UK confectionery brand Wild Thingz celebrates Center Parcs deal

In the wake of claiming honours at our last World Confectionery Conference, emerging British confectionery brand, Wild Thingz, has gained several major retail listings, writes Neill Barston.

The better-for-you brand, founded by former Mondelez marketeer, Fliss Newland, has seen notable success in the past year, including being stocked at Ocado, Co-Op stores, and the Whole Food Market, in the UK.

Furthermore, it has now augmented this success in striking a deal with Center Parcs holiday destinations, and is now available in all five of the leisure site’s UK villages just as the summer season begins.

As Wild Thingz noted, the milestone positions Wild Thingz as the go-to treat for families heading on holiday, offering a sweet option that parents can feel good about and has swiftly gained a loyal fanbase.

Significantly, the series of confectionery contains half the sugar of traditional sweets. They are also 100% organic and plant-based, and free from artificial colours, flavours and additives.

As the team behind the range noted, they were originally designed to solve a growing “health dilemma” among parents, the brand offers a new kind of sweet treat: one that doesn’t  require compromise.

Moreover, research commissioned by Wild Thingz with YouGov found that 64% of parents feel reluctant to buy sweets due to concerns around sugar and additives. Wild Thingz directly addresses this tension, delivering fun, flavour-packed gummies in playful shapes like Cherry Spiders, Lemon Maggots and Cola Snails, with a significantly improved nutritional profile.

The series includes Zesty Pests (£2.75 on Ocado): Tangy Lemon Maggots and Cherry Spiders, Fruity Flyers (£2.75 on Ocado): Red Apple Butterflies and Blackcurrant Ladybirds, Gummy Grubs (£2.75 on Ocado): A mix of wild fruity flavours including Cola Snails.

As the company explained to Confectionery Production, its expanded presence includes a number of consumer engagement moves including a sampling day in Kensington, London, over the Bank Holiday, in which brand gave away 5,000 packs of its sweets.

On the sampling success, founder Fliss Newland says: “The sampling went so well. Seeing that level of excitement from kids in person is exactly why we do this. That real-world feedback is invaluable for us as a growing brand.”

The business is aiming to build on its success with further sampling initiatives throughout June, as well as seeking to further expand its retail presence amid a highly-competitive market.