Halal and vegan confectionery are experiencing significant growth across the UK, driven by increasingly conscious consumers who are paying closer attention to ingredients, sourcing and dietary suitability. Catering for all backgrounds, beliefs and dietary requirements is no longer a niche consideration – it is a commercial and cultural imperative for today’s confectionery retailers.
Industry data highlights the scale of the opportunity. The UK halal food market is estimated to be worth over £5 billion, with confectionery representing one of the fastest-growing segments as younger consumers seek permissible treats that don’t compromise on taste or excitement. At the same time, vegan confectionery sales continue to rise year-on-year, fuelled by flexitarian lifestyles and growing awareness around plant-based diets. Research consistently shows that a significant proportion of shoppers actively look for clearly labelled halal and vegan products, regardless of whether they follow those diets full-time.
This growing demand places independent and convenience retailers in towns and cities at the heart of an important opportunity. Local stores often serve diverse communities, and stocking inclusive ranges allows retailers to better reflect their customer base, build loyalty and avoid missed sales. A strong halal and vegan confectionery offering are now a key differentiator, helping retailers stand out in competitive local markets.
Hancocks, the UK’s largest confectionery wholesaler, continues to lead the way as a specialist destination for halal and vegan sweets. Across its total range of more than 3,500 products, Hancocks offers a huge and constantly evolving selection of clearly labelled halal and vegan lines, demonstrating both depth of expertise and breadth of choice.
A key highlight is the Hancocks Kingsway pick and mix range, which is the largest in the UK and includes over 60 halal and vegan lines alone. This enables retailers to build inclusive, eye-catching pick and mix displays that appeal to a wide customer base while maximising impulse sales. Recent launches include.
- Kingsway Bunny Heads – VeganFruit flavoured jelly sweets shaped like bunny heads. Perfect for Spring
- Kingsway 3D Sugared Hearts Bag 3kg – Fruit flavoured candy sweets coated in sugar Gluten-free, dairy-free and halal-friendly.
- Kingsway Fizzy Rings Bag 2.5kg Fruit flavoured jelly rings coated in sour fizzy sugar.
In addition to its extensive pick and mix offer, Hancocks stocks bestselling halal confectionery brands such as Sweet Zone and Candy Realms, alongside popular vegan favourites including Swizzels, PEZ and Skittles. These well-known brands provide instant recognition for shoppers and proven sales performance for retailers.
The wholesaler also champions emerging and trending halal ranges, including Shades by Niko, Zed Candy and Toxic Waste, ensuring retailers can tap into newness, social-media-driven trends and demand for bold flavours and formats.
With 14 stores nationwide and a comprehensive e-commerce platform, Hancocks makes halal and vegan confectionery easy to source. In-store ranges are clearly labelled and signposted, while online filters allow retailers to quickly search by dietary requirement, helping them respond efficiently to consumer demand and maximise sales opportunities.
As a first-to-market wholesaler for new and emerging confectionery trends, Hancocks enables retailers to cater for all dietary requirements without sacrificing the fun, colour and indulgence shoppers expect from the category.
A Hancocks representative commented:
“With 14 stores across the UK and an e-commerce platform offering over 3,500 confectionery products, it’s essential that our range reflects today’s diverse consumers. Halal and vegan confectionery are a major growth opportunity, and we focus on making it easy for retailers to access clearly labelled, bestselling and on-trend lines. From our market-leading Kingsway pick and mix range to a wide selection of popular branded favourites, we help retailers drive sales, increase basket spend and stand out in competitive local markets.”
With inclusivity, innovation and choice at its core, Hancocks continues to support independent retailers nationwide in meeting evolving consumer expectations and unlocking the full potential of the fast-growing halal and vegan confectionery sector.
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