Ferrero has announced the launch of the Tic Tac Coca-Cola limited edition in the UK.
A unique collaboration between two iconic brands of the FMCG sector, the product is the first mint with the refreshment of Coca-Cola which will be available in the next few months in more than 70 countries around the world.
The launch will be supported by a global integrated communications plan.
Tic Tac Coca-Cola will be available to retailers across the UK throughout summer 2020.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has launched a new initiative called ‘Local Moments of Joy’, giving independent and convenience retailers the chance to win a share of £48,000 ahead of the festive season to help make Christmas extra special for their customers and local area.
Live from Monday (18 November), independent convenience retailers must be registered on My.CCEP.com to enter the daily free prize draw. Each of the 12 randomly selected daily winners will receive £1,000 to thank them for their support in 2024.
The competition closes on 29 November, with winners contacted the day after each draw. More information and full terms and conditions are available on My.CCEP.com.
A further 12 lucky winners can claim up to £10,000, as part of a share of £36,000, to donate to a nominated registered local charity or good cause of their choice.
“For decades, the Coca-Cola brand has united people during memorable seasonal moments and become synonymous with Christmas. Convenience retailers embody that spirit – they are at the heart of their communities all year round, supporting local causes and creating welcoming spaces for everyone,” Ruth Fawcett, convenience & wholesale associate director at CCEP GB, said.
“With ‘Local Moments of Joy’ we want to celebrate and reward their generosity by helping them spread a little extra holiday magic this season. This fund allows retailers to make Christmas even more special, whether through charitable donations or putting on events. We can’t wait to see the joy they bring to their communities this Christmas.”
The new ‘Local Moments of Joy’ community giveaway runs alongside the return of Coca-Cola’s iconic Christmas marketing activity which launches later this month.
Retailers will also be able to access festive Coca-Cola branded point of sale materials from My.CCEP.com.
Maxi Babybel, the limited-edition, supersized version of the snacking cheese, Mini Babybel, is making a festive comeback.
At 10x bigger than Mini Babybel, Maxi Babybel was last year’s No.1 Christmas cheese NPD, proving that a well-executed novelty can truly capture shopper imagination. Racking up more than one million TikTok views and 80K likes in the first 24-hours of launch. Engagement hit 10 per cent – double TikTok’s average of five per cent, helping to drive nearly £550K of sales in just one month.
With its red wax jacket and brand new festive snowflake outer wrap, it makes a fun cheeseboard centrepiece. Plus, of course, it’s still made from the same four simple ingredients and naturally rich in calcium and protein, with no added colours, flavours or preservatives.
Supporting the launch is a creative social media campaign encouraging festive shoppers to “Go Big” with excitement fuelled by a playful video showing security guards sneakily positioning Maxi Babybel onto supermarket shelves ahead of the launch.
“We know that three quarters of Brits believe ‘going big’ at Christmas is not about spending big, but rather spending time with friends and family, that’s why we’ve made Maxi Babybel 10x bigger – perfect for sharing," said Oliver Richmond, Marketing Manager at Bel UK. "Around half of Brits said their favourite way to 'go big' at Christmas is with food and drinks, and nearly a quarter say the classic cheeseboard is their festive favourite. Almost a quarter say they look forward to seasonal and limited-edition products.
“If you look at the year-after-year success of seasonal, limited editions in other categories, it’s clear shoppers love the anticipation. Babybel already outsells it’s nearest cheese snacking rival by £73m, so we’re anticipating Maxi Babybel to drive incremental sales as shoppers get into the festive spirit. Last year proved there was a lot of demand for fun limited editions and we’re expecting this year to exceed expectations.”
200g Maxi Babybel is available from November 18 with an RRP of £3.50
With its latest campaign, More Than Only Food & Drink, the European Union (EU) is looking to provide plenty of inspiration for UK retailers and wholesalers looking to update their festive ranges this year.
The EU has launched the comprehensive communication campaign, designed to showcase the EU food and beverage products to UK food industry professionals, in September, highlighting a diverse range of product categories, each with its own set of hero products and hidden gems, including: Processed and fresh meat; Dairy products, especially cheeses; Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; Bakery products; Confectionery; and Wines, spirits, and beers.
Products featuring EU ingredients and influences can be seen across the festive product categories in the UK and include Seafood and Chorizo Shells, Sweet Spiced Gammon with Citrus Glaze and Panettone Crumb and Golden Limoncello Stollen Bites.
From aperitifs, wine pairings, succulent meats, charcuterie, several thousand cheeses and hundreds of sweet treats, the EU produces a vast range of flavours, textures and tastes, while guaranteeing the authenticity with its Protected Designated Origin (PDO), and Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) quality schemes.
From a morning glass of Spanish Cava PDO to a nightcap of French Cognac PDO or Irish Whiskey PGI - the EU offers something for all tastes. There is also the added assurance that only ingredients of natural origin are permitted in the production of EU spirits.
This year, European liqueurs are also featuring in desserts such as Jewelled Cointreau & Cranberry Christmas pudding and Limoncello Fizz Panettone, made by a family-run bakery in Piedmont.
In 2022, the UK imported 0.7 billion litres of wine from the EU. Outside the member states, the UK is the number one destination for European wines with 23 per cent of extra-EU exports.
Neil McAndrew, advisor to the ‘More Than Only Food & Drink Campaign’ and a wine industry professional for over 30 years, expects French, Italian and Spanish wines to be the best performing this Christmas - with Cava, Crémant, Champagne and Prosecco likely to have strong sales.
Whilst still relatively small, the growth of natural wines also cannot be underestimated, he says, predicting Petillant Naturel (naturally sparkling wines made using techniques that predate the times of the traditional method) to be popular this festive season.
According to McAndrew, retailers planning to capitalise on the consumer’s desire to ‘treat’ themselves at Christmas, should stock up on wines in the £15-£20 price bracket but ensure that customers understand the story behind the bottle.
Shelf-talkers and imagery highlighting the grape variety, characteristics of the terroir and suggesting food matches can help the shopper to demystify the labels. The classics from Rioja, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Châteauneuf-du-Pape are popular gift choices due to the perceived quality of wines from the regions, he notes.
With full traceability from vineyard to bottle, retailers can also be confident of high standards and authenticity, regardless of the size, scale or location of the vineyard. Furthermore, the majority of EU vines produce wines with geographical indications such as PDO and PGI.
The EU produces 14.5 million tonnes of cured meats, with hundreds of products to provide a special treat for the festive sharing board. Whilst Spanish Ibérico Dehesa de Extremadura PDO and Italian Prosciutto di Parma PDO are widely available, those seeking something truly different could look further north and east. Bulgarian Gornooryahovski sudzhuk PGI, is a succulent salami made only from the beef of well-fed cattle. Finland’s Aito saunapalvikinkku PGI has a tender texture thanks to the direct smoking method of production.
The dairy sector is the second largest agricultural sector in the EU, representing more than 12 per cent of output. The EU produces thousands of varieties of cheese encompassing soft, hard, rind-washed and blue and using milk from cows, sheep, goats and buffalo.
Protected traditional and regional dairy products, extend far beyond the likes of Italian Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, Spanish Queso Manchego PDO and French Roquefort PDO.
For a truly continental board with lesser-known cheeses: Kalathaki Limnou PDO is a soft creamy brined cheese from Greece, Lithuania’s Lietuviškas varškės sūris PGI has milky, smoky flavours that pair well with jam and honey. Croatia’s Paški sir PDO is produced from a unique breed of sheep known for their intensely salty milk, Austrian Tiroler Bergkäse PDO is characterised by its powerful, fully aromatic taste, and melting texture. Danish Danablu PGI is often referred to as the country’s equivalent to Italy’s Gorgonzola PDO and Sörmlands Ädel PGI from Sweden has tangy, salty flavours expected of blue cheese. Perfect for cheese lovers who enjoy seeing out new flavours.
Last year, many retailers moved away from the traditional Christmas pudding in order to reflect modern tastes with some neglecting the pudding altogether in favour of Italy’s Panettone.
Stollen is also becoming a Christmas staple on British shelves. For the original and quite possibly the best, Germany’s Dresdner Christstollen PGI have been carefully baked and perfected for more than 500 years. Lebkuchen are also proving popular amongst British buyers with Nürnberger Lebkuchen PGI the most authentic option. Other festive treats include Vánoční Cukroví - iced shortbreads from Czechia and Hungary’s Beigli - sweetened bread rolls filled with walnuts, poppy seeds and a variety of sweet fillings.
Most Christmas celebrations involve chocolate, and the EU produces millions of tonnes of chocolate each year with Germany, Italy and France producing almost two thirds (64%). Whilst Italy’s Cioccolato di Modica PGI was the first chocolate to receive the PGI accreditation, the French created praline and the Bûche de Noël (Yule log) is also a festive must-have.
Walkers Chocolates said it is switching its popular own brand Turkish Delight and Mint Cream chocolate bars into EvoPak RCM, a 100% recyclable paper wrapper.
The bars will begin rolling out to selected Premier and Asda stores this month.
Unlike conventional paper packaging which often contains polyethylene, consumers can dispose of the new Walkers’ wrapper in their normal kerbside recycling collection along with their other paper recyclable items. Currently, it is only possible to recycle similar wrappers by returning them to store, which isn’t convenient for consumers and in many cases, where recycling processes aren’t carefully controlled, the wrapper still ends up in landfill or incinerated.
Significantly, if littered, the new wrapper does not produce harmful microplastics when it breaks down which cause serious damage to the environment and animal health.
Walkers Chocolates said the new paper wrapper provides a functional and environmentally friendly alternative to current snack and confectionary packaging which, over the past 30 years, has become complex with the development of light weight multi-layer structures.
This has driven efficiency and shelf life, but the complexity makes them impossible to deal with at end of life. This is compounded by consumer consumption, which is often on the move, making littering a bigger problem than other formats. The other factor is that small units using a complex combination of materials makes recycling and recovery options currently limited, resulting in landfill with no circularity option.
“At Walkers Chocolates, we have a strong focus on sustainability and are committed to reducing our impact on the environment. As part this, we will move away from plastic to paper-based materials completely over the next three to five years where possible,” Tom Murtagh, commercial director, Walkers Chocolates, said.
“Today’s announcement is an exciting step for the Walkers team with two our key customers and I hope is the start of a much bigger revolution in the chocolate category, and one which will be welcomed by consumers who can recycle the wrappers and know that no harmful microplastics are being produced at end of life.”
Developed by EvoPak, a manufacturer of sustainable paper based flexible packaging, the new paper wrapper (known as RCM) uses the same environmentally friendly technology as the world’s first fully recyclable crisp packet – the innovative polymer, Hydropol, developed by Aquapak, which is used in place of conventional plastic.
To keep the chocolate fresh and in good condition in transit and on the shelf, the packaging needs to provide protection from oxygen, seal well on standard packaging equipment and must be easy to print on. Hydropol provides all this functionality as well as offering multiple safe end-of-life disposal options for consumers and brands who want to help eliminate harmful plastic pollution.
Hydropol allows paper to remain fully recyclable and compostable and is even compatible with anaerobic digestion. Thanks to its solubility it doesn’t interfere with the recycling process and can allow up to 100% paper fibre recovery in standard mills.
Furthermore, if unintentionally released into the natural environment, Hydropol – which is proven to be both non-toxic and marine safe – still has a safe end-of life and will dissolve and subsequently biodegrade. It does not break down into harmful microplastics either in the paper mill or if packaging it is not disposed of as intended. It is already being used in products such as crisp packets, chocolate and garment bags.
The wrappers have been certified as recyclable in standard paper recycling mills by OPRL, the only evidence-based on pack recycling labelling scheme. This means they feature the green recycle logo and can be disposed of in consumer kerbside collections along with other paper material, unlike other wrappers.
Leading fuel brand JET has launched its biggest national promotion to date - Pump Up To 70 - with a chance to win a Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid worth £26,000.
To enter the prize draw, part of JET’s 70th anniversary celebrations, JET customers simply have to fill their vehicle and stop fuelling at a price ending in £0.70 (e.g. £23.70). They then need to take a photo showing the price on the pump display, post it to their Instagram story and tag @JETLocalUK.
All information on how to enter will be available via pump topper frames and posters for all pumps and JET customers and their friends and family can enter as many times as they wish.
“I can’t think of a more fitting way to mark 70 years of JET, a driver-first business through-and-through, than to give away a brand new car,” Áine Corkery, manager, brand, UK marketing at Phillips 66 Limited, commented.
“2024 has been a very special year for JET and the ‘Pump Up To 70’ promotion is our way of saying thank you to our loyal customers and dealers. One JET customer is set for a very good Christmas this year!”
Supported by a media campaign featuring one of social media’s most-famous families, the Harfin’s, the prize draw promotion will run for three weeks (ending 1 December) with the winner notified via Instagram.
