UK confectionery and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is to open a chain of cafes catering for chocolate lovers in a bid to boost the increasingly dull market for confectionery in Britain, The Guardian reports. The initiative emerged as Cadbury announced a 15 per cent rise in annual profits to £792m, helped by a strong US performance from soft drinks such as Dr Pepper and Seven Up. Chief executive John Sunderland said: "The UK market was subdued. The key to stimulating more consumption is availability. Chocolates are impulse purchases - people have to have the products in front of them to be tempted to buy." Cadbury recently opened a three-storey Cafe Cadbury in Bath, England, specialising in drinking chocolate but also serving tea, coffee and meals. Cadbury's profits from confectionery throughout Europe increased slightly by £1m to £200m. The company's performance was boosted by its US beverages business, which increased its profits by 22 per cent to £406m.
