Whitakers Chocolates reports 30% boost in sales
UK-based confectionery business Whitakers Chocolates has reported a 30% year-on-year boost in sales, which the company has said has been underpinned by encouraging export growth.
Based in Skipton, Yorkshire, the business, which specialises in personalised confectionery product lines, has seen a spike in demand within South and North America.
The company presently produces around 10 million chocolates a week for the retail and hospitality markets, with the business having recently featured within the pages of Confectionery Production magazine as part of our regular site visit articles.
Despite pressures surrounding the prospect of Brexit and other factors such as ingredients price increases (particularly sugar), the company confirmed it has struck a major distribution deal in Uruguay, representing the company’s first order in the country. A total of several thousand Whitakers branded mint and coffee cremes have been shipped out to South America.
Whitakers Chocolates sales manager, Ian Webster, said: “This is an incredibly exciting and significant order for us. We began implementing our newly-formed export strategy at the beginning of 2018 so to see it bear fruit, especially in today’s climate, is both rewarding and promising. We’ve also seen a huge 20% increase in orders to Canada which is another burgeoning market for us.”
The company added that its European sales have also fared well, with orders to one of France’s biggest retailers, Monoprix. In addition, it has maintained its market share in Scandinavia despite broader challenging trading conditions.
Ian added: “We sell a lot of products on an ‘ex-factory’ basis so our customers can collect products directly from the factory at a preferential rate but have to deal with tariffs themselves and organise their own transport.”
“This is a really exciting time for the company. We’re feeling confident about the future and expanding into more countries with a new brand and extended product line”.
The business will be further exploring new markets and countries when it attends ISM, the largest trade fair in the world for confectionery and snacks, next year in Cologne, where it will reveal new branding and launch a number of additional product ranges.
