Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Sugar confectionery
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- Figure 1: UK retail sales of sweets, by value, 2012-22
- Gum confectionery
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- Figure 2: UK retail sales of gum, by value, 2012-22
- Market factors
- PHE publishes category-specific targets for sugar reduction
- Shrinkflation attracts media attention
- Growing population of 10-19s is good news for the market
- Companies and brands
- A big increase in average prices for Haribo
- Volume growth for Maynards Bassetts and Swizzels
- Wrigley’s monopoly on the gum market weakens slightly
- High-profile L/N/R sugar NPD
- Sharing formats dominate NPD in sweets
- A steady rise in vegan launches, but these remain niche
- Adspend remains stable in 2016
- Haribo closes the gap on Wrigley in adspend
- The consumer
- High levels of weekly usage of sweets
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- Figure 3: Usage of sweets and gum, October 2017
- Ingrained use of gum
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- Figure 4: Frequency of usage of sweets and gum, October 2017
- Scope to build on gifting in sweets
- Over half eat sweets to boost their mood
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- Figure 5: Behaviours related to sweets, October 2017
- Brands should help to deal with the problems of gum disposal
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- Figure 6: Behaviours related to gum, October 2017
- Herbs/spices can create to exciting and sophisticated flavours
- Artisan positioning should be extended beyond fudge
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- Figure 7: Interest in innovation in sweets, October 2017
- Sharing bags seen to make it easy to eat too much
- Demand for more naturally sourced sweeteners
- More brands should look to seasonal flavours
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- Figure 8: Attitudes towards sweets, October 2017
- Soft, buttery sweets win on comfort, satisfaction and indulgence
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- Figure 9: Correspondence analysis: perceptions of sweets with different textures, October 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Sophisticated flavours can take sweets into a foodie domain
- The facts
- The implications
- NPD from major sweets brands could mark a major turning point for L/N/R sugar innovation
- The facts
- The implications
- Helping with the problems of gum disposal can build brand loyalty in the gum market
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Sweets drive the performance of the total market
- Growth in volume sales of sweets defies the sugar scare
- The sweets market takes a knock in 2017
- Volume sales of sweets set to continue to ebb
- Further declines for gum
- PHE publishes category-specific targets for sugar reduction
- Shrinkflation attracts media attention
- Growing population of 10-19s is good news for the market
Market Size and Segmentation
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- The sugar and gum confectionery market falls into decline in 2017
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- Figure 10: UK retail sales of sweets and gum, by value and volume, 2012-22
- Growth in volume sales of sweets defies the sugar scare
- The sweets market takes a knock in 2017
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- Figure 11: UK retail sales of sweets, by value and volume, 2012-22
- The future
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- Figure 12: UK retail sales of sweets, by value, 2012-22
- Figure 13: UK retail sales of sweets, by volume, 2012-22
- Further declines for gum in 2017
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- Figure 14: UK retail sales of gum, by value and volume, 2012-22
- The future
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- Figure 15: UK retail sales of gum, by value, 2012-22
- Figure 16: UK retail sales of gum, by volume, 2012-22
- Forecast methodology
Market Drivers
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- Mounting concerns over sugar
- Yet volume sales of sweets were undented over 2012-16
- PHE publishes category-specific targets for sugar reduction
- Portion control flagged up as most relevant option for sugar reduction in sweets
- Shrinkflation attracts media attention
- Action on Sugar (AoS) calls for sugar tax to be extended to confectionery
- Graphic health warnings have even been mooted
- Ingrained wariness towards artificial sweeteners
- New rules ban companies from advertising sugary products to children on any media
- End of EU sugar quotas to ease price pressures on manufacturers
- Growing population of 10-19s is good news for the market
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- Figure 17: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2012-22
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- A big increase in average prices for Haribo
- Volume growth for Maynards Bassetts and Swizzels
- Wrigley’s monopoly on the gum market weakens slightly
- High-profile L/N/R sugar NPD
- Sharing size formats dominate NPD in sweets
- A steady rise in vegan launches, but these remain niche
- Adspend remains stable in 2016
- Haribo closes the gap on Wrigley in adspend
Market Share
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- A big increase in average prices for Haribo
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- Figure 18: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK sugar confectionery market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Maynards Bassetts is one of the few top brands securing volume growth
- Value sales of the Swizzels jump by a third
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- Figure 19: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK sugar confectionery market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Wrigley’s monopoly in the gum market weakens slightly
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- Figure 20: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK gum market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
- Figure 21: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK gum market, by value and volume, 2015/16 and 2016/17
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- An uptick in private label NPD
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- Figure 22: Share of new product launches in the UK sugar and gum confectionery market, by brand and private label, 2012-17
- Two top companies diversify their offerings with L/N/R sugar NPD
- Perfetti Van Melle
- Nestlé
- Co-op unveils own-label sugar-free sweets
- Smaller players go all out on the guilt-free positioning
- Zusto – A new naturally-derived sweetener in the L/N/R sugar arena
- Combining sugar-free with other free-from credentials
- A steady rise in vegan launches, but remains niche
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- Figure 23: Share of new product launches in the UK sugar and gum confectionery market carrying a vegetarian and vegan claim, 2013-17
- Sharing formats dominate NPD in sweets
- Meanwhile small packs tap into permissibility
- Digital media influences NPD in sweets
- Love Hearts enters the digital age with an emoji-themed range
- Mentos looks to encourage personal interactions
- The quirky unicorn trend finds its way into sweets
- More exciting, adult-oriented flavours
- Mocktail flavours
- Limited editions align with good causes
- Smint ups the ante with new fresh breath technology
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Adspend remains stable in 2016
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- Figure 24: Total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on sugar and gum confectionery, 2013-17
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- Figure 25: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on sugar and gum confectionery, by top 15 companies (sorted by 2016), 2013-17
- Fruittella looks to print and digital advertising
- Sharing personal moments is encouraged by Mentos
- Tangerine Confectionery makes a return to TV advertising
- Haribo supports its Starmix Multipacks
- Nestlé runs promotions to tap into the ‘big night in’ trend
- Maynards Bassett creates an experiential art campaign
- Chupa Chups targets teens with a sugar-free message
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- High levels of weekly usage of sweets
- Ingrained use of gum
- Scope to build on gifting in sweets
- Over half eat sweets to boost their mood
- Brands should help to deal with the problems of gum disposal
- Herbs/spices can create to exciting and sophisticated flavours
- Artisan positioning should be extended beyond fudge
- Sharing bags seen to make it easy to eat too much
- Demand for more naturally sourced sweeteners
- More brands should look to seasonal flavours
- Soft, buttery sweets win on comfort, satisfaction and indulgence
Usage of Sweets and Gum
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- High levels of weekly usage of sweets
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- Figure 26: Usage of sweets and gum, by type, October 2017
- Under-35s and families are the core audience for sweets
- A third eat sugar-free sweets
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- Figure 27: Usage of sugar-free sweets, by gender and age, October 2017
- Ingrained use of gum
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- Figure 28: Frequency of usage of sweets and gum, October 2017
Behaviours relating to Sweets and Gum
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- Scope to build on gifting in sweets
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- Figure 29: Behaviours related to sweets, October 2017
- Over half eat sweets to boost their mood
- Dipping sauces can add an exciting new element to sweets
- Brands should help to deal with the problems of gum disposal
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- Figure 30: Behaviours related to gum, October 2017
Interest in Innovation in Sweets
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- Demand for more premium sweets
- Herbs/spices lend themselves well to exciting and sophisticated flavours
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- Figure 31: Interest in innovation in sweets, October 2017
- Artisan positioning should be extended beyond fudge
- British ingredients can help to win over the older generation
- Taking inspiration from other countries can create foodie appeal
Attitudes towards Sweets
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- Sharing bags seen to make it easy to eat too much
- Strong demand for packaging which helps with portion control
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- Figure 32: Attitudes towards sweets, October 2017
- Demand for more naturally sourced sweeteners
- More brands should look to seasonal flavours
Associations with Different Textures of Sweets
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- Hard sweets are the least appealing
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- Figure 33: Correspondence analysis: perceptions of sweets with different textures, October 2017
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- Figure 34: Qualities associated with different textures of sweets, October 2017
- Figure 35: Further qualities associated with different textures of sweets, October 2017
- Soft, buttery sweets win on comfort, satisfaction and indulgence
- Chewy and crunchy sweets have a fun factor
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 36: UK retail sales of sugar and gum confectionery, by value, 2012-22
- Figure 37: UK retail sales of sugar and gum confectionery, by volume, 2012-22
- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 38: Total UK retail value sales of sweets and gum, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
- Figure 39: Total UK retail volume sales of sweets and gum, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
- Figure 40: Total UK retail value sales of sweets, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
- Figure 41: Total UK retail volume sales of sweets, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
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- Figure 42: Total UK retail value sales of gum, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
- Figure 43: Total UK retail volume sales of sweets, best- and worst-case forecast, 2017-22
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Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 44: Share of new product launches in the UK sugar and gum confectionery market, by company (sorted by 2017, top 15, 2012-17)
- Figure 45: Share of new product launches in the UK sugar and gum confectionery market, by unit pack size, 2013-17
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