From indulgent truffles to innovative new formats, chocolate, mints, sugar and confectionery continue to play a vital role in the wholesale channel.
Chocolate confectionery is projected to account for 42% of the market in 2025 (Future Market Insights), a figure that is expected to nearly double over the next decade.
Premium sharing chocolate is a key growth area, with shoppers looking for products that deliver indulgence and a little moment of luxury at home.
In fact, 61% of UK consumers are seeking “permissible indulgences”, and premium novelty treats continue to outperform the wider category.
Ethan Duffey, Brand Manager for Baileys Chocolate, comments: “Baileys Chocolate has seen strong success across its truffle range, individually wrapped chocolates in shareable formats that combine convenience with premium appeal. Boxed chocolates remain popular around gifting occasions, while the singles market also presents opportunity, with a £42M fair share gap in premium single chocolates, including bars and bags.”
Baileys Chocolate truffle range remains a bestseller in shareable, gifting and impulse formats, but innovation has also driven success beyond chocolate. The Baileys Caramelised Nut Mix has been the brand’s top performer. The Nut Mix has successfully brought Baileys customers, who hadn’t previously bought nuts, into the category, creating year-round engagement and long-term growth potential.
Innovation remains a key strategy to navigate inflation, as consumers continue to pay a premium for original and indulgent experiences. To demonstrate this approach, Baileys Chocolate is announcing its latest seasonal launch: the Baileys Chocolate Caramel Whirl. This treat combines a cone-shaped milk chocolate shell with layers of caramel and marshmallow, all infused with a hint of Baileys Original Irish Cream. The Caramel Whirl is designed to meet the needs of both impulse shoppers and those looking for a little something special to gift or share.
This NPD supports the broader trend of consumers seeking seasonal novelty and indulgent experiences, particularly during Christmas. With its premium positioning, trusted branding and gift-ready format, the Baileys Chocolate Caramel Whirl is set to be a standout performer this festive season.
“The opportunity lies in offering a range that covers trusted favourites and exciting new products to keep shoppers engaged. Merchandising, visibility and cross-promotion are all crucial to driving sales. Baileys Chocolate supports wholesalers with a strong portfolio of proven sellers alongside new flavours that generate interest and repeat purchases,” adds Duffey.
“Baileys Chocolate works closely with wholesale partners to ensure they have the right range, pack sizes and formats to meet demand across convenience and grocery. From a category perspective, wholesalers should ensure they’re offering seasonal products to make the most of key sales spikes. Baileys Chocolate keeps the balance between indulgence and healthier permissible treats, ensuring there’s an option for everyone all year round.”
Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondel?z International, comments: “Despite economic uncertainties putting pressure on household budgets, consumers are still looking for treats from trusted brands, so the confectionery category is more important than ever! Offering the right treats in the right formats and flavours as well as keeping on top of best-in-class innovation and key seasonal moments, will help wholesalers see sales success throughout 2025 and beyond.
“We’ve seen that shoppers are increasingly looking to enjoy evenings at home as a more cost-effective way to spend time with family and loved ones. This subsequent increase in the Big Night In occasion can be catered to with our gifting and sharing formats. The evening occasion is the key time of day for sharing, with bags being the most convenient and popular format for the consumer.”
Recent data has also shown that consumers are going back to brands, and families are driving the way we share our snacks. In the candy category, growth is driven by brands outstripping the own label competition, which is in share decline YTD (Nielsen).
Maynards Bassetts has recently added Classic Fruit Mix to its line-up, a new addition bringing four fruity flavours to the range: Apple, Cherry, Strawberry and Blackcurrant. Made with real fruit juice, no preservatives and natural flavours and colourings, Classic Fruit Mix is rooted in iconic British heritage, making it the perfect new option for shoppers of all ages. It is non-HFSS and offers our consumers a touch of nostalgia in a ‘proper’ grown up treat.
Looking at the sugar confectionery category; the market is in growth (Nielsen) and currently represents 23% of the total confectionery market (Nielsen). Within this, there has seen a rise in demand for the sour candy segment in particular (Kantar), as sour candy appeals to consumers who are looking for little moments of fun and escapism from day-to-day life. Sour Patch Kids is growing by 26.9% (Nielsen), outpacing the wider category, and is well placed to help wholesalers tap into this demand for great-tasting sour offerings and drive incremental growth for retailers.
The brand has also recently launched a new limited edition Sour Patch Kids Blue Raspberry flavour nationwide. With 43% of consumers wanting sour flavours (Mintel), and consumers looking for raspberry flavoured candy, the new launch is set to sour then sweeten tongues across the UK and drive incremental sales for retailers. Sour Patch Kids Blue Raspberry will be available for a limited period of one year, sitting alongside the brand’s UK range which also includes Original, Cola, Fruit Mix, Watermelon and 2024 NPD, Strawberry.
Lauren George, External Communications Manager at Mars Wrigley, comments: “With the growing emphasis on health and wellness, consumers are making more conscious choices, opting for confectionery products with reduced sugar and natural ingredients. This has led retailers to expand their offerings of healthier alternatives and prominently display these options to cater to health-conscious consumers.”
Mars Wrigley launched the GALAXY® Vegan Salted Caramel bar into retailers in 2023 as part of a bold refresh of the GALAXY® Vegan product range. The SKU, which is gluten-free, dairy-free and registered with The Vegan Society, bolsters the brand’s core Vegan line-up, including GALAXY® Vegan Classic, GALAXY® Vegan Orange and GALAXY® Vegan Crumbled Cookie. The refresh came at a time when more shoppers than ever are seeking free-from confectionery that embodies innovation parallel to that in the core confectionery aisle.
With a design and taste similar to the mainstream confectionery equivalent, the GALAXY® Vegan Salted Caramel bar is made with hazelnut paste and filled with creamy salted caramel.
“As well as driving sales and helping retailers develop a relationship on loyalty and trust, PMPs can make store operations easier. The clear display of price removes any margin for uncertainty among the shopper, reducing in-store queries and creating a happier shopping experience,” adds George.
“In the confectionery category, in which convenience is key, PMPs offer quick price comparison and are often positioned in easy-to-grab locations or display unit. This pushes impulse purchases (which in turn promotes repeat purchases) and as a result, half of convenience baskets include PMPs. And it’s not just familiar PMPs that are popular. When applied to new products, PMPs foster a positive price perception and a reduced sense of risk, encouraging consumers to reach for them.”
Treating and snacking in the UK market is worth £13.3bn. Mars Wrigley has category-leading brands across the chocolate, fruity confectionery, and gum sectors of the market. The company has seen consistently high, and growing, performance in all three categories – chocolate +13.4% y-o-y, fruity confectionery +11.7% y-o-y, and gum +7.7% y-o-y (Nielsen). Mars Wrigley has approximately a 19.5% share of the confectionery market.
Innovation accounts for 22% of confectionery growth (Nielsen). It is important/prevalent in bars (26%) and boxed (25%). Others include block (22%), bitesize (21%), fruity confectionery (21%) and gum (6%). Fun flavours and collaborations have risen through limited edition launches (Kantar).
“Place price-marked confectionery at key impulse zones, such as at the end of aisles or next to tills and in eye-level displays,” suggests George.
“Capture shoppers’ attention in otherwise redundant areas of the store using creative POS such as shippers and free-standing display units.
“Consider cross-category purchases. For example, bigger bag sharing options naturally suit the big night in occasion so situating a sharing PMP chocolate or sweet display near beverages will drive purchases.”
Mars Wrigley has brought a bold new twist to the fruity confectionery category with the launch of Skittles® Citrus, a zesty mix of five zingy flavours: Orange, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin, and Blood Orange.
Developed in response to the growing demand for fruity and sour flavours, Skittles® Citrus delivers a refreshing taste experience, with 29% of shoppers seeking sour flavours in new products (Mintel). The fruity confectionery market continues to thrive, growing +6.4% in value sales in 2024 (Nielsen), with innovation playing a key role as nearly a quarter of fruity value growth coming from new product development (Nielsen).
As the UK’s number one brand in the chewy category (Nielsen), Skittles® is committed to leading with innovation. The launch of Skittles® Citrus is expected to attract adventurous new shoppers, whilst leveraging the strong repeat purchase and loyalty rates of current citrus fans. Citrus ranks among the top three fruity flavours in gum and sweets (Lumina), proving its popularity across the category.
To support the launch, Skittles® rolled out a summer campaign designed to drive awareness and trial, reinforcing how impulse-driven the category is with 83% of fruity confectionery purchases being made on impulse (Ipsos).
Ferrero UK is expanding its Kinder Bueno range with a new multipack format exclusively for the convenience and wholesale channel. The new £1.99 price-marked pack format includes five individually-wrapped bars in cardboard packaging, delivering the taste that has made Kinder Bueno the UK’s number one countline brand (Nielsen).
Kinder Bueno continues to perform strongly, now worth £89m and growing +3% in the last 12 weeks (Nielsen), with 77% brand recognition across the UK (Kantar). This launch presents retailers with a valuable opportunity to drive both top-up and take-home sales, while offering a trusted, best-selling brand in a new format that aligns with evolving shopper needs. From those looking to grab a treat on the go, to those planning a treat during the week, with its versatile format and premium positioning, the launch is designed to drive additional sales, encourage impulse purchases, and to bring something new to the fixture, helping retailers cater to both planned and spontaneous buying occasions.
A Ferrero spokesperson comments: “Available in two of Kinder Bueno’s most loved flavours – Classic Milk and White Chocolate, the new format really responds to what shoppers want and their growing need for premium treats without compromising on taste. Designed exclusively for the convenience and wholesale channel, it provides retailers with a good value option to offer shoppers in their local store. With the treats coming individually-wrapped, in a brand people know and trust, we’re giving retailers a real chance to boost sales and basket spend, while also supporting the long-term growth of the confectionery category.”
Launching exclusively into the convenience and wholesale channels, the new Kinder Bueno T5 x 9 will be supported by digital and POS activations in depot to drive visibility. With a PMP of £1.99, this format is perfectly positioned to become a favourite in shoppers’ baskets.
Catherine Morgenroth, Marketing Manager, pladis UK&I, comments: “Consumers are looking for exciting new confectionery experiences at affordable prices from brands they know and trust, including brands that are well known in other categories. That’s why pladis, the global snacking company behind some of the UK’s most loved and iconic brands, has taken the famous McVitie’s Club biscuit brand into confectionery for the first time in the UK. McVitie’s Club Layers Orange is a generously coated thick milk chocolate bar with a delicious orange flavoured cream filling and multiple layers of crisp wafer.
“For wholesalers serving independent retailers, must-try new products like this create excitement in their depots and drive retailers to buy them to generate interest and footfall instore. The iconic McVitie’s Club is a £32m (Nielsen) brand, and by taking it into confectionery, we recruit new and younger consumers. There’s currently no other Chocolate & Orange single-serve wafer bar in the market, so we’re driving innovation as well as adding category value by launching such a famous and much-loved name into the confectionery category for the first time.”
The surge in innovative new confectionery products is being shaped and impacted by the demand across snacking for innovative treats that deliver new taste experiences with big, bold flavours and textures. Consumers are seeking out ‘swavoury’ snacking products that combine sweet and savoury, a classic example being Flipz coated pretzels. pladis is growing the Flipz line-up with the recent launch of a limited-edition strawberry cheesecake inspired flavour, Flipz Strawberry Cheesecake Flavour Coated Pretzels.
Chocolate singles are a major driver of on-the-go confectionery, which is growing in sales and overtrades among younger consumers. Single bars like McVitie’s Gold Billions and Gold Billions Chocolate & Hazelnut, as well as the new McVitie’s Club Layers Orange, are ideally suited for on-the-go in the convenience and impulse channel.
One of pladis’ best-selling chocolate confectionery treats is McVitie’s Gold Billions Wafer Golden Caramel Bar, which grew into a £5m brand in only 18 months.
pladis has also been expanding in confectionery with Flipz salty and crunchy pretzels. Flipz first hit shelves in the UK in 2018 following sensational success in the US with its classic Milk Chocolate variant. The brand has since introduced a stream of attention-grabbing and on-trend flavours, including Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Bun and Salted Caramel, and now Strawberry Cheesecake Flavour. Flipz is currently worth £17.3m and growing by +27.7% (NIQ) in total retail. It performs particularly well in impulse, recording double digit value and volume growth of +21% and +18% (NIQ) respectively.
“Wholesalers need to keep the range fresh and their depots well stocked. They should regularly update the selection in their depots and on their ecommerce websites and offer new and exciting products alongside the bestsellers that create interest and excitement in-depot and sell through quickly,” adds Morgenroth.
“Wholesalers should monitor their confectionery sales, and focus on bestsellers, NPD and limited editions. They should cater to the different confectionery buying occasions, from impulse and on-the-go treats and snacking at home, to seasonal products and gifting, and understand the different consumer need states.
“Wholesalers should feature a broad selection of confectionery in their promotional programmes, feature branding and displays in-depot to create excitement around new products and highlight promotions.
Confectionery is a key category that draws shoppers into independent convenience, and wholesalers can support their retailers with category knowledge, merchandising advice and point-of-sale material, encouraging them to promote stand-out products instore and on social media platforms.”
Mark Roberts, Marketing & Trade Marketing Director at Perfetti Van Melle, comments: “Perfetti Van Melle is valued at £131.6m as of January 2025, growing at +3.6% vs January 2024, and well ahead of the market which sees a -0.9% value decline vs this time last year (Circana). The Perfetti Van Melle brand’s value growth of +9.1% in the final month of 2024, driven by Mints and Sweets, contributed to a market value share of 4.85% (IRI).”
The total UK sugar confectionery market is worth £1.6Bn (IRI) with Perfetti Van Melle now positioned as the world’s second-leading confectionery manufacturer (Innova & Mintel) with their portfolio of household brands including Mentos, Fruit-tella, Chupa Chups, and Smint being worth over £100 million.
“Sugar Confectionery is a resilient category as it delivers lifts and treats for its consumers,” adds Roberts. “As we continue into a challenging economic landscape, confectionery remains an affordable treat giving retailers a compelling sales generator. Our focus is on driving choice and by helping to signpost within the category, consumers can easily find a treat for any occasion. As we further develop our product portfolio, we continue to bring a wide range of products to consumers with new flavours, packaging, and textures.”
Mentos has proven its commitment to surprising its target market of adventurous, naturally experimental young consumers with the innovation of Mentos Discovery, which offers a category first 14 different flavour sweets in one roll. Mixed fruit flavours dominate the Hard Chews Sweets category, worth £71m in L52w (Total Markets Incl. Discounters), with consumer research proving there is a burgeoning appetite among sweet eaters for exotic flavours (Innova & Mintel). Mentos Discovery is primed to break new ground in the category with 14 flavours including passion fruit, lychee, blueberry, blackcurrant, lime, strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, watermelon, banana, grape, cherry & pineapple.
This vegan-friendly treat is perfect for a sharing occasion and perhaps guessing the flavour of each fruity treat with friends. Mentos Discovery launches at a fruitful time, with Mentos Candy now a £47.1m brand, with sales up +14% in the past 12 months (Circana).
Since its May 2024 launch, Mentos Discovery has had incredible results, with the single roll accounting for £2.4m of value sales (Circana). Overall, Mentos Discovery has been incremental to both the brand’s growth and the category as singles are now worth £18.6m +22%.
Health concerns still remain a priority for all, but following the cost-of -living crisis people are typically spending more time at home and treating themselves in the comfort of their own home.
“Our sugar-free alternatives allow people to make their own choices,” says Roberts. “Perfetti Van Melle remains the leader within the Sugar Free category, with sales continuing to grow. Confectionery is one of the top five categories purchased on impulse in convenience stores. Offering a full range that supports the government’s HFSS guidelines of under 150kcal per pack – something most manufacturers can’t, gives Perfetti the opportunity to be closer to these impulse purchases.”
Family favourite and top ten candy brand, Fruit-tella’s best-selling chews have transitioned to a fully vegan recipe, meaning that the brand can now deliver fruity joy to an even bigger audience of consumers. The switch to vegan will be implemented across the full range of chews including the Fruit-tella favourite Simply Strawberry Chews, and the more recent edition of Fruit-tella Berries & Cherries.
The delectable chews will still contain real fruit juice and be made with all-natural colourings and flavours. All Fruit-tella sharing bag sweets are individually wrapped, and as such they are a treat that promotes hygiene and portion control. This makes them the perfect portable snack for families – be that on a long car journey, or to pop in a bag for on-the-go pick me up.
“Fruit-tella has been synonymous with the highest quality sweets since 1931, growing to be a £35.8m brand (Circana),” continues Roberts. “We are delighted that those who favour a plant-based diet can now join in the fruity fun too. We have worked hard to perfect a vegan recipe that replicates the taste and texture of our beloved chews, and we are certain that the new formulation will be a surefire hit with existing consumers and new shoppers alike. We look forward to welcoming some more fans to the Fruit-tella family!”
Chupa Chups, the UK’s No.1 Lollipop Brand is flipping into the Upside Down with its latest collaboration. Teaming up with one of Netflix’s most iconic and top streamed shows; Stranger Things, the £18 million brand will unveil two brand new SKUs ahead of Halloween and the final instalment of the much-loved series. Available in two different pack sizes, the bags are filled with nine mystery flavours inspired by the famed characters and eerie world of Hawkins. To mark its biggest launch of the year, Chupa Chups is investing £1.3 million in a campaign to drive awareness and boost sales.
Mentos Feeling Berry Good comprises three fresh and delightful berry flavours; tangy cherry, juicy Blueberry and refreshing raspberry. This vegan-friendly treat offering not only delivers bursts of berry goodness but also features the signature Mentos experience – a crisp outer shell with a soft, chewy centre that fans know and love.
Designed for ultimate enjoyment and sharing, Feeling Berry Good taps into the growing demand for sharing bags, which now dominate the confectionery market, accounting for 71.4% of sweet value sales. As the segment continues to thrive, this launch reinforces Mentos’ strategic commitment to expanding its presence in this space, strengthening its portfolio with a compelling offering on shelves, perfectly suited for any Big Night In occasions and beyond.
The launch of Feeling Berry Good will be supported by tactical, eye-catching POS materials in-store to drive visibility and awareness. It will also benefit from the halo effect of Mentos’ disruptive ABTL media campaign, spanning VOD, OOH, YT, influencers and social media, ensuring the brand stays front of mind for shoppers nationwide.
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