Everybody is wondering how come Easter is so early this year – Sunday 31 March – when it was in mid-April last year and likewise in 2022.
The simple answer is that the date follows an ancient and established formula that few people are any longer aware of, namely that Easter typically falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
The Spring equinox – the exact point when the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres share an equal amount of sunlight – took place on early on 20 March (this very morning at the time of writing).
So the countdown begins: the next full moon is at the same hour on March 25 (a Monday) and hey presto! Easter is the following Sunday. It’s that unique line-up, that particular sequence of events, that determines when we celebrate Easter.
Why we celebrate Easter is another question. Obviously it is the major Christian event of the liturgical calendar – much more important than Christmas for religious people, although commercially the winter festival has usurped Easter in significance for decades (or even centuries) now.
Easter itself – just like Christmas – has developed as a “syncretic” occasion, meaning that its Christian significance was placed over an earlier, already existing pagan ritual, making it easier for Easter, like Christmas, to be accepted and embedded in the culture. Many pagan societies have a winter celebration, typically a festival of lights of some sort that stirs the spirits of the cold and hungry people and helps them to look forward to the renewal of life in the Spring.
Easter, likewise, represents the culmination of those hopes, and celebrates (even when it is early, like this year) not only the resurrection of a god – as with Jesus and those dying and arisen gods who were worshipped before him – but the fecund rebirth of the world itself, as flowers and buds appear and as lambs and of course bunny rabbits are born into the fresh spring of the unsullied year.
How we celebrate is another question. Some will go to church of course, and a few druids will foregather around woodland oaks at dawn no doubt. Most people, however, will mark the occasion by unwrapping chocolate eggs and related delicious sweet products, and will make Easter, alongside Christmas, the most important confectionery sales season of the year.
Which is where we come in.
Dark matter
Every independent retailer knows how to prepare for Easter, and 90 percent, perhaps even 95 per cent of that prep revolves around sourcing the right chocs and eggs to satisfy the shoppers who for a period allow themselves to indulge in a feast of confectionery resurrection.
It need not only be Easter eggs, important as they are. In the lead-up to Easter, which with certain skus (Creme Eggs, we are thinking of you) begins not long after New Year. There are Lindt chocolate bunnies which are another self-treating tradition in themselves, and increasingly other specially adapted brands of chocolate (and now thinking of you, Maltesers) who take on rabbity-form in new lines and skus designed to feed Easter-anticipation.
The Easter treats market has seen steady growth over the past several years, driven by consumers’ desire for seasonal indulgences and premium products. Total Easter sales including boxed confectionery reached an impressive £640 million CSV in 2023 [Nielsen], which not only underscores the economic significance of Easter but also highlights consumer enthusiasm – an enthusiasm that shows zero signs of waning, unlike that full moon.
“There are already 882 million treat reward servings per year, yet this sees a large uplift during the Easter period with the four weeks prior to 16 April 2023 being 23 per cent higher than March and 52 per cent higher than May,” confided Naomi Shooman, global marketing director for sweet treats at Premier Foods.
As choc sales clearly dip following Easter, as a nation shapes up for its svelte appearance on summer beaches, the opportunity to sell as much chocolate as possible right now should not be passed up.
For a full run-down of what to stock for best Easter sales see our Easter products feature from last month, Easter Treats: Fresh out of the egg – it will prepare you perfectly for egg success!
Since then, there are some important updates for Easter-related skus definitely worth looking at right now.
A delicious new product which will suit those whose tastes might be slightly more mature than just an M&M’s Egg is from Dark chocolate toffee brand Riesen, which is extending its range for the first time with the launch of a limited-edition espresso flavour. The Riesen Espresso flavour combines the rich taste of espresso coffee with delicious chocolate (it is, we’ve tried it!) and is in stores now.
“The UK is a nation of coffee lovers, with the coffee shop market growing by 7.3 per cent and 61 per cent of consumers now preferring it to tea,” said Andy Mutton, Managing Director at Storck UK. “Our new product caters to this growing demand and offers consumers that classic combination of chocolate and coffee in the form of an indulgent treat. We believe that the new flavour will be popular amongst the brand’s current loyal following as well as bringing in new shoppers by driving excitement in the category.”
Riesen is now worth £4.9 million in retail sales value and ranks as the sixth fastest growing brand in the sugar confectionery segment. As the number-one dark chocolate toffee brand, Riesen is well placed to tap into this flavour trend with its new limited-edition offering and drive growth in the category.
Dark chocolate is increasingly popular (we looked at this last year and concluded that the trend is only going to carry on as the palate of a maturing demographic looks toward darker, less sweet and more sophisticated forms of chocolate). Riesen Espresso is available in 135g sharing bags at MRSP £1.25.
Small is beautiful
You might have read about the spike in cocoa prices – higher than at any point since the 1970s, with implication not only for cost but the size of future eggs!
The cocoa crisis stems from West Africa, particularly Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana that produce 60 per cent of supply. A series of poor harvests in the region due to unusually heavy rains have hammered production.
This means the price of cocoa has risen by more than 40 per cent since the start of January and more than doubled since the start of 2023. A tonne of cocoa has now topped £4,355, breaking the last record high set in 1977. While already at a record high, experts believe the price of cocoa will keep rising.
The result will inevitably be higher prices. It comes at a time when chocolate has already been rapidly getting more expensive as energy and labour costs climb.
Apart from higher prices, manufacturers will increasingly resort to making their products smaller to cut costs, sparking another wave of so-called “shrinkflation”.
A spokesman for Cadbury owner Mondelēz said, “Looking ahead, given these challenges and specifically the rising cocoa prices, we may be required to make further, carefully considered changes within our UK portfolio.
“This could include different measures such as cost price increases or changing the unit weights of our products, but always as a last resort.”
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bars shrunk by 10 per cent in 2022, while a “Big Share” bag of its Dairy Milk Buttons became 23 per cent smaller last year.
Nestle, which along with Cadbury and Mars makes up the big three chocolate producers in Britain, confirmed that it too may have to “make adjustments to the price or weight of some of our products” because of surging cocoa prices (although choccie shrinkflation was widely spotted as far back as 2017).
William Whitaker, managing director of Whitaker’s Chocolates, is hoping to find more creative solutions like making use of less chocolate and focusing more on other items such as fondant creams.
“If this trend continues, it isn’t going to be “I can have a bar a day, I can buy it whenever I like”, it is going to be like it was when I was a kid, which was an occasional treat,” The Telegraph quoted Paul A Young, a former chocolatier who now works as a consultant in the industry, as saying.
Cakes are Easterful, too
If chocolate looks like it’s getting pricey, remember also to tempt your customers with baked goods – cakes and biscuits. The Easter cake after all, has a pedigree stretching back much further into history than the chocolate egg.
Country Choice, for example, has revealed its Easter treats line-up for 2024, which also gives a great range of ideas for other cake, bread and biscuit skus for your shelves. Among the highlights of the Easter treats collection are:
Hot Cross Buns: Indulge in the classic Easter tradition with these sweetly spiced buns, filled with sultanas, raisins, mixed peel, and adorned with a distinctive white flour cross.
Cornflake Cake with Chocolate Eggs: Enjoy a delightful combination of crispy cornflake cake covered in a chocolate-flavoured coating, finished with chocolate eggs and sugar strands.
Giant Lemon and Chocolate Bakewell-Style Tarts: A Lemon flavoured frangipane in a pastry shell topped with lemon fondant, and a chocolate sponge in a pastry shell topped with chocolate fondant and white chocolate decoration.
Gingerbread Bear: Great for kids is the bear-shaped gingerbread biscuit, decorated with colourful sugar beans.
Easter Cupcakes (Lemon and Chocolate): Treat customers to sponge cakes topped with lemon or chocolate icing, adorned with white chocolate shavings and a sugar-coated milk chocolate mini egg.
Easter Chocolate Cake: A decadent chocolate cake featuring vanilla-flavoured crème cheese icing, chocolate coating, and sugar-coated chocolate mini eggs.
Mini Loaf Cakes: Choose from a variety of flavours including Carrot, Double Chocolate, and Lemon Meringue, each individually wrapped for freshness and convenience.
In terms of promotions, Premier Foods brands Mr Kipling and Cadbury Cakes are launching an on-pack competition to give shoppers the opportunity to win adventures through their cake packs, including a dream family holiday for four people, days out and over 100 other prizes. The campaign is live now and runs until 16 May across all retail channels.
Premier Foods is determined to drive sales even further than last year's record Easter sales for retailers around this occasion with the Mr Kipling and Cadbury Cake Easter campaign.
“At Easter, consumers are more likely to be spending time with friends and family, so we’re expecting more shoppers to turn to the category for sweet treats to share with loved ones,” said Naomi Shooman, global marketing director for sweet treats at Premier Foods. “Our distinctive on-pack executions and in-store activity, makes the cake aisle an exciting destination to shop – especially when prizes are on offer. Our aim is therefore to disrupt and recruit shoppers into the cake category during the Easter period and excite them with the latest Mr Kipling and Cadbury campaign which could see them win the likes of a dream family holiday.”
The competition is running across some of Cadbury and Mr Kipling’s most popular Easter cake SKUs, including the Mr Kipling Lemon & Raspberry Mini Batts and the returning Mr Kipling Deliciously Good Hot Cross Pies. The competition is available across the grocery, wholesale and convenience channel from now until 16th May. The full terms & conditions can be found here.
Don’t forget the bunny!
Lastly, whatever you do, don’t forget that great egg alternative at Easter, the Lindt chocolate bunny.
Lindt has just unveiled a novel, irresistible addition to its Easter collection – the Gold Bunny Salted Caramel (and of course anew Lindt Gold Bunny Salted Caramel Easter Egg).
Salted Caramel is the runaway success taste variation for all kinds of confectionery and ice cream, and adding it to the instantly recognisable gold bunny from Switzerland (100g, RRP £4.00) is a taste treat that will encourage greater premium sales.
Asian Trader wishes you a happy sales Easter and a great springboard into the sunshine and barbecue season of 2024!
A selection of disposable vapes with bright and colourful packaging are seen in a convenience store, on January 29, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The decision to ban disposable vapes by June 2025 has sparked strong reactions across the vaping and retail sectors, with key industry figures voicing concerns about the impact on public health and called for a balanced approach to support smokers switching to vaping as a safer alternative.
A spokesperson of Elfbar, the leading disposable vape brand, highlighted the role of the product in smoking cessation, citing that “nearly three million people in Britain have quit smoking using vapes in the last five years,” with single-use vapes comprising over 60 per cent of the UK market.
The brand warned of unintended consequences, noting, “Our concern is the potential impact on the majority of single-use vapers – adult smokers…pushing them to the black market and illicit products.”
Liam Humberstone, technical director at Totally Wicked, also pointed out the public health benefits of disposable vapes, noting they’ve served as “a key entry point for many smokers seeking an easy-to-use, effective alternative.”
While recognising environmental and youth access issues, Humberstone said “proper regulation, enforcement, and education are vital in addressing these concerns and … it’s crucial to ensure that adult smokers continue to have access to safer alternatives to cigarettes.”
James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, welcomed the government’s intention to provide businesses with enough time to prepare for the changes, but added: “This is still a challenging timetable for retailers and their supply chains.” He called for strict enforcement against rogue sellers post-ban to prevent black-market sales, which “undermine legitimate retailers.”
Mo Razzaq, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, suggested an alternative approach to an outright ban, advocating for a recycling scheme akin to that for single-use drink containers. “An outright ban will simply send many vapers towards unorthodox and illicit sources,” he said, highlighting the risk posed by products that may not comply with UK health standards.
Consumer advocacy groups echoed these concerns. Mike Salem of the Consumer Choice Center criticised the government for pushing through the ban during Stoptober, a campaign month encouraging smokers to switch to vaping. “Announcing such a policy…seriously damages governmental and NGO efforts in reaching a smoke-free society by 2030,” Salem said.
The UK Vaping Industry Association’s director general, John Dunne, cautioned that a ban might exacerbate black market sales, saying, “Bans are not the answer as we’ve seen in other parts of the world…they will only boost the black market.”
Dunne advocated for stronger enforcement and proposed a licensing scheme for vape retailers to help control sales to minors and ensure environmental compliance, calling for “fines of up to £10,000 and £100,000 for retailers and distributors respectively who break the law.”
The Independent British Vape Trade Association’s chair Marcus Saxton also voiced concerns about the ban's potential to mislead the public on vaping’s relative safety.
“Banning an entire category of vapes is likely to fuel public misperceptions about the relative safety of vaping to smoking. Adults using single use disposable vapes outnumber those that are under 18 by several times. Consequently there needs to be clear messaging from government to encourage those adults not to simply revert to smoking,” he said.
Saxton criticised the absence of an importation ban in the new legislation, arguing that it will lead to increased illicit trade.
The government has laid legislation to introduce the ban and, subject to parliamentary approval, businesses will have until 1June 2025 to sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force.
High streets in the UK are collectively pay one third of all business rates while accounting for 9 per cent of the economy, British Retail Consortium (BRC) stated on Thursday (24), strengthening its call for a fairer level of business rates for hospitality and retail.
BRC and UKHospitalityare united in their call for the Chancellor to implement a fairer level of business rates for hospitality and retail at the Budget, which will rebalance a system that unfairly punishes our high streets and town centres. This was a manifesto pledge from Labour ahead of the election.
A lower rate for hospitality and retail, which together employ around six million people, would unlock investment in our high streets, while also stemming the loss of shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels, and the jobs that rely on them.
In 2023-24, retail and hospitality businesses combined to pay almost £9 billion in business rates, 34 per cent of the overall rates bill, while accounting for only 9 per cent of the overall economy.
Current business rates relief for retail and hospitality is set to end on 31 March, costing the sectors a combined £2.5bn. That would take their bill up to £11bn, accounting for 44 per cent of total rates.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said, "Consumers want diverse and thriving high streets, but this is held back by the broken business rates system. It is the biggest barrier to local investment and prevents the creation of new shops and jobs.
"Already, the industry pays far more than its fair share – retail accounts for 5 per cent of the economy, but pays 7.4 per cent of all business taxes, and over 20 per cent of all business rates. The Budget is a great opportunity to right this imbalance, ensuring that retail pays a fairer level of business rates."
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said, "Hospitality is at the heart of our communities but the enormous value it delivers both socially and economically is under threat from the inflated business rates bill the sector has to foot.
"High street businesses paying one third of all business rates is absurd and one of the primary reasons why we see our businesses facing financial challenges – it makes running a pub, bar, café or restaurant, to name a few, incredibly expensive.
"Introducing a reduced level of business rates for the high street at the Budget can unlock millions in investment – from new venues to more jobs. Crucially, it would save our high street from countless closures if hospitality had to bear a billion pound business rates hike in April."
Northern Ireland family-run Nisa convenience store has come under Spar NI after 27 years following its acquisition by Henderson Retail. Nisa Circle K Silverwood store in Lurgan was operated by local retailer Patrick Hughes for the past 27 years.
Nisa Silverwood was acquired by Patrick Hughes in 1997. In the past 27 years the store has undergone significant developments due to Hughes' investments to help the business grow and provide more local jobs over the years.
Speaking of his decision to sell to Henderson Retail, Mr Hughes, said: “Henderson Retail taking over ownership and operations of the store is a great opportunity for the staff and the business itself.
“As a local grocer, I have seen how the company has accelerated the growth of convenience in Northern Ireland, investing in their properties to bring even more jobs, services and locally sourced products to communities.
"I have worked closely with the team to ensure the transition goes smoothly and our shoppers feel no disruption whatsoever. I have complete trust that the future of this store, future job creation for the local area and the opportunities surrounding that are vast and I’m delighted to leave this business in such capable hands.”
Under the new ownership, Henderson Retail will further develop and invest in the site, building on an already strong business model to enhance the services offered to shoppers in the local area. The company will soon submit a planning application that will further underpin their commitments towards improving the store for shoppers and staff through accessibility, sustainability, product range and modernisation of the store’s facilities.
Henderson Retail, which is part of the Mallusk-based Henderson Group, has invested £30 million in new stores, developments and renovations throughout its estate in 2024.
Henderson Retail now owns and operates 109 Spar and Eurospar stores in Northern Ireland. The company has recently opened an impressive new-build development at Eurospar Gilford and will open another at Eurospar Doury Road in Ballymena before the end of the year as part of the wider multi-million investment.
UK consumers are in a “despondent mood” as households brace for tax rises in the Budget next week, amid fears that Britain could be entering a “vibecession”, a situation of disconnect between the economy's performance and how people feel about their finances
Research firm GfK’s monthly survey of consumer morale shows confidence has slipped this month, to -21 points, the joint lowest this year. It found that households are gloomier about the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months, and also over the next year.
Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, reckons consumers are "holding their breath” ahead of next Wednesday’s budget statement.
He said, "The largest drop though was in our view of the general economic situation over the last 12 months, down five points to -42. On the plus side, the major purchase index rose two points and future personal financial expectations by one point. As the Budget statement looms, consumers are in a despondent mood despite a fall in the headline rate of inflation. This month’s Consumer Confidence Barometer paints a picture of people holding their breath to see what’s in store for them on 30th October.”
“Consumer confidence fell one point this month to -21, taking the score back down to the level last seen in March this year. Also falling one point are both personal financial situation over the last 12 months and general economic situation over the next 12 months.
Although Labour ruled out increasing taxes on “working people”, various revenue-raising measures could be in the chancellor’s sights, such as capital gains tax (CGT), inheritance tax, employer national insurance contributions, and fuel duty.
A similar picture was presented by PwC on Thursday (24), showing that consumer sentiment index dropped to the lowest level in 2024, led by “notable declines” among those over 65 and the lowest socioeconomic groups.
Over 70 per cent of people polled by PwC are planning to make short-term spending cutbacks, and more households plan to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations than those who say they’ll spend more.
The drop in confidence comes despite the easing of cost of living pressures recently, with inflation dropping to 1.7 per cent last month.
Nick Gillett, Co-founder and Managing Director of successful spirits distributor Mangrove Global, celebrates India’s contribution to classic toasts with its wonderful and increasingly well-known whiskies
October is here, and our thoughts turn to many of the remaining celebrations of the year – and first up we have Diwali. A time for lavish decorations, food, sweets, and drinks, Diwali begs the question: what will you have in your glass for a toast? For me there’s one answer, and it’s whisky.
Whisky as a category is changing. Enthusiasts are exploring beyond the shores of Scotland and Ireland and buying “world whiskies" from all corners of the globe. North America and Japan have had their moment – and now it’s India’s turn.
Indian whiskies showcase Indian traditions of whisky distilling – with some added innovation. The humid Indian climate ages the spirit much faster, giving deep, complex flavours. But the nation’s distilleries are experimenting with different casks, strengths, and ingredients to bring us fascinating liquids that are now sought after, all over the world.
Nick Gillett
We launched Indri in the UK a few months ago – and it’s been a runaway success that even we couldn’t have predicted. Distilled in Rajasthan, Indri uses six-row barley that’s been grown in the region for thousands of years. The ageing process varies across the range, but let’s take a closer look at the brand’s aptly named, limited edition SKU – Diwali. Aged in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks this whisky is smooth, sweet, and smoky. No bones about it, this is a collector’s item – and there will be another limited release this year.
So, this Diwali, ensure you celebrate India’s whisky-fuelled success and stock a bottle or two of the nation’s favourite on your shelf. And if you celebrate it, have a very enjoyable Diwali.