Exclusive: Mars Wrigley enters the spirit of the season with cracking Christmas lines
M&M’S inspires moments of holiday happiness with customizable gifts and favors for everyone on your list.
This Christmas, Mars Wrigley has moved to produce some genuine confectionery crackers that build upon its existing series of festive sweet treats that are hitting shelves around the world, reports Neill Barston.
Among its key favourites this year are a newly released M&M’s crispy milk chocolate Santa treat, tapping into research that has shown 36% of festive chocolate buying will be for smaller shaped items with strong visual appeal.
Each piece of the company’s new Santa shapes is filled with creamy vanilla, crispy surprises and delicious M&M’S Minis, the small shape NPD is also available in a five-pack, available in UK Asda stores. Over in the US, the company is also releasing its Holiday peanut variety to much fanfare.
There’s also some notable brand development for its Twix lines, which come in the form of Twix & Friends Medium Selection Box, as well as Mars’s Celebrations Selection box, which the company reported notable growth with over the past year that have created further momentum for the company, with the key party season and family gatherings around the world ramping up throughout December.
Confectionery Production goes behind the scenes with the company for an exclusive QandA , Tim LeBel, President of Sales at Mars Wrigley North America, outlines some of the key Christmas trends that have been emerging in recent weeks, as we draw ever-closer to the big day.
Q: How has this year’s Halloween season gone for Mars, and has it placed you in a strong position for Christmas?
A: This has been another exciting Halloween season for Mars and I always want to start by thanking our amazing Associates who work so hard year round to bring the season to life. While it might feel like just a month to some, we actually start planning for each season two years in advance. It’s our biggest season and we really treat it as such.
Overall, we’re seeing that seasons are extending. Consumers are celebrating with activities and rituals that take place across the seasons, and they plan and shop for these occasions well in advance. For example, we saw consumers starting to celebrate Halloween months in advance with moments like “Summerween” and “Augtober” trending this summer. Our inaugural “Mars Tricks, Treats and Trends” report found that 85% of those planning to celebrate Halloween this year planned to go bigger or retain similar plans compared to last year—this was even higher for Gen Z and Millennials at 90%.
This year we really saw consumers gravitate to our Twix and Snickers shapes, and that’s something we’re bringing into the holiday season. We’re ringing in the holidays with a full line-up of holiday favourites, and the return of Snickers Trees. These are a go-to treat for myself as I help prepare for the holidays—they bring all the deliciousness of a Snickers inside one of the most recognisable holiday season cues.
Q: What makes the holiday season a special one from your perspective in terms of new products and atmosphere – how will you be celebrating yourself?
A: Seasonal moments are essential in inspiring moments of happiness to consumers. And as some of the leading brands in the category, we always want to offer both fun, new innovations and fan favourites that have been part of holiday traditions for years. Our seasonal portfolio helps consumers treat themselves in celebration of the season and our products are at the centre of the rituals that take place. An example for this year’s holiday season is that we continue to lean into make and decorate with favourites like M&M’S Milk & Peanut Red & Green, M&M’S Minis Red and Green and Dove Milk & Dark Chocolate for festive holiday baking and movie snacking.
We also know gifting is a huge piece of the season and we have incredible options for luxurious gifts to share with hosts or friends and family. For those looking for deluxe chocolate gifts, Ethel M Chocolates has a holiday gift guide with an array of timeless and customisable gifts, featuring small batch chocolate in elegant packaging. For the taste seekers on your list, there’s Ethel M’s Centrepiece Collection which includes an exquisite selection of 65 handcrafted chocolates from rich, velvety truffles to creamy caramels.
We do everything we can to ensure that each season feels unique not only from season to season, but also year over year. Innovation is a core piece of our seasonal strategy, whether it’s the release of new flavour innovations across our brands or the re-introduction of some of our blockbuster seasonal products and flavours that fans know and love.
My wife and I are personally excited to welcome home our two sons from college this year to celebrate the season and cannot wait to hit the slopes together
Q: Are you seeing any specific trends this year in terms of textures and flavours?
Mint is a classic for the holiday season. For instance, one of our returning fan favourites, M&M’S Holiday Mint, helps make candy dishes extra nice. We also have a new innovation featuring that classic mint flavour from Dove with Dove Dark Chocolate Holiday Mint. Each bite offers a taste of the timeless combination of silky-smooth dark chocolate with fresh mint flavour.
Outside of the seasons, we’re looking at new formats and textures to help drive trial and enthusiasm. For instance, we know that Gen Z has shown a love for fruity flavours and new textures. Building on these trends, Skittles announced Skittles POP’d in October. The freeze-dried treats are the newest innovation from SKITTLES—Skittles Original and Sour POP’d provides fans an unexpectedly crunchy, crispy way to enjoy the iconic Skittles fruity flavours they know and love.
When it comes to pairing chocolate with a flavour, peanut butter is the #1 most sought-after flavour by consumers in the category. We’re meeting consumer taste preferences by building on our already popular portfolio of peanut butter products with the addition of M&M’S Peanut Butter Minis, Megas and Peanut Butter & Jelly to the lineup this year. The latest star of M&M’S Peanut Butter portfolio, Peanut Butter & Jelly, features berry flavoured bite-sized chocolate treats with a deliciously smooth peanut butter centre that will transport fans to the delicious and nostalgic experience of a PB&J sandwich.
Q: Is there one product that Mars has made this festive period that has stood out for you?
A: New this year, M&M’S Toasty Holiday Peanut brings the nostalgic aroma of a holiday market all in one bag—it’s been a big hit in my house! Made with roasted peanuts, this holiday treat features cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar and caramel notes. Each bite feels as cozy as sitting by a warm fire, and it’s sure to become a must-have this holiday season.
