New products planned to add excitement to sugar confectionery in 2016 as manufacturers react to consumer trends.
SHOPPING habits are changing and retailers are having to find the best new ways to allocate space in their stores, according to Perfetti Van Melle.
The Fruittella brand owner says the changes affect all product groups, but it reckons that by offering a breadth of range and focusing on key shopper demands its brands can help retailers maximise sales to consumers by offering appropriate bags, singles, multipacks or boxes.
Trade marketing manager Mark Roberts said: “The way people shop will continue to change in the coming years and the formats the shoppers choose will also continue to evolve.
“The key focus of PVM will remain on the core offering with brands such as Mentos, Smint and Chupa Chups going from strength to strength.
“But we plan to enhance our range with a number of new products that will add excitement and interest to the category in 2016.”
PVM acknowledges there is some pressure on the sugar confectionery category and that people are shopping around for the best deals.
One way it is responding to those trends is by introducing a range of price-marked packs across its core sharing brands including Mentos and Fruittella.
“PMPs are becoming increasingly successful within the confectionery industry, with new research suggesting that 71% of consumers are more likely to buy price-marked packs as they are perceived to represent better value,” Roberts said.
PVM sees the wider industry will have to adapt to consumer behaviour and that the mix of products and formats within sugar confectionery is likely to change in 2016.
“We believe that we will see more and more sugar-free options entering the market,” said Roberts.
“Smint is the UK’s fastest growing sugar-free mint brand and we have introduced new fruit flavours over the past two years, as these are becoming increasingly popular purchases.”
He claimed Mentos is currently the only leading major mint brand in growth and said: “Pure Fresh Mentos Gum is experiencing 20% growth and there is a host of new innovations in the pipeline.”
