Category: News

Healthier at Hancocks will see the confectionery giant offer retailers healthier choices to add to the in store offering to maximise sales and attract new customers. Focus areas include healthier snacks and energy, with the aim to make enjoyable, healthier choices accessible and affordable for everyone. This comes after an industry-wide shift that has seen many major grocers starting to segment healthy snacking and highlight wider ranges including energy drinks and high protein. More cash and carry’s are also bringing in bulk offerings in both healthy snacking and drinks to meet consumer demands. 

The healthier snacking market has grown by 15% in the last 12 months, taking it to £148m. 

With market growth showing no signs of slowing down, Hancocks is encouraging retailers to make the most of the popularity and stock up on key categories.

The Healthier at Hancocks launch comes alongside the introduction of two new partner brands, Sneak Energy and CLIF. Some of the other brands which will come under the Healthier at Hancocks category include Barebells, Grenade, Gunna, Get More Vits, Eat Natural and Candy Kittens.

New products from the healthier category will be available from each of Hancocks 14 depots across the UK and online www.hancocks.co.uk , with new signage and POS to help shoppers navigate new lines in store.

The brand even plans to extend their own ranges by launching new brands and through partner brand development.

Kathryn Hague, Head of Marketing at Hancocks said: “We are super excited to be launching our brand new Healthier at Hancocks proposition. “Many of our independent, forecourt and grocery customers are segmenting healthy snacking and highlighting wider ranges in store, which aligns perfectly with our plans for healthier options. “With an already increased demand, the ability for retailers to tap into a brand new customer base and be involved with such a fast-growing category, introducing healthy snacking, functional and energy categories is a no brainer.”

 

Since partnering exclusively with World of Sweets, the brand has been stocked in garden centres, farm shops and speciality gift stores, proving very popular among customers. 

The brand was founded in 1884 and is one of the world’s leading liquor filled chocolate brand. It’s owned by Toms International, a Danish confectionery producer.

Toms Group is founded in Danish social culture and confectionery history, they insist on creating top quality products for their customers. 

Since originating in Denmark, the company has built a presence across the world, with customers all over loving their products. 

It’s best known for its iconic bottle-shaped chocolate, endorsed by some of the most famous original liqueur brands, including Famous Grouse, Southern Comfort, Cointreau and Mount Gay Barbados Rum. 

The chocolate liqueurs are available in 4, 8, 12, 16, 21 and 24-piece formats, with RRPs from £4.99 – £23.49.

Anthon Berg have also teamed up with five of the world’s most renowned single malt scotch whisky brands to launch their premium Single Malt Whisky collection.

With a unique collection of flavours from light and delicate to rich and smoky, the whisky collection is available in 5, 10 and 15 piece gift box formats, with RRPs from £5.29 – £15.79.

The high quality Chocolate Cocktails are created by Anthon Berg’s team of chocolatiers who’ve produced delicious dark chocolate bottles filled with smooth liquid fillings inspired by cocktails from around the world. 

They have worked with expert mixologists to develop the delicious cocktail recipes and consumer favourites which includes Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Espresso Martini, Vodka Mule, Pina Colada and Lemon Drop.

The Chocolate Cocktails are available in four to 24 piece gift boxes, RRP from £4.99 to £23.49. 

Brand new for this year is a collaboration between Anthon Berg marzipan and Baileys cream liqueur. 

Through teaming up, Baileys, the UK’s leading cream liqueur and Anthon Berg, who have a 140-year stronghold in marzipan production, have created a luxurious confectionery treat. 

The marzipan round is covered in Anthon Berg milk chocolate with a swirl of dark chocolate as decoration and the taste of Baileys cream liqueur.

The dual branded gift boxes include seven individually wrapped pieces with an RRP of £8.49.

 

This April, Anthon Berg will feature on the World of Sweets stand at the National Convenience Show.

Chris Smith, Partner Brand Manager at World of Sweets, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 100 years of Anthon Berg’s iconic liqueur-filled bottle and 140 years of the acclaimed brand.

“The iconic Danish confectionery brand brings a whole new market for our products and allows us to expand our offering. 

“Since partnering with the brand, they have been popular among a whole host of retailers, including garden centres and their gifting offering. 

“For convenience retailers, we recommend four and five piece gift box formats. Adding more luxurious gifting items into your range is a great way to maximise sales and appeal to customers looking for something extra special for loved ones.

“As an internationally acclaimed brand with an exciting product range they appeal both to retailers and their customers.”

Retailers looking to capitalise on the growing trend for energy drinks can now stock a cult online UK based brand.

Sneak Energy is the UK’s number one direct to consumer energy drink and is being exclusively distributed by the UK’s leading confectionery distributor World of Sweets in its drive to take the product mainstream.

The confectionery giant will be stocking its range of 500ml energy drinks including Sneak Energy Tropikilla, Sneak Energy Purple Storm, Sneak Energy Raspberry Lemonade and Sneak Energy Blizzard Lemonade.

Sneak was launched in 2018 in the UK and US, shipping over a million orders and growing to become a popular online energy drink brand in the UK.

It claims the direct to consumer number 1 slot, having shipped over 1.2m customer orders since launch in 2018.

The brand originated from and is popular within the gaming community. In 2022 the number of gamers in the UK was around 39.9 million with the market valued at £8.16 billion.*

Well established within the gaming community, Sneak are working with World of Sweets to expand their audience reach.

[arve url=”https://youtu.be/d0Brir7vDr0″ title=”SNEAK Brand Showreel” upload_date=”2024-03-06″ /]

The energy drinks market in the UK is growing. Current data shows 11 million Gen Z and Millennials regularly buy energy drinks with five million of those looking for cleaner, benefit driven and functional energy drinks. **

Sneak prides itself on its natural clean energy – no added preservatives, no refined sugars, no artificial colour and no artificial flavours. 

Instead the drinks contain natural caffeine, zero sugar, taurine, ginseng, choline and carnitine plus added B vitamins. All combine to help deliver a boost that enhances mental focus and sharpness.

Sneak Energy Tropikilla is a light, fruit drink with a tasty combination of pineapple and smooth mango. 

Sneak Energy Raspberry Lemonade has a citrus kick with a blend of sweet, tart raspberries and a fresh citrusy lemonade.

Sneak Energy Purple Storm is a stormy mix of berries with Sneak Energy Blizzard a cooling ice-cold lemonade flavour.

To complement the eye-catching can design, retailers will be able to activate Sneak-branded point of sale to drive impulse purchases in the chiller fixture and off shelf.

Brand Manager from World of Sweets, Chris Smith said: “We’re so excited to be welcoming Sneak into our portfolio of brands and products we exclusively distribute.”

“Since the brand launched five years ago, they’ve built a massive following online to become a popular online energy drink. Now is the time to take them to a wider audience with the World of Sweets distribution network.”

“The brand’s already strong audience is highly engaged on its social channels with limited products selling out fast. They also have over 500,000 website visits per month. This is great news for retailers – an in-demand product will see customers heading to store.”

“The amazing and unique flavours, clean energy with no nasties and zero sugar makes this energy drink stand out from the crowd. Added to that the eye-catching can design and POS and it will be a product hard for customers to walk past without picking up. With an already engaged audience, the ability to be exciting and disruptive and in such a fast-growing category, this is a product retailers will want to stock.”

World of Sweets is growing its range of healthier snacking products and will become the new distributor for the Grocery, Convenience and Forecourt channels for CLIF products across the UK.

They’ll be partnering with the team at Mondelez to grow the American born CLIF brand, offering retailers their exciting, great tasting energy and snacking products.

Born on a bike and created with athletes in mind, CLIF continues to make delicious plant based food that begins with a recipe and the latest nutrition science. They thoughtfully craft foods to provide nutrition you can feel good about, whether for athletic performance or daily activities. The brand is committed to using sustainable ingredients made with renewable energy1 while aspiring to use eco-friendly packaging and deliver by transportation that doesn’t pollute.

Among the products being distributed by World of Sweets are CLIF BAR, CLIF Nut Butter Bars and CLIF BLOKS Energy Chews.

The iconic CLIF BAR was first launched in the US in 1992 and has gone on to become the number one energy bar in the US2 and a global brand worth $1.5 billion. 

Each bar is made with a blend of nutritious, plant based protein, fat and carbohydrates crafted to keep you moving.  The bars contain 9-11g of protein and are thoughtfully made to provide nutrition you can feel good about.

The CLIF BAR comes in six tempting flavours including Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Crunchy Peanut Butter, Blueberry Almond Crisp, Peanut Butter Banana with Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Almond Fudge.

The CLIF Nut Butter Bars are made using certified organic ingredients including creamy peanut butter, oats and a range of flavours to suit every taste. Among the bars available are Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter, which contain7g of plant based protein and only 9-11g of sugar per bar.

The CLIF BLOKS Energy Chews are designed for athletes, as an easy-to-chew source of quickly absorbed carbohydrates that deliver carbohydrates for fast fuel to maintain optimal performance levels. 

The range comes in caffeinated and non-caffeinated varieties with flavours including Strawberry, Mountain Berry, Tropical Punch and Black Cherry.

CLIF BAR was created by Gary Erickson who couldn’t face another unappetising energy bar on the long distance bike rides he took part in. He created the bars with his mum in her kitchen and named them after his father Clifford.

The product is now popular across the globe as consumers opt for healthier snacking options. 

According to a recent study, 94% of adults are trying to snack more healthily and in the UK, 55%3 of consumers will purchase energy bars on the go, making them an obvious choice for retailers looking to offer their customers choice.

Brand Manager from World of Sweets, Chris Smith said: “The market for healthier options is really taking off so we’re delighted to be adding CLIF to our portfolio of exciting brands. 

“Functional snacks are becoming increasingly popular with consumers who are balancing the key macros – carbs, protein and fats. They can also help customers make better dietary choices.

“CLIF BAR is a clear choice for those looking for a protein and carbohydrate rich snack for energy and endurance, and also for those who want to enjoy a healthier, nutritionally complete snack, using real food and simple ingredients.

“The CLIF Nut Butter Bars are also the perfect portable snack for active, busy lifestyles.”

Chris continued: “As the new UK distributor of this iconic brand, we’re committed at World of Sweets to ensuring you and your customers have access to CLIF’s range of nutritious and indulgent products. 

“We look forward to working together to drive CLIF BAR sales and meeting the healthier snacking needs of your shoppers.” 

Senior Commercial Director of CLIF Europe, James Hemmings said “Clif Bar and Mondelez are excited to work with a dynamic, future-thinking distribution partner like World of Sweets to drive the Clif brand in the UK in the important on-the-go and convenience channels. Using their extensive field team, covering over 55,000 customers and pioneering use of technology, together we will make Clif the energy bar brand of choice across the UK.

 

1 Generated onsite and sourced through renewable energy credits.

2 Nielsen Retail Sales, xAOC+C, 52 weeks ending 3 February 2024

3 Innofact European Brand Tracking, November 2022

World of Sweets have unveiled the Zed Candy Screamers range which consists of the new, innovative Shake & Spray as well as two other new launches.

The New Zed Candy Screamers Shake & Spray will be available in two flavours, Blue Razz and Purple Razz, 12 x 60m, RRP £1.20. This exciting new product is not just another candy spray, it’s expected to be incredibly popular amongst younger sweet lovers with its new innovative and unique concept with the spray can ‘shake effect’. The shake effect is caused by three blue razz bubblegum balls at the bottom of the can. Kids simply twist the product to open and reveal the gum. Shake & Spray is expected to be in big demand after its launch this September and will be accompanied by a social media campaign to get children excited and encourage sales. The eye catching Screamers graphics will be hugely appealing to kids and the elongated and transparent lid is similar to a real spray can.  This product is also displayed in a fully brand shelf ready to display.

Another new Screamers product that has launched this year is the Big Lick with a RRP of £1.00. Big Lick is also available in Blue and Purple Razz and has achieved a combined total of almost 1 million units sold since its launch in April. The launch of Big Lick was also accompanied by an incredibly successful social media campaign with all Big Lick related videos on TikTok bringing in a total of 18.2 million views!

Zed Candy Screamers Dip & Lick is another must have novelty product and its RRP of 50p makes it a perfect pocket money value sweet for youngsters. The Screamers Dip & Lick consists of two candy sticks in a tasty blue razz and cherry flavour, accompanied by three sour powder dips, sour apple, sour strawberry and sour lemon.

Zed Candy prides itself on creating eye-catching packaging and candy with new textures, tastes and fillings and even more Screamers products are expected to be released later on in the year.

Chris Smith, Partner Brand Manager at World of Sweets said: “We’re incredibly excited about the new Zed Candy Screamers range because we know just how much kids will love it!

“The new Shake & Spray product will be an instant success due to the innovative spray can design and shake effect that youngsters will find exciting. Its social media campaign will follow in the footsteps of the Big Lick campaign which was insanely popular and helped drive sales further for the product.

“Zed Candy are constantly providing us with fun and innovative products which we’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers. We can’t wait to see what else they have in store this year as part of their Screamers range!” 

Brendan Roantree, Managing Director of Zed Candy said: “In 12 months we have brought Screamers to +20 countries. Our new Shake & Spray has had an incredible reception from our international distributor network. The UK will be the first to launch and we are delighted to partner with World of Sweets who have unparalleled reach in the market”.

Anthon Berg, which was founded in 1884 and is the world’s leading liquor filled chocolate brand,
joins the portfolio of global confectionery brands distributed by World of Sweets and opens up
new sales markets for the confectionery giant.

World of Sweets has become the new authorised UK distributor of Anthon Berg, which is owned
by Toms International, a Danish confectionery producer since 1954.

The distribution reach offered by World of Sweets will bring the Danish brand to a whole new
market, vastly expanding their UK customer base and positioning them as an all year round
gifting option for retailers, as well as focusing efforts during popular gifting seasons including
Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day & Christmas.

The brand is best known for their iconic bottle-shaped chocolate and endorsed by some of the
most famous original liqueur brands.

The brand’s current confectionery offering includes Premium Chocolate Liqueurs, Chocolate
Cocktail Liqueurs, Chocolate Coffee Liqueurs, Single Malt Scotch Collection, Chocolate Liqueur
Tablets, Chocolate Pralines, Fruits in Marzipan, Marzipan Bars and an Advent Calendar.

Anthon Berg is considered to have the best selection of globally recognised spirits brands in the
chocolate category, and the experts at World of Sweets plan on making the most of all product
formats in their portfolio, including gift boxes, sharing pouches, tablets and bars.

Helen Bradshaw, Sales and Marketing Director at World of Sweets said: “We are delighted to
have partnered with Anthon Berg as their new authorised UK distributor, bringing their range of
premium gifting products to retailers across the country.

“The iconic Danish confectionery brand brings a whole new market for our products and allows
us to expand our offering. We know they will be popular among a whole host of retailers. As an
internationally acclaimed brand with an exciting offering they will be appealing both to retailers
and their customers.”

Guilhem Peirre Bénézet, Area Director at Tom’s Group said: “We are very excited to be entering
a new partnership with World of Sweets to become our new authorised UK distributor of Anthon
Berg in the UK.

“The Anthon Berg brand offers customers and consumers a unique and premium quality
product, and with a strong partnership and distribution efforts by World of Sweets we hope to
vastly expand our UK audience.”

World of Sweets is the UK’s largest confectionery distributor, importer, and wholesaler,
supplying thousands of customers across all retail channels.

Offering a world of distribution solutions from e-commerce sites serving 55,000 customers per
week to Hancocks wholesale stores with over 22,000 customers, field sales and a direct to store
team covering 36,000 independent customers and a national accounts team covering all UK
retail channels.

Contact the team of experts to discuss their year round and Christmas 2023 range today at
Telephone: 0330 202 0903 / Email: help@worldofsweets.co.uk

The confectionery experts have partnered with Vimto to develop the brand new, HFSS compliant Vimto Zero Fruit Drops.

Bursting with the original secret Vimto flavour and containing no added sugar, the Fruit Drops are made using real fruit juice and natural colours and a source of Vitamin C, Vimto Zero Fruit Drops come packaged with a convenient flip top carton lid.

They come in a branded shelf ready display case (12 x 36.5g) with a £1 recommended retail price. As they’re HFSS compliant, this means there’s no restrictions on volume and price promotions.

This new launch sits alongside other recent Vimto confectionery launches including Vimto Fried Eggs, Vimto Giant Cables, Vimto Juicy Mixups, Vimto Shaker Cups and more. 

The Vimto Zero Fruit Drops are exclusively available from World of Sweets – via hancocks.co.uk and the field sales team through telesales, website or app.

Chris Smith, Marketing Communications Manager at World of Sweets said: “Our exclusive Vimto confectionery range has always been popular amongst our customers and retailers, so we anticipate that the brand new Vimto Zero Fruit Drops will do exceptionally well in driving impulse sales. 

“Since these sweets are also HFSS compliant, retailers have no restrictions on the sales and promotions of the product”. 

You know you’re onto a real winner when….

… you receive a second GREAT TASTE award from the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme!

🏆 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑!
Bonds of London – ‘ I Like Pina Coladas’ (12 x 105g, RRP £1)

👀 𝐉𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐄’𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒:
🎤 “We loved the fun yellow and green colours of these jelly sweets. The aroma was enticingly of coconut and rum and we were instantly reminded of Pina Coladas and the beach. We loved the juicy and chewy texture, the use of sugar is well judged, and we thought this was a great product, where the appearance, aroma and flavour was totally in sync”

🎤 “Fun looking pineapple sweets. Soft, nicely coated in sugar that offers texture”

🎤 “A well balanced sweet where both the coconut & pineapple flavours come through. The texture means you really need to chew the sweet, which in turn distributes the flavours fully around your mouth. Not oversweet, but the coating sugar gives a good extra crunch, sweetness & fizz”

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄
‘I Like Pina Coladas’ forms part of the Bonds ‘Tipples’ themed share bag range. Featuring alongside ‘Shakin It From Mo Head to Mojitoes’, mojito flavour gummies and ‘Let the Good Times Be Gin’, Rhubarb Gin flavour gummies, which also recieved a Great Taste award last year!

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘!
📞 0330 202 0903 📨 help@worldofsweets.co.uk

We’re delighted to be shortlisted for the Retail Industry Awards in two separate categories this year!

✅ Sales Team of the Year – Bonds of London (Field Sales)

✅ Confectionery Product Launch of the Year

➡️ Vimto Fried Eggs 45g
➡️ Bonds I Like Pina Coladas Bag 105g

This is a fantastic achievement and testament to our in-house Product Development experts, our Brand Partner Vimto and our Bonds Field Sales Team!

The awards are retailer voted with the link to the voting form and full shortlist below…
https://lnkd.in/ecJTu9ZY

It’s been claimed distribution issues are at the root of the problem. Last year the shortage was reported to be down to a surge in demand.

Now the UK’s leading confectionery wholesaler, Hancocks, is encouraging its customers to look for alternatives which may become just as popular in years to come.

They’re suggesting ice-cream vans, convenience retailers and leisure outlets consider different chocolate toppings, alternatives to flakes and adding sauces to offer customers something extra.

Among the toppings the buyers suggest are Kingsway Milk Chocolate sticks, the newly launched Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange sticks and Crazy Candy Factory topping sauces.

Ice-cream is a booming summer sector. According to data from Statista, the volume of ice-cream sold in retail in Great Britain exceeds 400,000 metric tons and ice-cream sales have increased to over £1.3 billion in recent years.

And data from 2020 revealed an estimated 3.16 million people ate ice cream two to three times a week with 4.57 million eating ice cream once a week.

Confectionery buyer at Hancocks, Max Domanski, said: “Summer is a key time of the year for ice-cream sellers across the country and data certainly indicates we love our ice-cream in the UK. Being able to offer customers choice is essential. 

“The number of flavours now available is huge and the toppings really are the icing on the cake for discerning ice-cream customers looking for the ultimate treat.

“It is always a challenge for retailers to pick exactly what customers are going to want to try but there are a few stand outs this summer season.

“Chocolate orange is still the big flavour combination customers are asking for which is why we’ve introduced the Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks. We’re expecting these to be very popular as we get further into summer.

“Other options for retailers include fun sauces, and chocolate toppings including Cadbury Crunchie Bits, Oreo Crumb, Biscoff Crumbs and Nestle Mini Mix with Milkybar & Rolo.”

Top five alternative toppings for 2022 include:

Kingsway Milk Chocolate Sticks 

Kingsway Milk Chocolate Sticks are an obvious alternative to Cadbury 99 Flake with the treat coming in boxes of 140 sticks. RRP £10.99 excluding VAT.

Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks

This popular flavour combination will be well loved by customers this summer. Each box of the newly launched Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks contains 140 sticks RRP £13.59 excluding VAT.

Biscuit Crumb Toppings

Biscuit crumb toppings look set to be a big hit once again this summer. Try the tasty Oreo Crushed Cookie Crumbs for an indulgent treat which will leave customers wanting more.

Chocolate Minis

Most chocolate favourites come in mini versions, perfect for ice-cream toppings. Among the options are Cadbury Crunchie Bits and Nestle Mini Mix with Milkybar and Rolo..

Fun Sauces

Sauces are a good choice to add a little extra to summer ice creams. Crazy Candy Factory has a range of tasty topping sauces including milk chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate orange, toffee and bubblegum. RRP £1.99 excl: VAT for 625ml bottle.

Hancocks is the UKs leading confectionery wholesaler with 14 nationwide cash and carry stores and an online channel www.hancocks.co.uk. Customers can shop online 24/7 with delivery to the door or click and collect options. 

Hancocks is the one stop shop for confectionery for over 25,000 independent retailers and is part of the World of Sweets group.

 

https://www.statista.com/topics/7237/ice-cream-in-the-uk/#dossierKeyfigures

https://www.statista.com/statistics/301957/ice-cream-usage-frequency-in-the-uk/