Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Shoppers buying less confectionery, says Haribo

Shoppers buying less confectionery, says Haribo
iStock image
Getty Images

A series of government intervention including HFSS placement along with rising cost of living impacted confectionery sales last year as shoppers bought fewer sweets and chocolates, confectionery giant Haribo has stated.

The maker of Starmix, Tangfastics and Maoam said in financial documents that it pulled in record sales of £218 million last year, up £32m from 2021. However, despite this rise in sales, its managing director Jon Hughes warned that shoppers are cutting back across from the wider confectionery industry.


"The latter part of the year saw major changes to store layouts as retailers prepared for the new government restrictions on secondary displays of HFSS (high in saturated fat, salt and sugar) food and drink. The combination of Government restrictions, higher prices and the rising cost of living all contributed to the decline in category volume," The Telegraph quoted Hughes as saying.

Total consumption of sweets in the UK was flat year on year, while chocolate volumes fell 3.2 per cent, the company said. It added that the value of combined sweets and chocolate sales had risen 3 per cent owing to higher prices.

Post HFSS placement restrictions that came into effect last year, supermarkets and larger stores had to shift sweets and other HFSS products away from prominent locations in their stores.

However, it is not just red tape and rising prices that are causing shoppers to pull back on sweets and similar indulgences, makers' practice of reducing product size to cut costs is also being claimed as one of the factors for lower sales. According to a recent report by Barclays, eight in 10 shoppers are now worried about so-called ‘shrinkflation' under which mainly packs and sizes of biscuits, chocolate, snack bars and crisps are slashed but prices remained the same or even rose in some cases.

A report by the bank said70 per cent of shoppers had spotted examples of shrinkflation in June. Almost half of shoppers surveyed found examples of shrinkflation in chocolates while 42 per cent said they had noticed it in crisps. A total of 37 per cent said they had seen shrinkflation in the biscuit aisles and 32 per cent in snack bars.

The report adds that shrinkflation has influenced almost a third of shoppers to buy their favourite products less often, or to switch to brands which haven’t shrunk their products.

More for you

‘Spooktacular’ store POS drives sales, customer engagement for Nisa retailer NP Group

‘Spooktacular’ store POS drives sales, customer engagement for Nisa retailer NP Group

As the final key retail season of the year approaches, Nisa retailer NP Group is gearing up for Christmas with a renewed focus on store activation and point-of-sale (POS) strategy to drive sales following a successful Halloween.

With seasonal shopping trends in full swing, effective in-store activation and visibility are crucial for smaller retailers to capture customer attention and keep up with larger competitors.Data from Retail Economics shows that UK shoppers spent approximately £10 billion on seasonal products in 2023, with Halloween contributing £650 million alone, marking a steady increase in seasonal shopping over recent years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Post Office cash deposits and withdrawals
Post Office, DPD partners to rollout ‘Click and Collect’ services
Post Office, DPD partners to rollout ‘Click and Collect’ services

Most Horizon scandal victims say it 'destroyed relationships'

Around two thirds (65 per cent) of people affected by the Horizon scandal have said it impacted their family and relationships, while many respondents report estrangement from family members because of the scandal, according to a paper published today (1) by the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s listening project.

The paper title In Your Own Words illustrates the various challenges the Horizon scandal has inflicted on people’s relationships, with respondents reporting the breakdown of relationships, estrangement from family members, and acute loneliness. Some adult children of former sub-postmasters shared how they experienced bullying, financial issues and mental health struggles because of the scandal. Others reported how their parents have died before knowing the truth about the Horizon scandal, which magnified their grief.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wholesalers give cautious welcome to Reeves' budget

iStock image

Wholesalers give cautious welcome to Reeves' budget

The wholesalers have welcomed several measures announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves's first budget but have raised concern the increase in National Living Wage and Employers National Insurance contributions will add an estimated £110 million in direct wage costs to the wholesale sector.

The wholesalers also pointed out that the lack of clarity on business rates reform means that wholesalers operating large physical premises remain disproportionately impacted by high rates. Without meaningful reform and a set timeline, these businesses will continue to shoulder a heavier burden than those in sectors with minimal property overhead.

Keep ReadingShow less
New benefits scheme for Fed members

New benefits scheme for Fed members

The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has launched an exclusive benefits scheme for Fed members.

Called FedPlus, the scheme offers a range of discounts on a host of goods and activities, from everyday purchases to luxury products.

Through FedPlus, Fed members will have access to a range of fantastic money-saving benefits covering a wide variety of areas – from health and well-being to home and car essentials, and from food and drink to fashion and tech, entertainment, travel and experiences.

There is a Savings Calculator to show how much has been saved, based on monthly or annual spending, on a range of everyday categories. The Savings Calculator will generate a personal savings total and provide links to the individual deals.

Launching FedPlus, National President Mo Razzaq said: “In my inaugural speech at the Fed’s Annual Conference in June, I spoke about the importance of providing more benefits to help members make money, save money and make business easier.

“Just four months on, we are delighted to bring you FedPlus. This is an exciting new addition to our ever-growing list of member benefits which brings you quick, at your fingertips access to several offers across a wide range of categories so the money in your wallets and purses goes even further in these financially strained times.”

Members can access the scheme through thefedonline.com website. It went live yesterday (October 31).

FedPlus is managed and run for the Fed by Parliament Hill Limited, which has been providing benefit management solutions for membership organisations for the past 20 years. Top name companies offering discounts include Virgin Experience Days, Nuffield Health, Hotpoint, Halfords, Boots, Curry’s and EE.

Tom Sparke, joint managing director and client services director at Parliament Hill, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Fed to assist them in the fantastic support that it provides for its members.

“The Fed has a strong commitment to supporting its members, which aligns with the Parliament Hill ethos of placing the needs of our clients’ members at the heart of what we do.”

Carlsberg Zero
Competition watchdog begins Carlsberg, Britvic merger probe
Competition watchdog begins Carlsberg, Britvic merger probe

Carlsberg shifts marketing focus as drinkers choose cheaper beer

Brewer Carlsberg is shifting some of its marketing focus to cheaper brands, it said on Thursday (31), as consumers in major markets bought cheaper beer and in reduced quantities.

The maker of Kronenbourg 1664, Tuborg and Somersby said beer sales volumes fell by 1.3 per cent in the third quarter, noting declines in China, France and the United Kingdom. Premium sales fell 0.5 per cent in the quarter."In Western Europe, there's no doubt that the average consumer is holding back," CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen told Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less