Nestlé targets key Christmas market with extended festive confectionery line-up

Nestlé has promised a raft of new chocolate innovations for this year’s crucial festive season, after registering a strong performance last year, in which it emerged as the top twistwrap brand, reporting sales ahead of the category by 10.4%, writes Neill Barston.

As the business explained to Confectionery Production, its Christmas releases include new releases for its core Quality Street brand, with its popular pouch format gaining two new varieties – the Purple One, and Strawberry Delight.

The brand is being further enhanced in block form, which have been developed in Orange Crunch and Purple One editions, as the variety proves a hit with consumers after posting a 28% increase in sales since 2020.

In addition, Quality Street Matchmakers is back with a new Honeycomb variety,  blending milk and dark chocolate, adding to an existing series of four flavours for the product range.

Another key category at Christmas is After Dinner Mints, which the company said is growing 3.9% and worth £39 million in the UK, registering growth of over 10% last year, it now reportedly accounts for 60% of the market segment. This year the brand celebrates its 60th birthday, which it will honour with an eye-catching special edition design for its 300g box.

In recent years new flavours have driven real excitement in the category, bringing in 2.9 million more shoppers and a younger audience. Brand new for 2022 is Cherry & Mint flavour, voted for by consumers, with dark chocolate and cherry proving a winning combination. Also new is the After Eight Mint Collection box which aims to bring new shoppers into the inlaid category. This indulgent collection contains five delicious flavours: Dark Peppermint Truffle, Dark Peppermint Cream, Dark Peppermint Crisp, Dark Orange and Peppermint Cream and Milk Peppermint and Lemon Truffle.

In the Inlaid boxed chocolates category, Dairy Box’s Christmas Collection returns to the range for 2022, after growth totalling 42% the previous year.

As the company added, giant tubes are a versatile confectionery format bought for many occasions and ideal for stocking fillers and token gifts, and provided further growth of 11% for the company. Its series featured familiar favourites including Smarties, Rowntree’s, Milkybar and Rolo – with two new additions for 2022 in the form of Aero Peppermint bubbles and a Smarties giant while chocolate offering.

Rounding off its festive offering, the company is delivering a special Aero selection which includes the popular Milk Chocolate, Peppermint, Orange and Snowy White chocolate blocks all wrapped up in a special festive design.