Confectionery manufacturer Perfetti Van Melle announced today that its signpost mint brand Smint is the fastest growing mint brand in the UK, following a bumper year of sales for its core range.
Available to all retail and wholesale outlets, the Smint range features a variety of flavours including Peppermint and Spearmint in tin, bottle and dispenser formats, giving consumers an instant burst of freshness and that all important confidence boost to carry through into any social situation.
Perfetti van Melle is at the forefront of the category and, thanks to constant innovation, has continued to drive momentum on the brand. As a result, Smint is now the largest mint brand with a 100 per cent sugar-free portfolio in the UK , making it perfectly positioned in a category where portion control and healthier options are set to become more important for market growth than ever before.
“Smint continues to be a must-stock for retailers and the latest sales stats are a testament to our continued investment in the brand, which is set to continue throughout 2022 with further product innovations designed to drive category sales,” said Sarah Elmer, Brand Manager, Smint.
“As the largest mint brand with a 100 per cent sugar-free portfolio in the UK, we’re in a prime position to cater for the growing demand for healthier choices whilst still providing that refreshment moment for consumers, especially ahead of the introduction of HFSS regulations later this year. There’s never been a better time for retailers to invest in the UK’s fastest growing mint brand.”
Fortitude Spirits Group has unveiled a new premium bottle design for Hawksbill Caribbean Spiced Rum, the award-winning range of four rums which donates 10 per cent of profits to sea turtle conversation projects in Barbados.
The rebrand marks a major milestone for the brand as it secures a major listing across 130 Booker depots, bringing the premium spiced rum to an even wider audience. Hawksbill Rum is already one of the biggest sellers of spiced rum on Amazon in the UK.
The striking new bottle was designed to highlight the quality of Hawksbill Caribbean Spiced Rum and showcase each individual expression, Island Spices, Pineapple Core, Mango Peel and a brand new addition to the range, Banana Skin Caribbean Spiced Rum.
Banana Skin Caribbean Spiced Rum
The new bottle design also shines a spotlight on Hawksbill’s commitment to the support of Hawksbill Sea Turtles. The new bottles are made with 100 per cent post-consumer recycled glass, plant-based inks and seals, as well as labels made from recycled sugarcane fibre and corks crafted with waste materials.
Each flavoured expression is also made using fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste, helping the brand to further minimise its impact on the environment. Launched in 2021, Hawksbill Caribbean Spiced Rum draws inspiration from the laid-back charm of the Caribbean, the people's lively spirit and the ocean's natural wonder.
Cadbury FC is back in 2025 with its newest promotion, The Winning Pass, giving shoppers the chance to win an exclusive, money-can’t-buy football experience for themselves and three guests. The Winning Pass builds on the success of Cadbury FC’s previous campaigns, with hundreds of top tier prizes to continue Cadbury’s spirit of generosity into the new year.
Six lucky winners will get to experience their own personalised dream match day, each with three friends, at a participating football club*, with travel and a luxury hotel stay included. Other winners have the chance to get one of hundreds of exclusive match tickets from partner clubs** or one of hundreds of £20 or £10 Lifestyle vouchers.
The off-pack promotion runs across the entire range of products from brands including Cadbury, Sour Patch Kids, Trebor and Maynard Bassetts.
To enter the competition, shoppers simply need to pick up a participating product, enter the barcode and batch code at www.thewinningpass.cadbury.co.uk, select their preferred participating club and are immediately entered into the prize draw.
Participating Clubs for The Winning Pass are Arsenal, Chelsea FC, Leeds United FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, while Cadbury Partner Clubs include Arsenal, Celtic FC, Chelsea FC, Leeds United FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United, Rangers FC and Tottenham Hotspur.
The timing of the campaign, launching 6 January and running through to 21 March, aims to boost retailers’ sales after Christmas.
The campaign will be supported by OOH, social and radio advertising, as well as in-store activations including bold, eye-catching POS to help retailers get shoppers engaged with the promotion.
“Our previous Cadbury FC promotions have been tremendously successful over the last three years and building on this to launch The Winning Pass in 2025 will help further increase the impact and excitement around our Cadbury FC partnerships," said Chris Parker, Brand Manager for Cadbury at Mondelēz International.
“We’re excited to be bringing consumers even more prizes this year to kick off 2025 in style and help drive purchase in store for retailers.”
Retailers should stock up on the full range of participating SKUs to take advantage of this promotion in their store and can visit www.snackdisplay.co.uk for more information and advice.
*Participating Clubs defined as: Arsenal, Chelsea FC, Leeds United FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
**Cadbury Partner Clubs defined as: Arsenal, Celtic FC, Chelsea FC, Leeds United FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United, Rangers FC and Tottenham Hotspur.
Now available from Mevalco – the home of fine Spanish Foods – are this season’s freshly harvested pulses of the highest quality, sustainably sourced specially from a range of artisanal suppliers in Spain and selected for their exquisite flavour and texture.
A leading partner to Mevalco is Burcol - a family-owned business, which combines traditional methods with modern innovation in their production methods. Mevalco’s full range in Retail grocery includes Butter Beans, Caviar Lentils, Chickpeas, and the famously Spanish Verdina Beans.
According to Managing Director, David Menendez, pulses offer a great opportunity to retailers during winter months – not only do they offer good health benefits and nutritional value, but they also offer strong value for money to consumers whilst delivering them value add and depth to many dishes:
“These are the tiny ‘giants’ of nutrition, delivering terrific flavour and texture to winter dishes. For example, we see beautiful fish served with some beans, which is a very northern Spanish thing to do. For example, butter beans and cod are a match made in heaven, giving big flavours and essential nutrients and it looks highly impressive too”.
As part of its continued partnership with the UEFA Champions league, PepsiCo is reinforcing its commitment to supporting football and enhancing fan experiences with an unmissable on-pack promotion on Walkers MAX.
Kicking off from Jan 20 and running until March 23 across promotional packs of Walkers MAX in sizes 140g, 70g PMP and 50g, the campaign offers football enthusiasts the chance to win a UEFA Champions League final experience in Munich, Germany, along with UEFA Champions League merchandise.
Savoury snacks feature in 26 per cent of UK football occasions and with this rising to 65 per cent globally. It showcases significant growth potential and with the revamped UEFA Champions League format set to deliver 50 per cent more matches, this means more opportunities for fans to come together and elevate their matchday experiences.
Walkers MAX is perfectly positioned to be the must-have snack for football fans, keeping top of mind and reminding shoppers that the right snacks can make all the difference. As watching football emerges as a prime opportunity to boost snack consumption, the promotion across Walkers MAX will help drive brand relevance to the occasion and support retailers in increasing basket spend.
There are 1,610 instant win prizes up for grabs prizes, including 1,330 UEFA Champions League hoodies and 280 UEFA Champions League footballs, ensuring fans can celebrate the UEFA Champions League knock out stages in style.
The grand prize includes two trips for two to the UEFA Champions League Final in Munich, Germany on 31st May 2025, with tickets, travel, accommodation and £500 (or € equivalent) spending money. To enter, shoppers simply need to purchase a qualifying pack of Walkers MAX and follow the instructions provided for their chance to win.
Wayne Newton, Senior Marketing Director comments: “Football is more than just a sport, it’s a cultural moment that brings people together, and Walkers MAX wants to be at the heart of these occasions. With this on-pack promotion, we’re not just offering shoppers a chance to win incredible prizes but we’re also elevating matchdays and cementing Walkers MAX as the go to snack for football enthusiasts.
“This promotion positions Walkers MAX as the ultimate snack companion for all football occasions and adds some excitement to the crisps, snacks and nuts category while helping retailers to increase sales by driving more snacking occasions by attracting new customers and encouraging repeat purchases.”
Yoghurt expert Yoplait have the kicked off the new year with two new reformulated recipes on their leading kid’s brands, Petits Filous and Frubes, to ensure the products are even healthier, yet still retain the same delicious taste.
Since 2015, Yoplait has improved the health credentials of its kids’ portfolio by reducing sugars by 25 per cent. The kids’ yoghurt company has been driving the sugar reduction progress within the yoghurt category and was applauded by Public Health England by helping the category to reduce overall sugars by 13 per cent.
“Petits Filous and Frubes are well-established and much-loved brands so it’s critical we take a gradual approach to our sugar reduction, and we have done so without resorting to adding thickeners, sweeteners, processed fibres or flavours, but our Mission is also to educate about the nutritional value of fortified kids’ yoghurts and bring lost consumers back into the category,” said Antoine Hours, General Manager of Yoplait UK.
“Last year we launched a report which highlighted that over one million children in the UK were at risk of poor development and growth because they were lacking key nutrients such as Vitamin D, Calcium and Iodine, all of which are found in fortified kids’ yoghurts. We outlined a ten-year decline in consumption of kids yoghurts and alarmingly, our insights showed that parents were switching from kids’ yoghurts into biscuits, cakes and confectionary.”
The yoghurts and dairy desserts category contributes a small, 4.5 per cent of the daily free sugar intake of 4-10 year olds and in contrast, more than 50 per cent of free sugars in this age group comes from confectionary, cakes/biscuits and sugar-sweetened drinks, all of which are low in essential nutrients and all categories who have done little to reformulate.
Yoplait will continue with its education and awareness campaign into 2025 and its kids’ brands will continue to drive relevance and excitement with consumers. Petits Filous is this month rolling out a fresh new-look which dials up the health credentials of the brand with a focus on bone health and Frubes is running an on-pack promotion offering a once in a lifetime family trip to Japan, a first for the kids’ yoghurt category.
“If we are able to re-educate about the positive nutritional benefits, showcase our brands to consumers and encourage them to switch back, we have identified a potential £150m sales opportunity for retailers over the next five years,” added Hours.