Ferrero invests £6.8m in 2019 Christmas NPD
Ferrero will be investing £6.8m in Christmas 2019 while launching an array of new products across its brands, including novelties, figures and advent calendars for the seasonal period.
Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero, said: “Christmas is a key seasonal trading spike for the confectionery category, and it’s important that retailers stock the right range of quality products to cover every shopper’s needs.
“Ferrero’s diverse portfolio contains a number of best-selling, quality brands that help to drive category growth, offering shoppers great tasting products to gift and share during the Christmas period.”
A new look and flavours for Thorntons
Following strong sales last year (+14.2%), Thorntons is expanding its Continental selection with a Continental Winter Markets box (273g RRP £9.68) containing six new flavours “that represent rich and evocative flavours from every corner of Europe”, including Italian Panforte, Dutch Speculoos and Clementine Caramel.
The Thorntons Classic selection has also seen a flavour shakeup, with turkish delight and coffee being dropped for Strawberries & Cream, Dark Butterscotch and Triple Chocolate.
Boorer said: “By refreshing the Classic Collection, the modern packaging reflects the premium quality of the product inside and we’re confident that the new look, plus the introduction of three new excellent flavours, will bring more shoppers into the category.”
The Thorntons Snowflake collection (160g RRP £5.38) will feature two new flavours, including Salted Caramel Snowflake and Burnt Sugar Snowflake.
Raffaello will be launching a new 100g (RRP £4.25) round box with a decorative bow to “offer shoppers its sweet, smooth and nutty flavours in a smaller giftable format”.
The brand has refreshed the packaging of its entire boxed range including Classic, Continental and Mint, giving it a premium look and feel with new imagery and foiled logo. All boxes are now single layer, with the Classic range available in three sizes (150g RRP £4.00, 262g RRP £6.50, and 449g RRP £10.00), each targeting a different gifting occasion and offering accessible prices to shoppers.
After the launch of The Cheeky Elf figure last year, Thorntons is adding The Snowy Bear (200g) to its range of figures, while also updating its Cheeky Reindeer (200g). The Cheeky Elf character will also be available as a small “self-treat” product (29g RRP £0.75) in four different designs.
Seasonal packaging for nutella
Christmas 2019 will see nutella bring back its seasonal packaging across its 200g (RRP £1.75), 400g (RRP £2.89), 750g (RRP £4.83) & 1kg (RRP £5.61) jars. The brand is also launching a novelty nutellino Christmas trio pack, which contains 3 x 30g jars (RRP £3.20) with seasonal designs “that will make for the perfect token gift during the festive period”.
Expanding the seasonal Kinder range
2018 was a strong year for Kinder, with its seasonal range growing by +£1.8m during the seasonal period.
“The Christmas period is often a great time for retailers to bring some extra excitement to their shoppers. As the number one kids confectionery brand since 2012, Kinder is there to help add that little bit of magic, so that the festive season is all the more enjoyable for all” said Boorer.
Christmas 2019 will see Kinder add the Kinder Mix Reindeer Headband to its seasonal range. The 167g (RRP £7.00) product comes with a selection of Kinder Mini chocolates, and a Reindeer hairband.
Kinder Surprise will build on the successful performance of its 100g egg last Christmas, after it saw growth of +126% and is now worth over £1.6m. The Kinder Surprise 100g will feature new Polar Bear toys with “great playability”, including water-shooting and colour-changing features.
Kinder Joy will return this Christmas with new festive designs.
Kinder has added the Kinder Mix Hexagon (152g RRP £5.50) and The Kinder & Love (37g RRP £1.80), which is “a perfect self-treat or stocking filler item… and can be turned into a decoration to help shoppers spread the festive cheer around their home”.
Advent Calendars
Kinder is looking to retain its top position in Kids Advent Calendars by refreshing the look of its Advent Calendar (135g RRP £5.38).
Thorntons has enhanced its existing Continental Calendar (311g RRP £11.00) with the addition of a Viennese bar on the 25th day, and is launching a Cheeky Elf Advent Calendar (130g RRP £5). The advent calendar will come in a book format, bringing to life the world in which the Cheeky Elf lives.
A new launch for 2019 is the Ferrero Collection Advent Calendar (271g RRP £14.00). The product has a unique opening and makes for a premium seasonal offering with its range of Ferrero Rocher, Raffaello and Rondnoir products inside.
