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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This agreement marks a milestone in the SPAR international network of utilising data insights to enhance its digital customer-centric strategies.

Through this partnership, SPAR country organisations will have access to Circana’s extensive expertise and cross-industry insights through its collaborative technology solution Liquid Data, which integrates one of the largest sources of consumer data globally and trusted predictive analytics, all accessed on a single, end-to-end user experience.

The collaboration will enhance SPAR country organisations’ access to a unified view of insights on customer loyalty, utilising AI to highlight trends reflected through data, and support their customer-centric initiatives. In a continually changing retail landscape, the SPAR brand objective of putting customers first and meeting changing shopper demands will be supported through this new partnership.

DATA INSIGHTS DRIVING SHOPPER EXPERIENCE

With this global agreement, SPAR country organisations will benefit from access to expertise within Circana’s team in utilising data insights to strengthen business operations and inform strategies. Circana’s industry experts can provide invaluable guidance on utilising Circana’s flexible platform to enhance business performance and support customer-centric strategies. This partnership can help identify ways in which SPAR country organisations identify audiences, activate marketing initiatives, and then measure the effectiveness of campaigns.

Tom Rose, Head of International Operations at SPAR International, is enthusiastic about the partnership.

“We are delighted to announce this partnership with Circana which will support us by offering our partners great insights to enhance customer experiences. Circana is an innovative partner who shares our vision of being locally relevant and internationally strong,” he said.

Brad Shelton, Global President of Retail and Manufacturer Collaboration at Circana added: “We are thrilled to become a trusted partner of SPAR. Our advanced technology and analytics will provide the business with actionable insights which will lead to even more highly effective promotion campaigns as well as competitive assessments.

“By partnering with us on market measurement, supply chain, shopper loyalty insights and media, SPAR will be able to quickly access the insights and action steps they need to drive their business forward.”

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It may be summer and schools have closed for the holiday season, but for many parents it will soon be time to plan ahead for the back to school shopping list, in a bid to get ahead of the crowd in getting sorted for September.

This is a key business period for retailers, following closely behind Christmas and Easter as one of the busiest times of the year for those in the industry.

From freshly sharpened pencils, notepads, calculators and lunchbox essentials to those all-important breakfast and snack ideas, it’s vital that retailers have their shelves stocked up and eye-catching for consumers.

Many customers will be looking for ways to make savings this year, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household budgets. With the prices of almost everything remaining high, parents will be keen to spread out the cost of the back-to-school shop and will be keeping a keen eye on their seasonal shopping.

In many cases, parents will be shopping for more than one child, so will be focusing on multi-packs or bundle offers as they remain price conscious, and where relevant may be willing to avail of saving schemes. (According to Mintel’s 2022 research, 39% of parents have used a buy-now-pay-later scheme for purchasing back to school items, while 25% would be interested in using this type of payment option in the future.)

There have been significant cuts in the education budget and continued financial strain on schools, they are in turn are becoming more reliant on contributions from parents to support the purchase of some stationery essentials. Suffice to say that parents will inevitably be bulk buying items such as blue, black and red pens and pencils, rulers, sharpeners and notepads.

With this in mind, retailers can maximise sales by planning events and promotions centring on price sensitivities, encouraging customers to shop in their stores. Price discounts and other incentives will help ensure sales and attract the attention of parents.

It is not just parents however, that will be shopping for back-to-school essentials, as older students also play a pivotal role in the buying process, be it influencing their parents’ purchases or spending their own money, so it is worth remembering this when planning promotions or in-store displays.

Additionally, multi-platform promotion and engagement with younger consumers can go some way to increasing sales. Students will see much of what they want or need for school online, so highlighting offers and availability on social media platforms is a key way of helping both online and in-store sales.

As households across the country continue to grapple with prices, shoppers are looking to make cost-savings wherever they can. As a result, homemade lunchboxes will be the ‘go-to’ solution for many parents looking to save money this year.

Research[1] has shown that 72% of consumers believe that a home-made sandwich for lunch is unbeatable. With sandwiches often a core component of any lunchbox, stocking a range of quality wrapped bread should be a focus for any retailers looking to cater for the back-to-school occasion.

While many shoppers may be looking to save money, there is still a huge desire for quality bakery products from recognised brands that consumers know and trust.

Another focus for lunch boxes should be in brown/wholemeal bread, which is the third biggest type of pre-packaged bread, accounting for nearly 14%¹ of loaves sold in Great Britain.

The traditional sandwich remains a key part of any lunchbox so making sure there’s a good range of pre-packaged bread on offer that caters for different tastes available at all times is essential to cater for the back-to-school trend. Combined, white bread, brown/wholemeal and half and half bread account for over 75% of the pre-packaged loaves sold in Great Britain over the last year[2]. Whilst bread with seeds and grains accounts for 18% and are extremely popular, they have more of an adult consumer profile.

Alongside a range of pre-packaged bread, offering a selection of classic kids’ sandwich fillers, such as cheese and ham, as well as fruit, will help retailers ensure they’re well prepared to respond to rising demand ahead of the return to school.

Creating a back-to-school occasion display can really help to drive impact in store. For example, displaying a range of lunchbox essentials, such as pre-packaged bread, sandwich fillers and fruit, next to or close to each other and offering cross-category promotions can help to boost sales. Where running promotions, using PoS in store can also help build shopper awareness of the different offers available and encourage them to buy multiple items in one shop.

Confectionery is worth £5.5bn within the UK treating and snacking market, which itself is worth £13.3bn, reports Wholesale Manager magazine, making it a hugely important category to independent convenience retailers looking to drive sales, indeed 75% of recent treats and snacking growth has come from confectionery sales alone (Nielsen).

There are three subcategories within confectionery: chocolate, gum and fruity confectionery.

According to Kantar, there has been a dramatic 597% increase in the popularity of blonde chocolate in the past 18 months. 65% of gum purchases are made on impulse (Nielsen), making it critically important for retailers to make gum available and easily visible for every shopper and every trip. Fruity confections are growing at +17% year-on-year (Nielsen).

According to Clare Newton, Trade Marketing Manager at Swizzels, consumers demand class.

“Sugar confectionery is worth £1.6bn, growing at 16.2% (Circana), which is a figure bolstered by demand from consumers for classic favourites as well as new and innovative products. The continuation of the production of these innovative products and flavours, as well as the availability of gifting lines are expected to drive further demand in the near future.

“Sugar confectionery has had a great reputation as being one of the best performing categories within wholesale, as customers are likely to make impulse purchases, especially when related products are merchanised together and have a price mark clearly stated on the packaging.”

[1] Perspectus Global, May 2023

[2] NIQ Scantrack, total coverage, incl. discounters, unit sales pre-packaged bread loaves by dough type, MAT to 22/04/23

TO SEE THE FULL BACK TO SCHOOL FEATURE IN THE JUNE-JULY ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER, CLICK HERE

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Described as “ideal for both sharing and self-treat occasions”, the 120g bags in both Price Marked and Non Price-Marked packs (RSP: £1.15) are available to order now.

The Squashies range has continued to grow in popularity among consumers, even amidst economic challenges with the brand now worth £52.5m*.

Squashies, the No.1 sugar hanging bag brand in the market** – which includes customer favourites such as Drumstick Original, Bubblegum, Sour Cherry & Apple, and Banana & Blueberry – have become an essential range for retailers to stock.

Clare Newton, Trade Marketing Manager at Swizzels said: “Our mouth-watering Squashies Strawberry & Cream flavour reflects our dedication to creating exciting new taste sensations for our consumers.

“Our newest launch is sure to become a must-have sugar confectionery product, combining moreish Squashies with the classic British combo of Strawberry & Cream. Plus, the timing couldn’t be sweeter – launching just in time for National Strawberries & Cream Day on 21^st May.

“The latest addition to our best-selling hanging bag brand is a direct result of the outstanding success our retailers have had with our current range of Squashies, coupled with the fantastic feedback from our consumer research.”

Last year, to support the continued success of Squashies, Swizzels unveiled an additional factory in Cheshire, to meet growing demand and opportunities for product development long into the future.

* Source: Circana, Confectionery category, Value Sales 52wks to 21/01/2024, Total Market

** Source: Circana, Confectionery category, Value Sales 52wks to 21/01/2024, Total Market

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