Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) and the Monster Energy Co. have relaunched their SalesSupercharged.co.uk convenience retailer support initiative for a fourth year, helping independent convenience retailers to make the most of the ever-growing energy drinks sales opportunity – and provide chances to win epic prizes.
The online platform and trade communications campaign will continue to provide the low-down on the latest trends and details on key segments within energy drinks. There will also be tips and advice around ranging and execution in-store from a selection of leading independent convenience retailers.
Growth of Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are worth over £1.9bn in GB, adding more value to the soft drinks category than any other segment. The Monster brand is now worth nearly £636m in GB, adding an extra £113m-worth of sales over the past year – and continues to deliver double-digit volume growth.
The energy segment is worth nearly £1.1bn in convenience alone and is the largest soft drinks segment in the channel.
New Sales Supercharged Retailers for 2024
New for 2024, father and son duo Bay and Ellis Bashir, who own five convenience stores in Middlesborough, have become new faces of the Sales Supercharged initiative joining existing retailers – Jack Matthews from Bradley’s Supermarket in Leicestershire, Amrit Singh from H & Jodie’s in Walsall and Natalie Lightfoot, who owns a compact store in Baillieston, Glasgow.
Bay and Ellis have taken advantage of the resources on the platform and recognise the sales opportunity energy drinks present. Retailers can listen to video advice from Bay, Ellis, Natalie, Jack and Amrit on SalesSupercharged.co.uk to understand how to get the most out of the energy drinks segment. Watch the latest video from Bay & Ellis here.
“More than half of energy drinks are sold through the convenience channel in GB and this only continues to grow, making it a big opportunity for convenience retailers across the country," said Helen Kerr, Associate Director of Portfolio Development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB.
With this in mind we continue to invest in our Sales Supercharged support initiative, collaborating with leading convenience retailers to help the wider retailing community to take full advantage of the energy drinks sales opportunity. For store owners who want to make their energy fixture work harder, I’d recommend visiting SalesSupercharged.co.uk and keep an eye out for the campaign within the trade press over the coming months”.
Bay Bashir said: “Energy drinks are so important to our overall soft drinks sales, so Ellis and I were delighted to work on this project with Monster and CCEP to inspire other retailers to get the most from their energy range and drive their sales.
“It’s great to see suppliers investing in initiatives that are solely focused on the convenience channel so I’d urge retailers to use the advice and tools on SalesSupercharged.co.uk to reap the full benefit. And don’t forget to enter the prize draw for a chance to win a day at PalmerSport, I’ve been and its ACE!”
Epic Monster prize
Upon launch, the campaign will also give one lucky retailer the chance to win two vouchers for a fully paid, exhilarating motorsport driving experience with PalmerSport at the Bedford Autodrome – getting behind the wheel of eight high-performance cars, with live timing, scoring and prizes for the day's best driver. Live now,enter the free prize draw by visiting https://www.salessupercharged.co.uk/ before 31 July. The winner will be notified by 14 August.
Natural cheese slice brand Leerdammer will launch its new “Incognito” TV advertising campaign on 20 January – aiming to drive memorability with consumers by tapping into the brand’s “Deliciously Different” positioning and comedic tone of voice.
Based on the insight that Leerdammer’s mild and nutty flavour profile is truly irresistible, keeping consumers coming back time and time again, the ad sees a shopper returning to a supermarket sampling counter ‘incognito’ in various disguises, to enjoy multiple tastes of the cheese.
Expected to reach over 7.6m ABC1 25-45 consumers, the campaign will promote Leerdammer’s flagship slices range – Leerdammer Original Slices and Leerdammer Light Slices – across BVOD and YouTube advertising. With a total investment of more than £800k, the first phase of advertising will run from 20 January to 9 February, to be followed with activity in May and September – supported with proximity six-sheets, as well as online and in-store activations.
The new ad scored highly in testing, with a 98 per cent Awareness Index and an outstanding ability to generate sales in the short-term (95 per cent). As well as excellent cut-through potential and strong persuasion, with an excellent ability to build the brand positioning.
“We know that Leerdammer’s mild and nutty flavour profile keeps consumers coming back for more and this new advert brings this to life brilliantly, while playing to the brand’s unique, fun tone of voice,” said Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, Group Marketing Director for Lactalis UK & Ireland.
“We expect the ad to drive brand memorability and strengthen engagement with shoppers – new and existing, in turn increasing purchase intent and basket size. And overall, we hope it encourages shoppers to return ‘time and time again’ for a taste of Leerdammer!”
Kellogg’s has announced the launch of a new Caramel flavour to its Coco Pops Chocos range.
The new addition follows the launch of Coco Pops Chocos in 2023, which was crowned top spot in the cereal category of last year’s Product of the Year awards.
Like the original Coco Pops Chocos, the new variant comprises curved, crunchy cocoa shells, but with an exciting caramel twist.
Food developers have created a balanced blend of rich roasted cocoa and creamy caramel, with the shells expertly cooked and shaped to give their signature crunchy texture.
All of Kellogg’s children’s cereals are non-HFSS including this new Coco Pops variant. It’s also high in fibre, forming part of Kellogg’s continued efforts to help families make healthier choices in the morning.
“We’re excited to be expanding our kids’ cereal line-up with this delicious Coco Pops Chocos addition,” Lejla Damon, shopper marketing & kids brand manager, Kellogg’s UKI said.
“It’s high in fibre, a delicious blend of chocolatey caramel flavour, and wonderfully crunchy. One for the whole family to enjoy!”
Coco Pops Chocos Caramel joins Kellogg’s diverse range of cereals, continuing its legacy of being the ‘OG of breakfast’. This legacy has been amplified by Kellogg’s £75m investment into its Wrexham cereal factory, set to more than double its production capacity – its largest single investment into British cereal production in over 30 years.
The new flavour will be available for shoppers to buy from January. Each 420g pack is £3.29 RRP.
Sweet maker Swizzels has unveiled a brand-new limited-edition product in time for Valentine’s Day, combining two of its most-loved brands into one treat: Squashies Love Hearts.
Offering a fresh twist on two popular classics, the new Squashies Love Hearts combine Squashies’ signature soft texture with the iconic and timeless messages of Love Hearts.
Squashies remain the No. 1 sugar confectionery brand in the market, while Love Hearts see consistent growth, with 950,000 units sold during the Valentine’s period and a 10 per cent year-on-year growth in brand value. Building on this success, Swizzels has combined the two household names to create a fast-moving and profitable addition to any retailer’s offering.
Available in 120g bags and sold in cases of 12, each foam sweet is embossed with a fun message or emoji, making them ideal for sharing with a loved one. Messages include "KISS", "WOW", "FAB", and "LOVE", alongside two cheerful and romantic emojis, adding a playful touch.
With an MRSP of £1.15, the new product retains the classic colours and flavours of traditional Love Hearts, including Pineapple, Lime, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Cherry, and Orange.
Swizzels’ Love Hearts range remains a Valentine’s Day favourite, led by the popular 39g Giant Love Hearts rolls, which outsell any other Valentine’s SKU with 621,000 units sold during the season.
Other fan-favourites from the range include Love Hearts Originals Hanging Bags, the 15g mini Love Hearts rolls and Giant Love Hearts multipacks.
“We’re excited to introduce a delicious and innovative new product that combines two of our most popular brands, delivering the same moreish flavours and signature texture - with an added twist," said trade marketing manager Clare Newton.
“Squashies Love Hearts bring something new to retailers’ offering, appealing to shoppers looking for unique yet familiar treats for themselves or as a special gift to someone else.
“Our Valentine’s range is all about sharing the love, regardless of relationship status - whether it’s romantic love, familial love or friendship and we hope the new Squashies Love Hearts will help to do just that.”
The launch is part of a broader campaign, featuring national research that explores how love and Valentine’s Day have evolved, and examining how the ways people express and seek love have changed over the years.
KP Snacks has today named Tom Grennan, one of the UK’s biggest solo pop music artists, as its official popchips ambassador. The new partnership between the beacon “Better for You” brand and the pop star taps into popchips’ positive, feel-good positioning while enhancing the brand’s relevance.
As an ambassador, Tom Grennan will perform at a special event delivered by popchips in May. Tickets to this exclusive event will be available as prizes in a brand new on-pack promotion running across the popchips portfolio from 27 January until the end of March. Featuring a flash of Tom holding a single popchip and microphone, the on-pack also offers consumers the chance to win cash prizes and tickets to leading UK festivals.
To celebrate Tom Grennan becoming a popchips ambassador, the brand will be supported by a £1m media investment with a campaign running across OOH and social media channels, as well as audio platforms including Spotify.
Building on the passion people have for music, popchips is proud to be the exclusive snack brand partner of the Latitude Festival for the second consecutive year. This year, the brand has extended its festival partnership with the addition of The Isle of Wight Festival, growing its reach within key cultural moments and driving its association with feel-good occasions. To further engage consumers, popchips will deliver exciting new marketing activations across both festivals.
“We are delighted to announce Tom Grennan as the official popchips ambassador," said Alex Callender, Brand Manager at popchips. "As a brand known for its positive energy, we are committed to tapping into culturally relevant moments in our consumers’ lives to drive a stronger emotional connection and boost brand penetration. By sponsoring two key UK festivals, we are taking this one step further, engaging consumers in an exciting setting and giving our leading ‘Better for You’ brand true differentiation.”
Worth £42.7m, popchips is the number two healthier brand in the CSN market with a 14 per cent share of the Healthier Snacking segment. Available in a variety of flavours and formats, the entire popchips range is non-HFSS. The new on-pack promotion will run across the entire popchips range including sharing, multipack, single and price-marked pack formats.
Confectionery challenger brand Bebeto is kicking off 2025 with a ground-breaking debut: its first-ever Valentine’s range featuring innovative liquid-filled technology.
You Melt My Heart liquid-filled gummy soft hearts contain two delicious flavours – Strawberry and Cherry – each with a luscious raspberry liquid filling for an extra-special touch. They are available in 130g hanging bags (£1 SSP) and 400g heart-shaped tubs (SSP £3), making the perfect Valentine’s gift or to share and show someone you care. To make them even sweeter, they contain no artificial colours or flavours and are halal certified.
Bebeto’s cutting-edge liquid-filling technique transforms traditional, firm, gummy sweets into gooey, flavour-packed treats with a juicy, melt in the mouth centre inside each foam-backed gummy, delivering a fun, sensory experience unlike any other. “Liquid-filled technology is one of the most exciting trends in confectionery today,” says Phil Hulme, Commercial Director at Kervan Gida UK.
“It’s particularly popular with Gen Z, who love experimenting with bold flavours and textures. We’re thrilled to lead the way with this innovation and offer UK consumers a unique, high-quality confectionery experience this Valentine’s. This marks an exciting new chapter for the Bebeto brand in the UK. Seasonal offerings have played a pivotal role in driving our growth, as demonstrated by the remarkable success of our Halloween range. Building on this momentum, we are expanding our seasonal portfolio in 2025 with fresh, innovative product developments that help bring even more joy to consumer celebrations.”
While the liquid-filling process requires advanced technology and extra production time, Bebeto is committed to keeping prices competitive, ensuring these premium treats remain accessible to all. Look out for further exciting liquid-filled NPD from Bebeto this year.
Rolling out from January, Bebeto’s You Melt My Heart range will be available in Spar UK and also through Parfetts Cash and Carry.