With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, demand for sharing formats and individually wrapped treats for parties and trick-or-treating is expected to be higher than ever as people celebrate throughout the weekend.

As the UK’s No.1 supplier of variety bags*, Swizzels’ Halloween portfolio continues to go from strength to strength, with Scrumptious Sweets 134g, Luscious Lollies 132g, and Curious Chews 135g (all £1.25 MRSP PMP) remaining a must-stock for the Halloween season.

Packed with fan favourites such as Love Hearts, Refreshers, Drumstick Chews, Fruity Pops, Fizzers and more, each sweet is individually wrapped, making the range ideal for trick-or-treaters, family sharing, and seasonal displays. With bright, eye-catching packaging and strong shelf visibility, these packs provide retailers with a reliable way to maximise impulse purchases and drive profits throughout the Halloween period.

Thanks to its all-year-round appeal, the sweet maker’s variety bags range retains its sales potential well beyond Halloween, making it a smart investment for retailers looking to manage seasonal stock efficiently.

Swizzels’ Halloween-themed range is also set to perform well this year, featuring popular packs such as Monster Treats (440g, MRSP £4), Mummy Mix (340g, MRSP £3) and the Trick or Treat Lolly Mix (330g, MRSP £3).

For shoppers seeking bigger, great-value formats, the Swizzels Sweet Shop Favourites Tub (MRSP £5) remains a Halloween essential for retailers, offering a wide selection of individually wrapped treats that appeal to the whole family.

Clare Newton, trade and shopper marketing manager at Swizzels, said: “Halloween has become one of the biggest seasonal events and this year it falls on a Friday, meaning retailers should stock up in preparation for bigger celebrations across the weekend and expect heightened demand for sharing formats for parties and events.

“Our variety bags are an absolute staple at this time of year. They’re packed with treats to suit every taste, perfect for sharing, and ideal for trick-or-treating thanks to their individually wrapped format.

“Alongside our themed products and sharing tubs, Swizzels’ Halloween portfolio has something for everyone, helping retailers maximise seasonal sales and providing fun, affordable treats for the occasion.”

*Source: Circana, Confectionery category, Value Sales 52wks to 12/05/2024, Total Market

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Landing just in time for Halloween, Trick or Treat Minis feature bite-sized biscuits in fun Halloween-inspired shapes, including bats, cats, and pumpkins. Each biscuit is topped with vibrant, seasonal icing colours created especially to delight (and fright!) during Halloween festivities.

Available in a 10-pack of mini bags, the format is ideal for those expecting trick-or-treaters or hosting a spooky get together. In consumer testing, the product achieved an impressive 86% ‘overall liking’ score, which is significantly higher than the 70% average in the Sweet Biscuit category, highlighting its strong appeal ahead of launch. 1

The NPD builds on the strong performance of the Party Rings’ Minis range, which is now worth £14m, growing at +4% vs year average and outperforming the overall mini’s segment 2. It also follows the success of ‘Under the Sea Minis’, a recent sea-themed innovation that introduced new shapes to the portfolio for the first time earlier this year.

David Hebson, Trade Marketing Director at FBC said: “We’re thrilled to bring a seasonal twist to the much-loved Party Rings Minis with our new ‘Trick or Treat’ edition.

“Following the fantastic response to our ‘Under the Sea’ Minis earlier this year, this latest launch continues our journey of playful innovation during a year of packaging refreshes now live in stores. Halloween is a huge seasonal moment traditionally dominated by confectionery, and we’re excited to bring one of the UK’s most iconic biscuit brands into seasonal aisles.

“It also reflects our wider brand momentum – with exciting product development, refreshed packaging, and major marketing support helping us connect with new and loyal consumers alike.”

The 10-pack of mini bags (10 x 21g per bag) are available at Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, as well as multiple discounters from mid-September for MRSP £2.10.

1. Toluna / Party Rings Concept Screen 2024
2. NIQ Total Coverage (52 we 28.12.2024) and Kantar, Bargain Stores & Hard Discounters (52 WE 29.12.2024)

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The ‘Sweet Bazooka Summer’ activation reached thousands of people through large-scale sampling activations at family and retail destinations, including Emerald Park, The Square Tallaght, and Nutgrove Shopping Centre.

Shoppers and families got the chance to sample some of Bazooka’s most popular treats, including Bazooka Chews, Juicy Drop and Push Pop, putting the brand directly into their hands.

Reinforcing Bazooka’s reputation for edible entertainment, the sampling campaign was amplified with an experiential activity through a Bazooka Candy Factory-themed custom art installation at Nutgrove Shopping Centre by artist Mark Cronin.

Online, Bazooka ran three targeted influencer gifting campaigns with micro influencer platform, FetchIreland, delivering over 65 pieces of original online content, reaching over 200,000 accounts in two months. Through user-generated and relevant content, the campaigns built awareness of Bazooka’s range during a key selling time, sparking conversation and encouraging trial.

Commenting on the success of the campaign, Adam Gosling, Head of Retail, UK and Ireland, Bazooka Candy Brands said: “Our sweet summer of activation in Ireland delivered. We reached over 35,000 people directly with our products and spiked interest in our key products, including Bazooka candy and Juicy Drop, during the summer months.

“Ireland is an important market for us, and as a brand, we’re committed to supporting our retail partners by marketing Bazooka products, encouraging trial and driving shoppers to our retail partners’ stores. With several new lines due to launch in the coming months, we’re committed to further investing in Ireland and ensuring our products remain firm favourites with Irish families.”

For further information on Bazooka Candy Brands, please contact your local Valeo Sales Rep.

https://bazookacandybrandsinternational.com/

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The new figures show that inflation continues to prop up a declining Easter trade for the convenience sector, according to insight from Talysis.

Easter 2025 delivered a noteworthy increase in value sales for the UK convenience channel with sales rising by 4.2%, reports Talysis, the UK’s specialist convenience insight agency.

With a seasonal confectionery range in excess of 300 products available in convenience stores across the UK this year, innovation continued to play an important role and contributed to the seasonal excitement, but despite the introduction of 86 new products for Easter this year, the best sellers remain predominantly driven by established brands and SKUs.

A staggering 75% of all Easter confectionery sales came from the top 20 lines, with 63.5% of sales from just the top 10 products. Only one new product – Reeses Big Cup with Easter Sprinkles 73g – made it into the top 30, albeit there were 10 NPDs in the top 50 Easter lines.

Significant price inflation was prevalent across all of the top 10 Easter products, with average selling prices in convenience up, across the board, between 18.% and 23.8%.

Unsurprisingly Cadbury’s favourites Crème Eggs and Mini Eggs emerged as the standout seasonal stars, collectively contributing 3% of total Easter confectionery sales in the convenience channel. Their highest sales came w/e 20^th April, with 14.4% of all Easter sales taking place that week.

However, both brands also saw strong sales ahead of Easter, with Valentine’s week delivering the biggest value sales for both SKUs outside of Easter. In fact, 50% of ‘Easter’ sales happened before the beginning of March.

Ed Roberts, MD of Talysis said the convenience channel differentiated itself from the supermarkets and discounters this year.

“It did not compete on traditional eggs and gifting lines and is now not left with residual stock and clearance issues, which have been seen across supermarkets,” he said.

“Even so, their ability to capitalise on Price-Marked Packs is a huge opportunity to consider for next year. Focusing on what the channel does best should ensure that they’re rewarded by shoppers in the long-term, rather than relying on the short-term impact of inflation to increase sales values.”

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A new Safefood survey has revealed that 87% of Northern Ireland adults believe that retailers are pushing Hallowe’en and Christmas-themed treat foods, such as sweets and chocolates, far too early in the calendar.

The research shows that these early promotions leave three in four adults feeling annoyed, stressed, and pressured by the temptation to purchase high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt Hallowe’en and Christmas treats well ahead of the festive holidays.

This constant bombardment of Hallowe’en and Christmas treats makes it harder for families to maintain healthier eating habits, especially as parents try to re-establish healthy routines with the new school year.

Food-related ill-health is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world, with one in four children in Northern Ireland living with overweight or obesity, putting them at significantly increased risk of developing chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers in adulthood.

The findings come as part of Safefood’s campaign to create a healthier food environment by raising awareness of the unhealthy food environment, how it is potentially harmful to our health and why it needs to change.

It highlights the urgent need to transform our food landscape by tackling the overwhelming variety and availability of unhealthy food options that encourage families to shop and eat unhealthily at nearly every turn.

Commenting on the survey, Dr Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition with Safefood said: “We can all already see them – stacks of Christmas sweet tins piled high in supermarkets since September. Plus, the hype of Hallowe’en when children are only just back to school.

“We know retailers target this time of the year in order to extend sales before occasions like Hallowe’en or Christmas – the industry even has a phrase for it, calling it ‘Summerween’.

“The real truth is that shoppers don’t want this. It’s not fair to be faced with this temptation so far in advance of special occasions and it leaves people feeling annoyed and stressed. If we want to build a healthier food environment for our health and that of our children, we need to stop these kinds of promotions. Expecting any of us to make a healthier choice is simply not possible when faced with this relentless sales push.”

Behavioural Psychologist Padraig Walsh added: “This survey confirms that these prominent promotions along with their associated ‘pester power’ are highly effective in attracting attention, often leaving parents feeling annoyed, stressed, and pressured.

“Many parents had only just set healthy eating goals for back-to-school. Once again, the architecture of the food environment needlessly disrupts their resolve and willpower.

“Developing new habits takes time, typically months to become established, and such environmental pressures undermine these efforts at critical stages.”

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