Picks of the Week

ROCKSTAR LAUNCHES TOP FLAVOURS IN PMPS

Price-marked packaging is a strong sales driver in the soft drinks category.

Britvic’s energy drink brand Rockstar is launching two of its top-performing flavours, Juiced El-Mango and Tropical Punch, in price-markedpacks (PMPs).

The move is designed to further drive impulse purchases and bring new shoppers into the category, as 66.9% of sales in the soft drinks channel now come from PMPs, an increase from 66% in 2021.

The two flavours are available in wholesale and convenience now, with the rollout supported by in-depot activations, retailer POS and field support.

“Nine out of 10 shoppers say taste is the most important consideration when buying a soft drink, so flavours, in particular, are important for piquing shoppers’ interest and generating excitement in the category,” Ben Parker, retail commercial director at Britvic, said.

“As a trusted and recognisable brand, the Rockstar range comes in a variety of great-tasting flavours, and also offers the functional benefits needed for consumers to keep their energy levels up. The addition of Juiced El-Mango and Tropical Punch in a PMP format will offer shoppers price reassurance and a greater perception of value for money.”

With HFSS legislations on the horizon, Rockstar recently announced a reduction in the sugar content across its range of energy drinks to be fully HFSS compliant, including Juiced El-Mango and Tropical Punch.

WALKERS UNVEILS SURPRISING CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE LESS CALORIFIC MULTIPACKS

The move aims to drive public awareness that Walkers’ current portfolio of multipack snacks contain 100 calories or less per pack.

Walkers has revealed a ‘heavyweight’ marketing campaign to highlight that its Walkers Family snacks multipacks are less than 100 calories per pack.Brands promoted include Wotsits, Quavers, French Fries, Squares and Monster Munch and Walkers will use a tongue-in-cheek TV creative showing shoppers who are “surprised and delighted” to find out the products are 100 calories or less per multipack inner.

The company is deploying a multichannel approach to get the message across, including digital, out-of-home and social in conjunction with the TV campaign, alongside influencer activity with comedian Aaron Crascall.

Walkers is also planning a social media competition where consumers will have the chance to win £1,000 when they send in their best surprised face.

“More permissible choices are a key purchase driver for families when considering snacks,” Katherine Cook, marketing manager for Walkers Snacks at PepsiCo, said.

“However, 69% of UK consumers are still not aware that Walkers’ current portfolio of multipack snacks contain 100 calories or less per pack. We want to change this narrative by shining a light on our family snacks multipack range – which spans Wotsits, Quavers, Squares, French Fries and now Monster Munch. Our hope is to pleasantly surprise the public and drive further sales for our customers.”

The campaign started this week and runs until 9 October 2022. It aims to reinforce Walkers’ ambition for 50% of its snack sales to come from products classified as non-HFSS, or from products sold in portions of 100 calories or less by 2025.

This year’s media activity follows the 2021 ‘100 calories or less’ campaign, which saw Walkers Top Five family snacks six-pack multipacks grow +8% during the campaign period versus the prior year.

BELVITA GROWS HEALTHIER OFFERING WITH NON-HFSS LAUNCHES

The new lines aim to help retailers drive incremental sales.

Breakfast biscuit brand Belvita has expanded its portfolio of healthier products with three new non-HFSS additions.

Belvita Fruit Crunch and Belvita Soft Bakes Filled Apricot aim to help drive incremental sales for retailers by combining a unique recipe and healthier credentials.

The new Belvita Fruit Crunch Bars contain under 100 calories per biscuit, offering a lighter option for afternoon snacking and as fuel for in-between mealtime moments. It comes in Raisin & Currant and Apple & Pear flavours.

Meanwhile, Belvita Soft Bakes Filled Apricot brings a fruit flavour to the belVita Soft Bakes range for the first time, with an apricot jam filling.

All three new snacks from belVita are non- HFSS, meaning they won’t be subject to restrictions coming into place in October and retailers can site

the snacks anywhere in the store. The new bars are also low in saturated fat, giving consumers healthier alternatives to other category offerings.

“These latest tasty additions to the growing Belvita range are set to offer shoppers exciting, healthier options,” Amy Lucas, Brand Manager for Belvita at Mondelez International, said.

“We know there is a real opportunity for retailers to drive interest and grow sales at both the morning and afternoon snacking occasions now that consumers’ routines have returned to normal, so the new Fruit Crunch and Filled Apricot biscuits will be a delicious snack for them to enjoy at home or on the move.”

With an RSP of £2.99 for each multipack of individually wrapped packets, the new variants will be available from mid-August (Soft Bakes Filled Apricot) and September (Fruit Crunch).

CHRISTMAS KICK OFF

Cadbury has unveiled a sleigh-ful of new products ahead of Christmas, as well as a brand-new look across its seasonal range.

MINI SNOWBALLS BAR

Cadbury Mini Snowballs Bar sees the combinationof the Mini Snowballs with Cadbury. The treatcomes in the Cadbury heartland tablet format,which is suitable for both sharing and self-treatoccasions. RSP £1.49.

DAIRY MILK WINTER MINT CRISP

Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Mint Crisp is a topperformer at Christmas and is now available in a360g block format. RSP £3.99.

WHITE JINGLY BELLS

Cadbury Jingly Bells isexpanding its range witha brand new White additionfor 2022. Jingly Bellsare individually wrappedin large sharing pouchesand have an eye-catchingseasonal design of snowflakeson a cosy knitted background. RSP £1.49.

CHUNK COLLECTION

The brand new CadburyChunk Collection offersindividually wrappedchunks of Cadbury DairyMilk, Cadbury Dairy MilkCaramel and CadburyDairy Milk Wholenut.Mondelez said the product has an aspectof versatility that allows retailers to tap intovarious seasonal shopper gifting occasions.RSP £5.

WHITE SANTA

Mondelez is rolling out a brand newchocolate Santa, made from indulgentCadbury White. The flavour is accompaniedby a design of Santa wearingwhite, rather than his traditional red.RSP £2.99.

DAIRY MILK ADVENT BAR

The Cadbury Dairy Milk Advent Bar is sectionedinto 25 individually numbered chunks that canbe broken off and consumed each day in thelead-up to Christmas. Retailers can join in the funby encouraging shoppers to take part in the ‘OneChunk A Day Challenge’. RSP £3.49.

DAIRY MILK TINS/ HEROES GAME TIN

Tins are growing in Christmasconfectionery and Cadburyhas launched two new additionsto the category, filled with Cadbury Chunks.Small Tin (396g) RSP £5.99. Big Tin (850g) RSP£12. The brand has also rolled out a new versionof its Heroes tin that features a built-in version ofthe game Who Am I? RSP £12.

FAVOURITES SELECTION

The brand new CadburyFavourites selection box offersseveral Dairy Milk treats includinga sharing bag of Buttons, abox of Fingers, a Twirl bar and

PICKS OF THE WEEK

COLOURFUL XMAS

Oreo aims to bring a twist to Christmas this year with new Oreo Festive Colours. For the first time across Europe, Oreo biscuits will have red, green and white coloured crème in their centres. Despite the different colours, the biscuits retain their Original Vanilla flavour.

FOOTIE CRAZE

Cadbury has launched a new on-pack promotion to engage football fans in stores across the UK. Win a Worldie is appearing on packs of Cadbury chocolate – as well as selected Maynards Bassetts, Trebor and Cadbury Biscuits products – through to November.

WHITE SWEETNESS

Toffifee has launched a limited-edition white chocolate flavour in 125g boxes, which offers the brand’s usual hazelnut in caramel but with a light crème filling and topped with white chocolate. The new product is expected to tap into white chocolate’s popularity.

GOLD LOVE

Toblerone has expanded its range with a new limited-edition Golden variant, combining the nougat of a traditional Toblerone with a blend of caramelised white chocolate that has been newly developed for the UK and Ireland. The launch is backed by PR activity and in-store support.

NO IFS, NEW BURTS

Burts Chips has introduced two flavours of popcorn, adding to its range of flavoured snacks as it focuses on building its brand in premium bagged snacks. The new additions include Lightly Salted (20g) and Sweet & Salty (28g). Popcorn is now a £147m category.

PMP COMEBACK

Rustlers has added Rustlers Hotdog to its PMP range in the convenience market. The addition aims to help the brand tap into demand for PMP products. It joins the Quarter Pounder, BBQ Rib, All-Day Breakfast Sausage Muffin and Southern Fried Chicken Sub.