Ferrero targets key Easter market with latest seasonal confectionery
A renewed focus on core product lines has been outlined by Ferrero as part of its spring 2021 campaign, which is backed by a major £5.8 million advertising campaign amid hopes of a wider sector recovery for the year ahead, reports Neill Barston.
As with many retailers, the Easter season is among the most significant in the annual calendar, and follows an extensive range of launches for the business ahead of the Christmas season.
Levi Boorer, Customer Development Director at Ferrero, explained to Confectionery Production that the extended pandemic had placed an added emphasis on family and sentiments of gifting amid challenging times.
He said: “Despite the context of spring 2020, having to remain away from our loved ones during the pandemic has left shoppers feeling sentimental and more appreciative than ever. While upcoming spring occasions may be enjoyed in smaller groups depending on any restrictions, people will likely be eager to make the events even more special and turn to more premium brands to add some sparkle.
“Although there has been physical distance, gifting has remained key, with shoppers happy to spend extra in order to treat loved ones and themselves during what has been a challenging year. Both Rocher and Collection are performing ahead of the category, with the former in value growth of 2.6%. Our aim will be to focus on this success, with our trusted brands and products helping to ensure retailers can provide exactly what shoppers are looking for in store as we approach Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter.”
Among the company’s key Easter launches will be Kinder introducing new licenses across its range. The Kinder Surprise 100g will see hugely popular Marvel heroes including; Black Panther, Thor, Spiderman and Captain Marvel alongside a range of Disney Princesses featured on-pack. The mixed cases will contain Marvel and Disney Princess toys to give retailers the chance to appeal to more shoppers, with the Marvel characters available being joined by Disney Princesses including Rapunzel, Belle and Arial among others.
Meanwhile, the larger Kinder Surprise 220g eggs, which performed exceptionally well (+47%) during Easter 2020, will receive a Minions update to celebrate the launch of Minions: The Rise of Gru out this summer. To drive further growth, the popular Kinder Flame eggs (150g) will carry licenses from Toy Story and Marvel.
Thorntons experienced early growth of 6% during spring 2020, prior to the national lockdown impacting store visits, and was the only confectionery brand in the top seven to grow in terms of both value (6.3%) and volume (21.2%) in that initial period. The brand aims to replicate the success of its popular kids’ range, bringing back two popular designs – a unicorn egg and dinosaur egg.
The luxury Ferrero Hazelnut and Cocoa eggs saw double-digit growth during Easter 2020, growing by +29% and +24%6 respectively. Ferrero Rocher Golden Easter Egg and Ferrero Collection Milk Egg will both receive a makeover for 2021 to provide greater stand out on shelf, while also highlighting the quality of the products inside.
The Ferrero Rocher range will be supported across multiple channels at each occasion throughout spring.
As for Valentine’s Day (14th February 2021) and Mother’s Day (14th March 2021), recent performance from Ferrero favourites – including Rocher, Collection, Raffaello and Thorntons – performing well, with Thorntons Classic the fastest growing boxed chocolate brand for both seasonal occasions.
Alongside this, Ferrero Rocher T16 (200g) also saw growth of 24% and Ferrero Collection of 15%, showing just how important it is for retailers to stock the core range. Ferrero Rocher T24 (300g) also remains the number one boxed chocolate SKU at Valentine’s Day.
