they are supporting a British chocolate brand, are perhaps unwittingly adding to the demise of the UK chocolate making industry.

www.sweetretailing.co.uk

Creativity can profit

I was really interested to read this recent article about Aunt Nellie’s Sweet Shop in Ireland, creating a Willy Wonka style confectionery promotion of their own with some important football tickets to win. How creative! I bet it helped to bring many more people into the shop, which quite frankly is what every retailer wants these days.

Many businesses that retail confectionery rely solely on promotional opportunities offered to them by manufacturers or suppliers. Whilst this is clearly a good source of activity to take advantage of, there can surely be nothing better than your own bespoke promotional event to benefit your own specific locality? And it needn’t cost a great deal either.

Aunt Nellie had the right idea. A simple piece of paper was placed into the winning sweet bag whilst the tickets were kept safe and sound. The organisation of such a confectionery promotion need not be very taxing. Making use of in store displays, posters in windows, social media and good old conversation, the news of a fun promotion can quickly be spread in the locality at next to no cost.

So for a bit of fun, we got our thinking caps on for just a few minutes and came up with a little bit of basic inspiration, to get you thinking along the right lines. Of course, we’d love to hear from anybody that has created a successful bespoke confectionery promotion in their shop. Please just get in touch!

1. Make use of raffle tickets inside some bagged up sweet selections, offering a selection of smaller prizes which could be as simple as free stock, a small child’s toy (think Kinder Surprise!) or a percentage discount voucher on their next purchase.

2. If you sell pick and mix sweets from a display of jars, choose a secret winning sweet, different every week (hide a promotional card behind the jar!). If a customer buys some of these sweets they can win a voucher to have the same amount free or half price next week.

3. Create a simple prize draw. A customer is entered if they buy a certain amount of confectionery from a particular range or display. The prize could be a hamper selection of confectionery. Why not ask a supplier to get involved with you?

Find plenty more confectionery fodder at www.sweetretailing.co.uk

A point of difference?

I think that the objective of any UK confectionery retailer is to maximise their sales and stand out against the competition so that they have a point of difference. Nothing new there then.

It has always been said that price is only ever a short term point of difference – someone can always be cheaper. How true. But what about your product range?

A recent hot topic is American confectionery. Considered a niche sector of the UK confectionery market, American sweets and chocolates have really taken the market by storm in the last 12 to 24 months. More UK retailers and wholesalers have sprung up, dedicated to this profitable and different confectionery category whilst many confectionery retailers have been and continue to enjoy strong sales of these different and fun treats.

But what happens when the supermarkets get wind of it? We are about to find out. Asda has already leapt headlong into American confectionery, firstly with Hershey’s and Reese’s over a year ago and now with American Confectionery bays in 100 stores. It was revealed in The Grocer (4 August) that Tesco is to trial an American fixture in 10 of its stores. The range will include Hershey’s chocolate.

So is this the end of the advantage that smaller confectionery stores and retailers have on American confectionery or can they still use the category as a point of difference and benefit from the strong sales that exist? I guess that only time can tell and it certainly demonstrates the importance of keeping a close eye on the quality and uniqueness of your product range. It doesn't all have to been remarkably different of course, but you will want to be assured of those sectors and ranges that are.

Maximising the potential of any advantage that you have has never been so important. Smaller retailers are certainly able to do this, given that they can really get to understand their local shopper profile and what they want to buy from them. This is where they can truly stand apart, carving out a local position for themselves regardless of what the larger stores are up to. It never hurts to understand what’s going on behind your back though.

www.sweetretailing.co.uk

Rain makes customers grumpy

We are all getting fed up with it and none of us can do anything about it. The rain continues, ignoring the fact that our water table is full to the brim. Online feedback forum, Feefo, has recently revealed that the poor weather directly affects retailers in more ways than we think, with a greater amount of negative feedback being posted. Can there really be a link?

Feefo manages online feedback for all manner of UK retailers including Fat Face and The White Company, facilitating more than 1,000 reviews and ratings on a daily basis. From early June, the company noticed a significant uplift in the number of negative comments that their clients were receiving.

So confectionery retailers watch out! We are far more likely to take it out on the shops that we visit at the moment, as our spirits are dampened, not knowing whether summer is actually going to take place this year.

On the positive side of things, we know that confectionery has become a leading “pick me up” during the difficult economy and so perhaps it can reward your shoppers in the same way when the downpours show no sign of shifting? Perhaps you could actually turn it to your advantage, offering a special deal on every day that it rains? Downpour Deals! You heard it here first…

www.sweetretailing.co.uk