Swedish healthier option confectionery brand Nick’s gains key UK listing
Swedish food-tech company Nick’s has confirmed a key UK listing for its healthier option confectionery series with WHSmith, due to an increasing British consumer base.
Adding to its current range of low in calories, no added sugar, gluten, and palm oil free chocolate bars, are Peanuts n’ Fudge, Crunchy Caramel, Coconut and Soft Toffee, WHSmith also becomes the first UK retailer to stock Nick’s vegan bars, the Peanut Crunch Nut Bar and Almond Crunch Nut Bar, which have become two of its best-selling products globally since it first launched in August 2021.
Founded by Niclas Luthman (Nick), Nick’s launched in Stockholm in 2017 and is currently providing its products to millions of customers across 16 markets. The company launched in the UK in September 2021, where, in addition to WHSmith, its products have been made available to customers through Sainsbury’s as part of its ‘Future Brands’ programme, as well as Amazon. In 2022, Nick’s is set to double its store-count globally.
Developed by an in-house team of top-level scientists, chemists, and using its own processes and formulas for replacing sugar with natural ingredients, Nick’s aims to ensure its snacks are healthier than that of global confectionery brands while bringing the same level of indulgent taste.
Replacing sugar and the artificial sweeteners commonly used in confectionery, Nick’s makes innovative use of ingredients that are typically found in nature, including xylitol (birch sugar from trees), sweet fibres from corn, erythritol (a natural sweetener from plums and pears), and stevia (an extract from the stevia plant).
Stefan Lagerqvist, CEO at Nick’s, said: “We’re excited to strengthen our partnership with WHSmith following the successful launch last autumn. In becoming a WHSmith Gold Partner, we’re making a broader range of Nick’s products available across more stores – thus reaching more people with our joyful, better-for-you snacks. We’re excited to continue the journey together.”
Ben Storey, senior buyer at WHSmith, believed the brand had strong prospects, with the market for no added sugar product ranges enjoying strong fortunes in the UK.
He said: “After a highly successful launch in our stores towards the end of last year, we are delighted to be extending our support for Nick’s innovative range of no-added-sugar chocolate bars. We are impressed with what the Nick’s team has achieved in a short time period, and are pleased to include Nick’s in our ‘Brands We Love in 2022’ campaign.”
Underlining its recent success, in October 2021, Nick’s announced a Series C funding round of 100M USD led by Kinnevik, Ambrosia Investments, and Temasek, with Gullspång, an early investor in Oatly, Peak Bridge, Capagro, and Nicoya filling out the round. The funding is now being used to further bolster its growth in Europe and the UK, as well as North America through the expansion of its product portfolio, team growth, and significant investments in R&D.