Mars Wrigley’s 2023 Easter portfolio sees the return of seasonal favourites alongside exciting new products, offering a full range from its iconic brands to fulfil all the key shopper rituals at a time of year when chocolate is central to celebrations.
The shopper mindset shifts in the run up to Easter, from impulse purchases in the early part of the season – accounting for 45 per cent of total Easter confectionery sales – when Easter ranges serve as permissible treats, to planned purchases in the weeks immediately preceding Easter weekend for seasonal gifting, events and activities such as egg hunts.
Easter shapes and treats
New for 2023 are M&M’S Easter Shapes, which are hollow chocolate shapes filled with mini M&M’S and individually wrapped in colourful foil. Shapes are growing category, with 15 per cent of households purchasing Easter shapes and 13 per cent of shoppers repeat purchasing gift shapes during the Easter period. M&M’S Easter Shapes come in mixed cases of two unique designs for maximum shelf efficiency and are stackable for building in-aisle displays.
Meanwhile, M&M’S Speckled Eggs feature a new packaging design. The sharing bag of unwrapped chocolate sugar-shelled treats are a favourite at this time of year and the new packaging is set to really stand out on shelf.
MALTESERS is the No.1 brand in the novelty shapes category and given that 18 per cent of shoppers repeat purchase MALTESERS Bunny, which come in self-eat bars and 5-packs, the return of the popular treat will be welcomed by shoppers and retailers alike.
Orange chocolate has grown +46 per cent versus 2021, when MALTESERS Orange Bunny was the most successful self-eat NPD in value share and sales, so its return will meet the growing consumer demand for this flavour.
Also back by popular demand are MALTESERS White Mini Bunnies pouches, the No.1 small sharing novelty shape in value sales, which are in a unique position with 68 per cent of shoppers only buying white bunnies.
Egg hunts and gifting
The last three weeks in the Easter countdown represent 55 per cent of sales and 70 per cent of traditional egg and egg hunt sales, with 28 per cent of seasonal sales in the last week.
The egg hunt is a firmly established Easter ritual, with more than 1 in 5 now participating in the springtime adventure. Mars Wrigley’s MALTESERS Easter Hunt Mix and GALAXY Easter Hunt Mix packs are in the top 5 hunt packs and, along with the new-look CELEBRATIONS Easter Mix, offer consumers a variety of treats to earn on the trail or for sharing at family feasts.
The gifting of chocolate eggs is the largest and most traditional ritual of the Easter celebration, with 85 per cent of UK adults buying Easter eggs in 2022. This year will see the return of Mars Wrigley’s most popular eggs in a range of sizes to suit various shopper profiles.
The much-loved GALAXY brand grew by +14 per cent in 2022 and its range of mini eggs held plenty of appeal for more affluent adults seeking luxurious treats. These foil-wrapped premium treats are back in three variants - GALAXY Enchanted Eggs, GALAXY Caramel Mini Eggs and GALAXY Creamy Truffle Mini Eggs – and are also ideal for egg hunts and Easter baking.
Medium eggs have the highest unique penetration of all eggs (33 per cent) and play a significant role in driving early season sales and repeat purchases. MALTESERS Medium Egg is a key sales driver throughout the Easter season.
The GALAXY Enchanted Egg and M&M’S Brownie Egg are among Mars Wrigley’s large egg portfolio for 2023. Large eggs grew by +25 per cent in value sales with Mars Wrigley taking a 20 per cent share of the category. Meanwhile, extra-large eggs play a critical role in driving trade-up in the final weeks of the season and this year’s CELEBRATIONS egg features the brand’s new packaging.
Luxury and giant eggs are purchased as gifts for someone special, with giant eggs driving long-term category growth +17.3 per cent (17-22). Mars Wrigley’s MALTESERS Crunchy and GALAXY Enchanted Eggs are both in the Top 10 giant egg SKUs.
In its luxury range Mars Wrigley is responding to consumer demand for the caramel flavour, which has grown +14.8 per cent (3yr CAGR), with new GALAXY Caramel Truffles Luxury Egg. The MALTESERS Truffles Luxury Egg is returning as a premium option in a consumer favourite brand and all truffles will have new single-layer wrappers, cutting down on packaging.
The full Easter range from Mars Wrigley includes:
Treats
M&M’S Easter Shapes RRP £2.99
M&M’S Speckled Eggs RRP £1.19
MALTESERS Bunny RRP £0.62
MALTESERS Mini Bunnies RRP £1.29
MALTESERS 5 Bunnies pack RRP £2.39
MALTESERS Orange Bunny RRP £0.62
MALTESERS White Mini Bunnies RRP £1.29
CELEBRATIONS Easter Mix RRP £4.99
MALTESERS Easter Hunt Mix RRP £6.99
GALAXY Easter Hunt Mix RRP £6.99
Mini eggs RRP £1.19
GALAXY Enchanted Eggs
GALAXY Caramel Mini Eggs
GALAXY Creamy Truffle Mini Eggs
GALAXY Hazelnut Creamy Truffle Mini Eggs (exclusive to Co-op)
TRIP, the UK’s fastest-growing soft drinks brand for the past two years, is excited to announce the launch of its new Magnesium Gummies.
After taking the market by storm with its award-winning range of functional Mindful Blend drinks, which were its most successful launches ever on Amazon, TRIP is continuing its mission to help people find calm and enjoy the benefits of magnesium in a new and convenient way. The gummies are available for purchase on the TRIP website for £19.60 and soon on Amazon, with plans for wider retail distribution in the coming months.
Boasting a remarkable +389 per cent CAGR over the past two financial years, the brand continues to disrupt the wellness space with innovative products that meet the needs of the modern consumer. In line with TRIP's commitment to quality and taste, these gummies are vegan-friendly, contain no added sugar, and deliver a delicious, juicy Wild Berry flavour experience worthy of their Great Taste award-winning heritage.
Magnesium is fast becoming one of the most talked-about wellness ingredients, with over 1 billion views of the #magnesium tag on Tiktok3 as people seek natural ways to manage fatigue and improve their overall well-being. This surge in popularity is partly fueled by recent trends like the “sleepy girl mocktail,” which combines magnesium and tart cherry juice as a pre-bedtime ritual, and wider recognition of its numerous health benefits, including:
Supporting the normal functioning of the nervous system
Promoting normal energy-yielding metabolism
Helping to reduce tiredness and fatigue
TRIP's Magnesium Gummies are designed to seamlessly integrate into consumers' daily wellness routines, whether as a standalone supplement or in combination with the brand's popular Mindful Blend drinks.
Olivia Ferdi, TRIP Founder, says, “I launched TRIP to help people find their calm in the everyday chaos - with a focus on authentically functional and uniquely delicious products that people love. Building on our mission & Following the overwhelming success of our Mindful Blend drinks, we recognised a growing demand from our community asking us for ways to incorporate new and powerful ingredients into their daily routines.
"We pride ourselves on innovation and expertise crafting the highest quality functional ingredients into award winning delicious formats. We wanted to offer our customers even more ways to find calm in their busy lifestyles, and our new gummies provide just that - a tasty and convenient option for those wanting the health benefits of magnesium without compromising on flavour or quality.”
Global vaping innovator ELFBAR has introduced its first four-pod system, the ELFBAR 4-in-1 pod kit.
Designed for flavour versatility, the rechargeable pod kit includes four 2ml pods, allowing adults to rotate between four flavours in one device.
Flavours are a key factor in motivating adult smokers to transition, with the Royal College of Physicians recommending a variety of options to support quit-smoking efforts. ELFBAR 4-in-1 gives smokers flavour flexibility and serves as an alternative to single-use vapes, building on the brand's portfolio of reusable products available since 2022.
Offering two vaping modes, ELFBAR 4-in-1 provides up to 2,400 puffs in Normal Mode while Economy Mode extends usage up to 3,200 puffs for a longer vaping experience at a lower power level.
One push of a button switches between the two modes, and the device displays when Economy Mode is active.
ELFBAR 4-in-1 has a twist mechanism for quick and easy flavour changes. With four 2ml prefilled pods, its e-liquid lasts four times longer than its single-use counterpart, meaning fewer refills for more convenience and better cost efficiency.
Once empty, the pods can be replaced.
The device features a display that indicates the remaining power of its long lasting 1500mAh battery. Its sleek, pocket-friendly design makes for easy portability, and the battery can be recharged via Type-C USB.
Advanced Mesh Coil Maximises Flavour
ELFBAR 4-in-1 pods are equipped with an advanced QUAQ MESH coil, designed to enhance flavour and reduce e-liquid waste during atomisation, ensuring that every drop is utilised effectively.
“For millions of UK adult smokers and former smokers who adopt vaping as an alternative, flavours are crucial," said Chris Kader, head of PR and communications for ELFBAR in the UK. "ELFBAR 4-in-1 serves as a practical and economical replacement for single-use vapes, prioritising a diverse flavour selection that supports smokers in their transition.”
ELFBAR 4-in-1 comes in 16 editions, including Pineapple Edition, Fruits Edition, and Blueberry Edition, each containing mixed flavours. Additionally, there are eight single-flavour 4-in-1 options to choose from, including Watermelon Ice, Blueberry Sour Raspberry and Cherry Ice.
Replaceable pods are available in pairs containing 20 mg/ml (two per cent) nicotine-strength e-liquid and available in 16 flavours, including ELFBAR favourites like Blueberry Sour Raspberry, Pineapple Ice, and Lemon Lime.
Diablo, the producer of disobediently good wines, has inked a partnership with new musical The Devil Wears Prada, which makes its UK debut in London this month.
Diablo (which means "devil" in Spanish) will feature on programmes, and competitions will be run to award tickets for the shows, which run until 31 May 2025. Diablo wines will also be poured at Elton John’s Opening Night Gala at the British Museum in London on 1 December, where a bespoke "Diablo" bar will be built.
The Devil Wears Prada Musical is a new stage adaptation of the popular 2006 film, itself based on Lauren Weisberger's novel.
The Diablo wine brand, first launched in 2018, is growing at a phenomenal rate in the UK, +33.4 per cent by value in the past 52 weeks. It has successfully introduced new wines into its portfolio, with the original Diablo Dark Red being joined by Chardonnay, and most recently Purple Malbec, Volcanic Cab and Deep Carmenere, all listed in major multiple grocers.
Diablo is attracting a distinctive younger and more affluent shopper (45 per cent of its shoppers are under 45 versus 14 per cent of shoppers across total still wine).
“This is an incredibly exciting time for the brand," said Javiera Moller, Senior Brand Manager at Concha y Toro UK. "The Devil Wears Prada is an iconic and much-loved story, now brought to life on the London stage with a star cast and a great score by Elton John, and the 'devil' connection makes it a perfect partner for our brand.
“Our audience are disruptive, intelligent, stylish and early adopters of brands and trends. This partnership gives us the chance to activate with our target consumers, and build the profile of an already-thriving wine brand.”
From its initial launch in 2018 with Diablo Dark Red blend, the brand now has six wines in multiple retail distribution in the UK:
Diablo Dark Red
Diablo Volcanic Cabernet Sauvignon
Diablo Purple Malbec
Diablo Deep Carmenere
Diablo Golden Chardonnay
Diablo Crystal Sauvignon Blanc
The brand has grown from £2 million in retail sales value in the UK less than five years ago to be worth over £20 million today (RSV).
Scandinavian Tobacco Group UK has introduced this year’s limited-edition pack for its ever-popular Henri Wintermans Half Corona brand, which is available to retailers now.
The Henri Wintermans Half Corona is easily the biggest brand in the medium / large segment and is now the UK’s fifth biggest selling cigar in value terms, with annual sales worth £16.3m. This new limited edition “Gentleman” pack adds a personal touch to the brand and celebrates its long heritage and continuing success, designed in a timeless pin stripe suit with the logo and information stitched into the fabric, which reflects both the aspirational nature of the product and the attention to detail that goes into crafting these fine cigars. Despite the changes to the packaging, the cigars inside of course remain the same.
“Retailers certainly won’t need me to tell them that sales of larger cigars go up in the build up to Christmas when adult smokers are in celebratory mood and typically have more time to enjoy them,” said STG’s UK Head of Marketing, Prianka Jhingan. “Our Henri Wintermans Half Corona is always a big seller at this time of year and this limited issue Gentleman’s edition pack should only increase sales further. My advice to retailers is to stock up on it, as it is easily the UK’s best-selling medium / large cigar and has a loyal following due to its quality blend and heritage.”
KP Snacks today announces the latest addition to its market-leading PMP range with the launch of Space Raiders Saucy BBQ £1.25 PMP. Available in stores from early November, the new launch combines the fastest-growing Space Raiders flavour with the strength of the £1.25 PMP format.
Capitalising on the growth of “barbecue” flavours, the new launch is well-positioned to engage shoppers and drive impulse sales, with 57% of impulse shoppers purchasing PMPs. The £1.25 PMP format is strong and KP Snacks’ £1.25 PMP portfolio is growing ahead of the segment at +5.2 per cent (vs +4.2 per cent), bolstering sales. By launching Space Raiders Saucy BBQ £1.25 PMP, KP Snacks is tapping into the strength of the segment and appealing to consumer demand for great value and clear pricing.
The new PMP expands the Space Raiders portfolio. Worth £25m, the Space Raiders range includes Space Raiders 40p PMPs, the UK’s number one best-value singles PMP, as well as existing £1.25 PMPs: Beef and Pickled Onion.
“At KP Snacks, we are committed to delivering NPD in the right formats and flavours to support our retailer partners and drive consumer demand,” said Stuart Graham, Head of Convenience and Impulse. “The launch of Space Raiders Saucy BBQ £1.25 PMP leverages the strength of this format and the popularity of barbecue flavours to drive impulse sales.”