SoSweet, the confectionery brand known for delighting millions of customers online and in-store, has announced the launch of its first-ever own-brand marshmallow range.
Launched today (13), this new product line is set to capitalise on the rapid growth of SoSweet Direct and the booming UK confectionery and sugar sectors.
Currently delivering category-managed confectionery solutions to over 400 stores in the South West and Wales, SoSweet Direct is now expanding its reach to independent retailers across the UK.
The new SoSweet Marshmallow Range is a testament to the brand’s commitment to innovation and quality.
Featuring three delicious varieties - Pink & White, Twists, and Strawberries - this range is perfect for independent retailers and convenience stores looking to meet consumer demand for indulgent, versatile treats.
The line is "fully Halal-certified, fat-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and GMO-free, making it suitable for a wide range of dietary needs, states the maker.
Priced competitively at a RRP of £1.25 per 140g bag, the range offers premium quality at an attractive price point. The standard price is £9 + VAT per case of 12, which nets to 75p + VAT per unit, delivering a 28 per cent margin at the £1.25 price point.
As a special launch offer, retailers can take advantage of a "buy five cases, get one free" deal across the range, bringing the case price down to £7.50 + VAT. This reduces the unit cost to just 63p + VAT, increasing the retailer’s margin to 40 per cent.
Packaged in shelf-ready boxes (SRP 12x140g), ensuring easy stocking and strong shelf appeal. Each bag is also designed with a euro hook, allowing retailers to display the products on hanging bag fixtures for added flexibility and visibility.
The range is now available nationwide through SoSweet Direct and leading wholesalers.
SoSweet launches own label marshmallow range
It is already stocked in over 100 independent stores across the South West, including Premier and Spar fascia stores, as well as in our own retail locations, online, and on TikTok.
Barney Carter, Managing Director of Carters Corners Ltd (Premier fascia stores), has already seen strong performance with the SoSweet Marshmallow Range across his stores.
"I have introduced this range into all eight of my stores because I love the presentation of the packaging and outer cases. The retail price is fair considering the generous size of the packet, and I first brought it in on offer.
"The rate of sale has been fantastic, and I’ve even repeated the same promotion in three of my stores. It’s a great addition that perfectly complements my bagged sweet range."
Driving Sales Through TikTok and In-Store Activations
With a TikTok following exceeding 1 million, SoSweet is uniquely positioned to generate buzz around its new marshmallows.
These marshmallows are perfect for everything, from TikTok-worthy hot chocolate toppers and marshmallow spread recipes to creative desserts and party snacks.
The launch will feature engaging content on the platform, including recipe ideas, taste tests, and interactive challenges designed to capture the imagination of consumers.
The brand is also bringing the excitement offline with in-store activations, including taste-testing events at its retail locations, giving customers a chance to experience the marshmallows firsthand.
As the UK confectionery market continues its upward trajectory, SoSweet Direct’s strategic focus on innovation and retailer partnerships positions it as a key player in the sector.
The new marshmallow range represents just the beginning of a broader push to expand SoSweet’s own-brand offerings, delivering high-margin products that meet evolving consumer preferences.
George Robinson, Managing Director of SoSweet, shared his excitement, “The launch of our SoSweet Marshmallows is a significant milestone for the brand.
"After months of development, I am thrilled to offer a product that combines premium quality, strong margins for retailers, and universal appeal.
"This range reflects our commitment to supporting independent retailers while capturing the imagination of customers across the UK.”
“SoSweet Direct is more than a distribution channel; it’s a solution tailored to drive confectionery sales for independent shops. As we expand our own-brand portfolio, we’re dedicated to setting new standards in the confectionery sector," he added.
Leading cake brand Mr Kipling has announced the launch of a new limited-edition Simnel Slices just in time for Easter.
Expanding the season beyond classic chocolate treats, Mr Kipling is bringing a fruity Easter flavour onto shelves, expanding retailers’ seasonal cake ranges this year.
Simnel is the third most popular cake flavour at Easter, growing 7.4 per cent versus 2023 [WPO, 52w/e 14.04.24]. Often found across Easter in larger sharing cakes, the new Mr Kipling slices look to meet the growing demand for this flavour in a smaller convenient format, leveraging Mr Kipling’s number one cake format.
Whilst Simnel is highly relevant to the season, the brand said there is an untapped opportunity in a smaller slices format. New Simnel slices encapsulate a fluffy and moist sponge with succulent dried fruit, sandwiched with a moist marzipan flavour filling and topped with soft marzipan flavour icing.
“Mr Kipling is renowned for its iconic seasonal products, and Easter remains highly important for attracting and driving penetration of newer, lighter buyers,” Naomi Shooman, global marketing director for sweet treats at Premier Foods, commented.
“Mr Kipling brought in the most new shoppers of any Easter cake range in 2024. With this latest launch we hope to drive even more footfall into the aisle this Easter, engaging shoppers with seasonally relevant and fun flavour twists to enjoy across the season, helping retailers make the most of the opportunity on offer.”
Mr Kipling Simnel Slices will be launching alongside returning favourites, with limited-edition sweet treats across the Premier Foods portfolio from Mr Kipling and Cadbury Cakes. Shoppers can expect to see chocolate favourites such as Cadbury Mini Eggs Nest Cakes and Cadbury Crème Egg Cake Bars back in stores, as well as a host of non-chocolate, sweet treats such as Mr Kipling Lemon & Raspberry Mini Batts and Mr Kipling Vanilla ‘Egg’ French Fancies.
Leading Prague beer Staropramen has launched a new 10x440ml can ‘Fridge Pack’ in response to rising demand for multi-pack can formats in the world beer category.
The packs will launch in stores nationwide from Monday, 17 March, with the most recent data showing that 30 per cent of shoppers who purchase multi-packs in the world lager category exclusively buy can formats.
The new cans are encased in a new recyclable cardboard sleeve and include an easy-to-carry handle and quick tear-open fold.
The launch will be supported by a new marketing campaign including in-store POS, digital assets and a paid social media programme.
Each 440ml can and outer sleeve will include a scannable QR code, giving consumers access to exclusive Staropramen content as well as the brands website where they can learn more about Staropramen’s heritage and brewing process.
“Shoppers want a pack format that works for them. Adding a mid-size pack to our range enables retailers to provide more choice, making sure their world lager offering has the formats to suit all shopping habits,” Bethan Roberts, assistant brand manager at Staropramen, said.
“Every pack comes with a scannable QR code to give customers access to exclusive Staropramen content and promotions, as well as an insight into the brands heritage and brewing processes.”
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Boost Energy Blue Raspberry and Cloudy Lemonade flavor
Boost Drinks has announced the exciting introduction of limited edition NPD in both its Energy and Sport ranges; Blue Raspberry Energy and Cloudy Lemonade Sport.
ENERGY Leveraging its position as the third largest brand in Energy Stimulation, growing +15 per cent in value vs. two years ago, Boost’s new Blue Raspberry limited edition is bringing excitement and incremental sales to the 250ml market.
The latest launch aligns with growing demand from consumers for new flavours. 40 per cent of consumers are looking for new flavours within energy, and Blue Raspberry is an established and visually appealing flavour profile that appeals to both Millennial and Gen Z demographics, through nostalgia and modern relevance.
With 90 per cent of consumers that have tried Boost’s Blue Raspberry Energy ‘’loving’’ the flavour, this exciting NPD drop offers huge opportunities for retailers to boost their sales and draw more shoppers to the sector.
SPORT
Sports is a category in which flavours drive excitement and growth, contributing £9m last year. As the number two brand in Sports Drinks and growing +70 per cent in value vs. two years ago, Boost has seen huge success with limited edition releases, with Raspberry & Mango in 2023 and Watermelon & Lime in 2024 both driving demand and increasing incremental sales in the category.
Boost Cloudy Lemonade Sport taps into the popular citrus flavour profile with a tasty twist. Cloudy lemonade flavour profiles have been growing in popularity in recent years with trends relating to authenticity and craft becoming more prevalent in soft drinks, and Boost is now offering retailers the chance to cash in on this with an exciting new 500ml product.
“These latest limited edition launches across Energy and Sport are helping us provide an increasingly diverse range of drinks, that tap into multiple consumer trends and flavour desires," said Adrian Hipkiss, Head of Energy Brands at AG Barr. "The two new flavours will build excitement in their respective rapidly growing categories, ultimately supporting our retail partners to drive more sales.
“Our limited edition launches in the Sports range have always been a huge success and Cloudy Lemonade will be no different, tapping into proven consumer interest in zesty flavours with something new and exciting. We are also very excited to be bringing a limited edition flavour to our Energy range, with Blue Raspberry offering another popular and trending new taste that appeals to a wide range of consumers.
“Limited editions create a buzz around the chiller, with shoppers keen to try before it’s gone and we will be supporting both new flavours with a social and sampling campaign. We’d advise retailers to stock up on both formats and ensure availability, particularly during peak times. We're confident that these new additions will continue to delight consumers and reinforce our ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence within the energy and functional categories.”
On shelf: April 2025
Packs: Cloudy Lemonade: 12 x 500ml PET sports cap 89p PMP Blue Raspberry: 12 x 250ml can 75p PMP
Delice de France, the UK experts in bread, bakery and food to go, is launching Café Delice, a new coffee-to-go concept where outlets selling 35 cups a day can earn margins of 40 per cent.
The move will enable bakery customers of Delice de France to extend their food-to-go offering with quality hot drinks at competitive prices.
Café Delice is a monthly rental hot drinks concept, which includes a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine, linked milk cooler, branded housing unit and menu, as well as product and waste storage areas. Full servicing and cleaning packs for the agreement period are provided.
It is a modular set up, with floor-standing and counter solutions available to cater for different sized outlets and needs. Café Delice’s menu includes coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
Outlets can earn 40 per cent margin when they sell 35 cups a day, working to Delice de France’s suggested retail price of £2.75 for a regular 12oz latte.
This margin takes into consideration the cost of the coffee and the monthly rental. With monthly rental options starting from £360 per month, outlets could make more than £10,000 a year based on a forecast of 35 cups per day.
Delice de France has partnered with Modern Standard for its coffee bean, with a focus on its hero product Momentum Espresso, a 100 per cent Arabica – Medium Roast product that is 70 per cent Brazilian and 30 per cent Columbian, a combination that offers the strength and depth that other coffee-to-go products can lack. It is available in cases of 12x1kg bags, with each bag serving 55 cups.
Modern Standard is one of the few female-founded and -run coffee businesses in the UK. Founder Lynsey Harley spotted a gap in the market for a full-service specialty coffee roaster. Working with world-leading farmers while packing themselves, Modern Standard enables retailers and foodservice outlets to offer a specialty coffee at an accessible price. The company has locations in Fife, Edinburgh and London.
For its tea, Delice de France has partnered with Dorset-based Clipper to offer a range of organic and fairtrade teas that are plastic-free. Café Delice outlets can offer English Breakfast, Decaf and Earl Grey.
Hot chocolate is provided by Barry Callebaut – Le Royal Choco Flavour Mix, which is supplied in 10x1kg bags. Each bag contains enough for 35 cups.
The solution also offers a range of sugars and syrups, including brown, white and sweetener sticks, and Sweetbird Vanilla, Caramel and Hazelnut syrups. Each syrup bottle is one litre, which is enough for 62 cups using two pumps.
In packaging, Delice de France offers a range of Edenware coffee cups and lids, which use a plant-based lining as an environmentally friendly alternative.
“With Café Delice, we have a reliable and strong brand that offers our partners lucrative margins and completes their to-go offer," said Thierry Cacaly, Delice de France CEO. "Through our partnership with Modern Standard, we are offering the quality that consumers expect at a price point that will ensure our partners can be competitive.”
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Authentic flavors, ready in minutes – Pekis Taco Fillings !
Empire Bespoke Foods, the specialist global food importer and distributor, has unveiled an exclusive new range of "heat and eat" taco fillings based on the most popular world food flavours in response to growing consumer demand for exciting and convenient meal solutions.
Pekis Taco Fillings are based on traditional and authentic recipes from around the world, cooked with 100% premium quality, natural ingredients and no preservatives. Ready to heat, eat and enjoy, the range comprises Chicken Jalapeno, Tikka Masala, Chicken Teriyaki and Chilli Con Carne. Each 180g pack will fill four average-sized taco shells.
“Shopper spending in Mexican has increased by nearly 10 per cent over last year with Mexican, Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisines now accounting for the vast majority of world foods sales,” said Madina Kaiumova, brand manager at Empire Bespoke Foods.
Quick, delicious, and packed with world flavors!
“The rapid rise in consumer demand for taste adventure, combined with the popularity of replicating restaurant-style meals at home, means that there is now a huge opportunity for retailers to capitalise on these growing trends.
“These fillings combine the true taste of some of the most popular world cuisines with the familiarity of the much loved Mexican taco, and with shortcut products increasingly in demand,” added Kaiumova.
“Sixty per cent of consumers now consider convenience a key decision factor when purchasing world foods, and with 80 per cent now claiming to be ready for ’safe adventure’ through familiarity, we fully expect the Pekis range to satisfy the growing consumer appetite for these winning combinations of great flavours and absolute convenience.”
The Pekis range of taco fillers require only ambient storage and contain all the ingredients necessary to create each dish within minutes. They are now available exclusively through Empire Bespoke Foods.