Leading confectionery wholesaler Hancocks has unveiled its selection of sweet treats for Valentine’s Day.
The range includes a wide selection of themed pick n mix sweets, award-winning Bonds Pun Boxes and gifting chocolates perfect for sweet-toothed sweethearts.
The wholesaler said the pick n mix sweets are an ideal complement for Galentine’s party snack tables, or for couples who wish to create a unique sweet mix for their significant other.
Heart-shaped pick n mix sweets are a must-stock for Valentine’s, the Ravazzi Gummy Hearts (RRP £1.20 per 100g) are available in strawberry and cream or licorice flavours.
Also perfect for the occasion are Barratt Jelly Love Hearts - small pink and white panned sweets, and Vidal Triple Hearts - strawberry and cream flavour sugared jelly sweets, both RRP £1.20 per 100g.
The popular Kingsway brand offers Valentine’s pick n mix sweets for marshmallow and chocolate lovers.
Their vanilla flavoured Mallow Hearts (RRP £1.20 per 100g) come in regular and mini sizes and are unbelievably soft and squidgy.
Kingsway’s deliciously smooth Milk Chocolate Hearts (RRP £1.49 per 100g) are packed in silver or red foil and are filled with caramel flavour crème.
Jazzies fans will adore the heart shaped edition of the iconic sweets. The Kingsway’s Pink Hearts RRP (£1.20 per 100g) are strawberry flavoured and coated with crunchy candy.
Kingsway product prices are subject to change in 2023, the wholesaler added.
A Valentines-themed alternative to heart-shaped sweets are Ravazzi’s colourful raspberry flavoured Gummy Flowers (RRP £1.20 per 100g).
All pick n mix sweets are available to be purchased in bulk bags from Hancocks stores or online and can be merchandised as a themed addition to retailers’ pick and mix range or packaged in pre-packed themed sweet bags.
Bonds Shaker Cups are also popular among customers for Valentines Day gifting. They are more hygienic, require less space in store, offer portion control and are easy to open and reseal. Perfect for Valentine’s Day is the Bonds Happy Flowers shaker cup (RRP £2.50).
Instead of giving flowers this Valentine’s Day, sweet lovers can surprise their loved ones with Chocolate Milk Roses or Tulips (RRP £1.49).
One of the most recognised confectionery brands on the market, Bonds of London, has also come out with some Valentine’s novelty gifting products.
Bonds Confetti Candy Pops (RRP £1.00) and Milk Chocolate Medals (RRP £1.50) with titles ‘Bestie’ or ‘Love ya’ are great gifting options for either friends or couples.
Also part of the Bonds gifting range is the Hot Chocolate Melt Trio Gift Box (RRP £3.99).
They’re delicious hot chocolate bombs filled with mini heart shaped marshmallows that create a luxurious hot chocolate when mixed with hot milk.
Shoppers who are looking for funny gifts to surprise their loved ones with will love the Bonds Pun Boxes.
Their Love You More Than Pizza and Hearts & Kisses boxes (RRP £2.00) are a massive hit during the romantic holiday.
Chris Smith, Marketing Communications Manager at Hancocks said: “There’s no better way to someone’s heart than sweets, so shoppers will be on the lookout for Valentine’s themed treats to surprise their loved ones with.
“We’re happy to offer retailers a wide selection of products that are perfect for this holiday, so they can help the customers share their love with their significant others or friends.
“Hancocks Valentine’s Day range includes delicious sweets that are a great addition to in-store pick n mix displays, as well as romantic and funny gifting options.
“We’re expecting the Valentine’s themed sweets to be especially popular in the coming months, so we encourage retailers to stock up soon to not miss out on the potential influx of sales.”
ADRIATICO is once again disrupting the amaretto category by expanding its portfolio, this time in the world of rum. ADRIATICO Amaretto today announces the launch of ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto Planteray Rum Cask, a new limited edition amaretto made up of only 2,600 bottles, in collaboration with the prestigious rum producer.
This is the fourth limited edition ADRIATICO Amaretto release following the successful Heaven Hill Bourbon Cask, Caroni Rum Cask and Bonollo Grappa Cask expressions. The new limited edition expression ages ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto for eight months in ex-Planteray Fijian Rum casks, creating an intense amaretto with nuances of classic rum flavours.
As part of the collaboration, Maison Ferrand, producers of Planteray Rum, have also used ADRIATICO Amaretto casks to age their Barbados Single Cask Rum from 2017. This will be the first time that a rum has been matured in an ex-amaretto cask and approximately 1,500 bottles will be released.
“It was essential to have a very intense rum to complement the intensity of the amaretto,” said Fannie Thibaud, Head of Creation and Experimentation at Maison Ferrand. “Amaretto is quite sweet, so we needed a rum that was more tannic and structured to achieve a nicely balanced palate. Additionally, the almond and sweet orange notes pair perfectly with the coffee and toasted flavours of the Fiji rum, with slightly animalistic notes that further enhance the marriage of these spirits.”
Jean-Robert Bellanger, Co-Founder of ADRIATICO Amaretto, says: “We are thrilled to collaborate with such a famous rum producer for our fourth limited edition expression. Planteray is a leader in the rum category, producing original blends and single-cask rums from around the world. We found that the Planteray Fijian Rum Casks enhanced ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto beautifully. We decided to trade our ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto casks with the founder of Planteray, Alexandre Gabriel, so that he could age his Barbados Single Cask Rum in our Amaretto casks and so that we could use his rum casks to age our Amaretto, creating a fantastic limited edition rum and amaretto. The result is a cosy amaretto with hints of spices and strength.”
Gordon’s has unveiled its new ATL campaign, “Mix It Up”. The ad, which shows consumers choosing to pace their consumption by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%, has been created to empower consumers to moderate their consumption in a way that works for them.
Mix It Up is the first Gordon’s campaign to bring both Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink alcohol-free variants together in one advert. With 36 per cent of drinkers currently pacing their consumption with soft drinks and 49 per cent of alcohol-free occasions also featuring alcohol, the campaign offers those looking to moderate an option that doesn’t compromise on taste.
The new TVC invites viewers to join an evening out with a group of friends. As the group begin to drink their Gordon’s & Tonic, the screen splits in two to visually demonstrate how they choose to pace their night by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%.
In addition to the new TVC, a suite of assets have been created to bring the campaign to life across social and digital channels. Whilst in the same universe as the commercial, the social content hero’s Gordon’s long-term partner Maya Jama who brings to life how she chooses to mix it up for followers.
“When creating this campaign, we wanted to demonstrate that moderation didn’t have to be a binary decision between having something alcoholic or alcohol free,” said Tayara Sousa Linke, Global Head of Marketing. “We know that this perceived choice impacts people’s decision to moderate, so, through Mix It Up, we wanted to highlight that it is possible to seamlessly switch between the two and enjoy the same great taste of Gordon’s Pink whilst moderating with Gordon’s Pink Alcohol Free.”
The new creative will run across BVOD, Social and Digital channels in GB.
Irish Whiskey brand Jameson has been the English Football League's (EFL) main spirits sponsor for two seasons and is deeply entrenched in all aspects of the league, including player sponsorships. It has now signed up with Admiral to celebrate both brands' association with the beautiful game. They have worked closely together to create a full retro-inspired tracksuit in Jameson’s signature green, featuring key elements from Admiral’s world-famous designs for team performance wear, to create a slouchy royal green trackie ready prepped for pubs, presents, party games and freezing cold five-a-sides this Christmas.
“Jameson shares a history rich with the beautiful game, so teaming up with an iconic heritage brand like Admiral felt like a natural fit, with the results speaking for themselves,” said Josh McCarthy, Brand Director for Pernod Ricard UK. “A classic tracksuit, from two classic brands, to look sharp after the match when buying your mates a round of Jameson, Ginger and Lime. Nostalgia is everywhere at the moment and growing up in Leicester, there was no shortage of Admiral tops in the park and at the local football clubs.”
Theo Hamburger, Head of Sales & Marketing, Admiral, said: “Our partnership with Jameson has flourished on the pitch through our range of football shirts, and we’re excited to elevate that collaboration with a new lifestyle collection. Jameson’s commitment to football over the years perfectly mirrors Admiral’s mission to be at the heart of football culture. Both brands share a rich heritage and history, making this collection a true reflection of the vibrant footballing spirit we aim to celebrate.
The collection will be available on Jameson’s website from 1 November.
An eye-catching design created by a customer is bringing a unique appeal to a new limited-edition range of king-size slim papers from the iconic Rizla brand.
The Super Thin Silver papers from the UK’s favourite rolling papers brand* come in three exciting and colourful designs, which form a complete image when placed together.
The final design - featuring an interpretation of Michelangelo’s sculpture David, with each version having a differing vibrant and colourful background - was chosen from more than 580 entries submitted via Instagram for a global competition which reached an audience of more than 2 million people.
The new papers provide retailers with an additional sales opportunity – and further demonstrate how the iconic Rizla brand continues to deliver strong visual appeal backed by unrivalled product quality.
Each bright and colourful pack contains 32 king size papers and is available to buy at an MRRP of just £0.99**.
They represent the latest chapter in Rizla’s unique journey which, for more than two centuries, has seen the brand pioneer major developments in this category – from the world’s first hand-rolling machine to the launch of rolling papers with gum, and papers with cut corners.
Rizla King Size papers were created and introduced to the market in the 1970s and are now the paper of choice for millions of customers worldwide. Indeed, many people now simply refer to Rizla when discussing or buying rolling papers in general.
Yawer Rasool, Consumer Marketing Director UK & Ireland at Imperial Brands, explained: “King size slim papers seem to have lost none of their popularity with customers and that was one of the reasons we decided to add new limited-edition papers to the line-up – and ask our customers to come up with an eye-catching new design which would work with our established brand look.
“The Instagram competition was hugely popular and drew a vast range of entries, meaning our judges had a really tough time picking a winner to be used on the new packs.
“In the end they went for a novel design where each pack works individually but also in combination with the other two to form a larger image. The design truly reflects the unique image of the Rizla brand, delivering the iconic look and feel which continues to appeal to millions of smokers worldwide. We believe the trio of designs will definitely catch the eye of customers to pick up a pack – or even all three!”
WKD X, the caffeine-containing 7% ABV innovative sub-brand from the leading RTD, is building on the strong successes achieved since its 2022 launch with the introduction of two additional flavour variants and its first dedicated media campaign.
Drawing its inspiration from the energy drinks category, WKD X variants contain caffeine, guarana and taurine, and compete in the fast-growing ‘enhanced RTD’ segment of the overall alcoholic ready-to-drink category.
The two all-new flavours – Purple Grape and Citrus Ice – join the existing line-up of Blue Raspberry, Mango Passion, and Dark Berry, available in 500ml single cans.
Having extended the offering only last year from an initial two variants launched in 2022 to three flavours, this latest range expansion to five enticing fruit flavours is testimony to both WKD X’s success to date and to the importance that brand owner SHS Drinks attributes to the continued market potential of high energy/higher ABV ‘enhanced RTDs’.
New WKD X Purple Grape and WKD X Citrus Ice complement the existing variants, further bolstering the range’s on-shelf presence and, importantly, reflecting flavours which are trending in both drinks and non-drink categories. The new variants will initially be offered in £2.99 price-marked cans only, mirroring the importance and appeal of PMP offerings in the impulse channel, the real heartland for ‘enhanced RTD’ sales.
Aligning with the launch of the new flavours, this autumn also marks the appearance of the first-ever ad campaign for WKD X. Appearing across 1200 poster sites UK-wide for a high-profile three-week burst from late October into November, two forthright and confident executions will build awareness of the existing SKUs.
Using bold colourways and impactful capital letters, 6-sheet poster sites nationwide will proclaim ‘SHOUT OUT TO OUR X-ES’ or declare ‘SO XTRA’, alongside pack imagery of the already-established Blue Raspberry, Mango Passion, and Dark Berry flavour variants. Augmenting the out-of-home campaign, WKD X will also benefit from significant social media and influencer-related activity throughout the autumn.
WKD X volumes are currently growing 88 per cent year-on-year [Nielsen GB MAT to 10.08.24] and 106 per cent over the last quarter. This strong upward trajectory is set to benefit from a notable further step-change with a new listing in Morrisons Daily stores coming on stream this month [October]. Two WKD X variants – Blue Raspberry, and Mango Passion – are to be stocked in 650 of the chain’s outlets.
“WKD X has proven to be a great success since its introduction. The 18 to 24-year-old core target audience has really bought into what the range stands for: a convenient way to get a caffeine fix. Consumers are well versed in mixing alcoholic drinks with energy drinks but WKD X delivers the convenience of a pre-mixed format from a nationally recognised brand that’s known and loved,” Alison Gray, head of brand – WKD at SHS Drinks, said.
“The further expansion of WKD X to five variants, with the addition of the new Purple Grape and Citrus Ice flavours, emphasises conclusively both our commitment to the range and consumers’ overwhelmingly positive reaction to developments so far. Our striking new poster ads are going to build even greater awareness and help elevate WKD X to the next level.”