The products unveiled at the launch in central London cover Ferrero’s portfolio, including novelties and figures, and they will be stocked in domestic retailers leading up to the holiday season with marketing supports such as TV, social media and in-store sampling.
A spokesperson for Ferrero said the company had a “successful Christmas in 2017, which saw the total brand grow by £8.6m ($10.99m), according to Nielsen data.”
Ferrero’s entire boxed confectionery portfolio increased by 7.3% in sales during last year’s holiday period, driven by the Thorntons brand, which posted a 12% growth rate year-over-year.
Some of the traditional candies, including Ferrero Rocher, also posted strong growth during Christmas, according to the company.
Ferrero Rocher experienced its sixth consecutive year of growth over Christmas last year, while Ferrero Pralines, which envelops the brands Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Collection and Raffaello, also saw a revenue increase of £2.9m ($3.7m).
Additionally, Ferrero’s novelties portfolio increased its sales by £2.4m ($3.1m) during 2017 Christmas year-over-year with the 125g Grand Ferrero Rocher generating £390k ($497k) in sales alone, growing by 20%.
“It is important as a leading confectionery manufacturer to offer retailers products and ranges that help them cater to different types of festive shopping needs,” including gifting and sharing, added the Ferrero’s spokesperson.
ConfectioneryNews highlights some of Ferrero’s key seasonal items.
Thorntons’ new figures and selection boxes
Ferrero said its Thorntons brand experienced an average of 21% sales increase year-over-year in the chocolate figures category.
To continue driving the brand’s growth, Thorntons is adding a “Cheeky Elf” to its existing novelty lineup, which includes Jolly Reindeer and The Snowman figures, this year.
The 60g Cheeky Elf will retail for £2 ($2.55), and the 200g, which will go through an on-pack promotion, will retail for £5 ($6.37).
Additionally, the Thorntons Christmas selection boxes, which will include limited edition shapes such as chocolate star and solid chocolate Christmas tree, will feature a new design.
The chocolate star collection also comes in four flavors: milk salted fudge, dark chocolate truffle, milk roasted almond and hazelnut, and white gingerbread, said Ferrero.
New Kinder Surprise hollow figures
Ferrero said Kinder Joy is the number one growth driver in the UK’s self-treat category, according to Nielsen data.
“Following sales of Kinder Joy, which grew by 31% last Christmas, [the brand] will return this year with new collectable winter eggs,” including Surprise Santa and another toy character, Kinder Unicorn, said the company.
Limited editions Nutella
Ferrero is targeting the back-to-school season and Christmas with a £600k ($764k) campaign to help retailers convert more shoppers to Nutella.
The company said its campaign for Nutella in 2017 as a “huge success, with penetration increasing 0.6 percentage points for the four weeks leading to December 31st.”
This year, separate collections of limited edition jars will also be available across the two periods.
Ferrero said its campaign focus will shift to Christmas in October 2018 by launching Nutella’s first glow-in-the-dark design on its 200g jar, and the product will be available until the end of the calendar year.
“Shoppers will also have the opportunity to create a personalized jar… available exclusively at Debenhams stores in the run up to the big day,” added the company.