Easter has established itself as one of the biggest retail events of the year and shows no signs of slowing down; it gives retailers a sales boost, especially when it comes to confectionery.
With Easter being one of the most popular times of the year for purchasing sweet treats, it’s no surprise that it remains as a very profitable and important event for retailers.
Traditionally, Easter has been associated with chocolate treats and chocolate eggs; however, there has been an emerging trend of consumers seeking out sugar confectionery as an alternative to chocolate, which is evident given the fact that sugar confectionery is outperforming chocolate in the market, growing at +10.5% vs +4.4% (Circana).
“We encourage retailers to start planning their Easter confectionery display as early as possible to provide shoppers with a huge offering, set trends and enable them to start thinking about the occasion early,” comments Clare Newton, Trade Marketing Manager at Swizzels. “We’ve found that December and January tend to be the best times for planning Easter confectionery lines as Christmas and Veganuary lines are easing off by then, which helps retailers’ customers focus on the next big occasion and plan early.”
Some of the most important Easter sub-categories are sugar and chocolate confectionery, flowers, toys such as bunny rabbits, bread and breakfast goods, and Easter decorations.
“As sugar confectionery is one of the most important categories for gifting during the occasion, we advise retailers to start stocking up on our Sweet Shop Favourites lines, which include a Tub, Carton and Pouch, all of which are ideal Easter gifts and for sharing with friends and family during Easter events,” adds Newton.
Along with its full Squashies and Variety Bag ranges, Swizzels’ Sweet Shop Favourite Tubs, Cartons and Pouches are some of the best sellers during the Easter period, as they are ideal for gifting or sharing during events.
During the April/ May period, Swizzels will be focusing its efforts on promoting its much-anticipated Strawberry & Cream Squashies.
Mars Wrigley has revealed its 2024 Easter line-up, choc full of new product launches alongside returning best sellers. A total of 8 NPD are set to hit shelves this Easter season, including products from shopper favourite brands Skittles®, M&M’S® and Galaxy®.
Total Easter sales including boxed confectionery reached an impressive £640 million CSV (Nielsen) in 2023, which not only underscores the economic significance of Easter but also highlights the consumer enthusiasm for the Easter occasion.
As observed in 2023, 42% of Easter sales took place in January and February, driven primarily by unplanned impulse purchases. To maximise this consumer excitement, and therefore the revenue opportunity, this Easter, Mars Wrigley is launching its range of Easter products from as early as January, extending the Easter occasion.
As March unfolds, a notable shift in shoppers’ focus transitions from the initial early impulse treat to gifting and planned purchases. A substantial 74% of Easter gifting confectionery is typically sold in the final three-week period leading up to Easter (Nielsen).
Florence Kayll, Senior Brand Manager, Easter at Mars Wrigley, says: “At Mars Wrigley, our portfolio is underpinned by the power of our brands which cover all key demographics, and all have their unique role to play within the Easter season.
“2023 saw a large growth in shopper consideration toward Mars Wrigley Easter products, with over 600,000 shoppers exclusively buying into iconic Mars Wrigley brands during the spring period. More Easter shoppers added Mars Wrigley to their repertoire, and existing shoppers were adding more of our products to their baskets.
“Capitalising on this momentum, Mars Wrigley has introduced eight innovative new products to its 2024 Easter range. The move not only enhances the Easter experience for shoppers but also provides retailers with the opportunity to boost their offerings, and therefore maximise sales, starting as early as January.”
Whilst the Self Eat category declined by 5.1% in 2023 (Nielsen), Mars Wrigley bucked the trend and delivered a 4.7% value growth (Nielsen) through the Maltesers® Bunny range. With this in mind, shoppers can act on their impulses by picking up a tasty treat, including the undisputed star of the Mars Wrigley Easter range, the Maltesers Bunny, as well as the market launch of the luxurious Galaxy ® Creamy Truffle Mini Eggs: Hazelnut, RRP £1.50.
The Mars Wrigley Easter range is incomplete without M&M’S® Hollow Shapes, RRP £2.99; returning for 2024. For those looking to break away from the conventional eggs, hollow shapes offer a fun twist to the holiday celebration. With a substantial 59% of shoppers under 45 years old opting to purchase these treats, they serve as the gateway to attracting a younger audience to Easter confectionery. M&M’S® Hollow Shapes offer a unique proposition with tasty M&M’S® Minis inside to drive extra shopper appeal.
In the past year, the traditional egg confectionery market experienced a value growth of +1.7%, with the category worth £246m (Nielsen) as a result.
Skittles® Milk Chocolate Egg comes with a bag of Skittles®, offering a unique contrast of fruity and chocolatey flavours at an RRP of £5.70.
For those who crave something extra special, the Galaxy Truffles Mini Eggs Easter Egg, RRP £8.40, is the ultimate treat; the perfect bite-sized pleasure for your Easter celebrations.
Mars Wrigley is further bolstering its Large & Extra Large Egg offering with the introduction of its Twix® Large Egg with Twix® Bar, RRP £5.70, M&M’S® Mix Extra Large Egg with Milk Chocolate Bag of M&M’S® and Peanut Bag of M&M’S®, RRP £5.70 and Maltesers® Extra Large Egg with treat bag, RRP £5.70.
Giant eggs are the fastest-growing Easter egg partition (+59% YOY, Nielsen). In fact, they proved so popular that Mars Wrigley saw a 6% increase (Nielsen) in the volume of packs purchased per shopping trip in 2023. These larger-than-life Easter treats offer consumers an opportunity to trade up and indulge in an unforgettable gifting experience.
The Galaxy Caramel Easter Egg, RRP £12.60, features a chocolate shell filled with luscious caramel pieces.
Maltesers® Assorted Truffles Luxury Egg, RRP £12.75, is an Easter egg that includes a variety of delectable truffles.
Maltesers® Easter Mix, RRP £5.85, combines the iconic lightness and malted flavour of Maltesers® with the fun of the Maltesers® Bunny.
Accompanying the NPD, 18 products are returning for 2024, including a host of easter eggs such as the Maltesers® Truffles Luxury Egg range, Galaxy® Ripple and Maltesers® Extra Large Eggs.
Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International, comments: “Off the back of its most successful Easter ever in 2023 (Nielsen), Mondelez International is set to drive further excitement through the 2024 season with a brand-new tablet launch for the iconic Cadbury Creme Egg brand.
“Last year was a brilliant year for Cadbury Creme Egg, as the first ever innovation – Cadbury White Creme Egg – was the highest selling new product across the category at Easter (Nielsen). To capitalise on this, Easter 2024 will see the launch of the Cadbury Creme Egg Tablet, with new products key to driving growth within the season (NIQ).
The Cadbury Creme Egg Tablet will see the iconic Easter brand taken into this format for the first time ever in the UK. One in four (Kantar) households buy into the Cadbury Creme Egg brand during Easter, helping it to achieve a brand awareness of 95% (Kantar) and deliver strong sales for retailers. The launch will see the combination of one of the UK’s favourite Easter SKUs, Cadbury Creme Egg (Nielsen), and the Cadbury heartland tablet format, which is perfect for both sharing and self-treat occasions. Retailers can use this irresistible proposition to drive their fast start to the season and repeat purchase rate.
Following its momentous success over the last two years, Cadbury Creme Egg’s “Find the Winning Egg’ campaign will return for a third season – and this year it is bigger than ever. Shoppers will once more be encouraged to keep an eye out for an extra special half-milk chocolate, half-white chocolate Cadbury Creme Egg. If a lucky shopper unwraps a winning egg, they will be rewarded with one of the hundreds of cash prizes on offer, including the chance to nab the top prize of £10,000. In 2024 there will be more winning eggs than ever before.
Along with Cadbury Creme Egg, Easter just wouldn’t be Easter without Cadbury Mini Eggs, which grew by 19% (Nielsen) in 2023. Mini in size, Cadbury Mini Eggs are mighty come Easter, as the number one Easter brand (Nielsen).
“While evidently an ideal seasonal treat, we’ve increasingly seen shoppers whipping up delicious baked goods, creating memories with loved ones,” adds Nash. “As well as this and following the success and launch of the Cadbury Mini Eggs Bar, a 360g gifting format joins the portfolio, available nationwide for the first time! Tablets are the heartland for Cadbury, and the addition to the portfolio is sure to be a hit in store – ideal for snacking, sharing and gifting.”
Dark chocolate toffee brand Riesen is extending its range for the first time with the launch of a limited-edition espresso flavour. The Riesen Espresso flavour combines the rich taste of espresso coffee with delicious chocolate.
Andy Mutton, Managing Director at Storck UK, comments: “The UK is a nation of coffee lovers, with the coffee shop market growing by 7.3% (CBI) and 61% of consumers now preferring it to tea (CBI). Our new product caters to this growing demand and offers consumers that classic combination of chocolate and coffee in the form of an indulgent treat. We believe that the new flavour will be popular amongst the brand’s current loyal following as well as bringing in new shoppers by driving excitement in the category.”
Riesen is now worth £4.9 million in retail sales value (IRI) and ranks as the sixth fastest growing brand in the sugar confectionery segment (IRI). As the number one dark chocolate toffee brand (IRI), Riesen is well placed to tap into this flavour trend with its new limited edition offering and drive growth in the category.
Available in 135g sharing bags at MRSP £1.25, Riesen Espresso will be supported by in-store and online promotions to drive awareness and trial of the new product.
Kervan Gida UK, the leading confectionery challenger business, is proud to announce the launch of a roar-some new product just in time for Easter 2024. With a remarkable estimated year-on-year growth of 54%, the UK business continues to captivate the market with its latest new addition -Dexters Dynaeggs.
Dexters Dynaeggs are crispy candy-coated milk chocolate eggs with a chewy jelly gummy centre. These treats promise cracking flavour and texture in every bite, are made using only natural colours and are Halal certified.
Available in convenient 80g bags, each case contains 12 bags, making them an ideal addition to convenience retailers’ confectionery offerings this springtime.
With an RRP of £1, Dynaeggs are extremely competitively priced and well positioned to capitalise on affordable treating and gifting this Easter season.
Matthew Smith, Senior National Account Manager at Kervan Gida, UK, emphasises the fantastic sales opportunities from stocking Dynaeggs: “Stocking up early will ensure an extended selling period for this Jurassic-ally delightful treat, offering multiple purchase occasions. The £1 price point also presents a strong opportunity to drive profit.”
Dynaeggs are no ordinary sweet treat; they represent an egg-citing addition to seasonal confectionery. Smith adds, “This is a delicious and fun product to fill a gap in the market and will bring in new consumers to the seasonal confectionery aisle generating incremental sales for retailers.”
To capitalise on impulse purchases and to create excitement in store, Dynaeggs 80g bags are a great format for convenience retailers to stock. Smith suggests, “These eggs can be displayed on hanging bag fixtures and or as part of Easter displays using the shelf ready display unit. We expect shoppers to buy them for multiple occasions as they are perfect for self-treating, sharing, egg hunts, or decorating Easter bakes.”
Capturing attention and driving excitement in the confectionery category, Dynaeggs offer something unique to the market, differentiating themselves from traditional Easter offerings.
Dominic Simler, PLAYin CHOC Managing Director, comments: “Since the pandemic there is a greater awareness among consumers of the impact on health linked to what we eat in terms of both physical health and well-being and this change in consumer behaviour is still growing.”
The “Mindful Indulgence” trend is for consumers who want to indulge without compromising their physical and mental well-being, the health of others or the planet – and this group is rising. Research by Food Ingredients First shows that 3 out of 4 (75%) of global consumers agree that chocolate needs to be tasty, “good for me” and good for the planet – with many (77%) opting for chocolate with less sugar.
As consumers increasingly prioritise better lifestyles, they are getting wise to ingredients and are savvier than ever when it comes choosing better for you and better for the planet products – and Easter is no exception. “There is a huge opportunity for retailers to offer a more diverse range of Easter confectionery to cater for this audience, promoting and highlighting quality, natural ingredients and ethical credentials to land a credible message and open the category to challenger brands providing cleaner, quality chocolate,” adds Simler.
The Soil Association Certification’s Organic Market Report 2022 reveals the UK’s organic market is now worth a record £3.05 billion after a 5.2% growth in sales in 2021, with shoppers spending almost £60 million on organic products every week – and this presents a massive opportunity for seasonal confectionery.
PLAYin CHOC’s multi-award winning, plant based organic recipe is made from just three plants: the finest Peruvian cacao 100% criollo beans, from small farm collectives, Sri Lankan creamed coconut and coconut sugar, and premium Madagascan Bourbon vanilla making it free-from the main 14 allergens and a safe chocolate for Easter and other celebratory occasions.
For Easter, PLAYin CHOC Rabbit ToyChoc Boxes® are a best seller. Available as singles or part of a six-box gift set, the Rabbit Collection is the perfect treat for Easter offering children a healthier sweet treat and tons of bunny fun with two 10g organic, allergen-free chocolates plus a 3D rabbit puzzle toy and fun facts card that will entertain all the family. They are perfect for Easter Egg Hunts and Easter gifts.
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