Kraft Foods has launched its US confectionery brand Sour Patch Kids in the UK.
The company said it wanted to "inject some mischief back into the market" and has introduced Maynards Sour Patch Kids, a rebranded version of the US line.
Kraft cited a raft of figures to provide a sales rationale for the launch. It said the GBP46m "sours" category was growing at 15% a year. Pocket candy sales, worth GBP453m in the UK, were up 8% year-on-year, it added.
"Sour confectionery sharing bags are currently delivering considerable growth for the overall category, however we identified a need to bring a product to market that is relevant to teens and families, something a bit edgier, and Maynards Sour Patch Kids was the perfect candidate," Zoe Howe, senior brand manager for candy at Kraft, said.
The sweets will be sold in 45g and 160g bags.
MAYNARDS SOUR PATCH KIDS TO BRING MISCHIEF BACK TO CONFECTIONERY
This autumn, Kraft Foods is bursting into the UK confectionery market with the launch of Maynards Sour Patch Kids, a range of fruity flavour quirky candy characters.
This latest addition to the Kraft Foods candy portfolio has five colour and flavour offerings of orange, lemon, raspberry, lime and blackcurrant. Each character's unique taste offers a tongue twisting sour sensation, followed by a mouth-watering fruity flavour ending on a sweet note. As with other sharing bags in the brand's portfolio, the design features the Maynards logo highlighting the unique 'sour then sweet' taste experience underneath. The designs are an explosion of colours and the cheeky character sweets are placed in the centre and around the edge of the bag to create fantastic standout on shelf. This new offering will be available to order from 3rd September.
This new addition brings added excitement to Kraft Foods' current portfolio and is the perfect treat to be enjoyed by teens and families anytime and anywhere, as it is available in a 160g sharing bag and 45g impulse size and with the trend for 'On The Go' and 'Big Night In', there is a huge opportunity for the growth of family-friendly sweet treats.
Sours is a category in growth worth over £46m in sales and a growing at 15% YoY1. Pocket candy packs have also achieved impressive sales of £4m2. The pocket candy category in the UK is now worth £453m3, with number one manufacturer Kraft having a 24% market share; growing 8% YoY4.
Zoe Howe, Senior Brand Manager for Candy at Kraft Foods, comments: "Sour confectionery sharing bags are currently delivering considerable growth for the overall category, however we identified a need to bring a product to market that is relevant to teens and families, something a bit edgier, and Maynards Sour Patch Kids was the perfect candidate. We're hoping to inject some mischief and fun back in to the market, with a product with youth relevance. We are constantly keeping up to date with consumer tastes and ensure that our sharing portfolio remains as relevant as ever, providing retailers with an exciting product offer for their shoppers."
Kraft Foods is supporting the launch with a heavyweight marketing investment from early September, which includes POS such as pre-filled units, experiential sampling activity, cinema advertising, outdoor advertising and social media. It is recommended that retailers merchandise new Maynards Sour Patch Kids with the existing Maynards sharing bags and impulse bag ranges and consider secondary siting as part of a 'sour then sweet' fixture to drive incremental sales.
Kraft Foods have rebranded the number one US sour branded confectionary Sour Patch Kids5 for the UK as Maynards Sour Patch Kids. Kraft Foods have taken the opportunity to make the product more relevant to a British audience through flavour varieties and shape definition, while retaining the natural colour credentials of the rest of the Maynards range. Having been a leading US confectionary brand for over 40 years6 Kraft Foods is confident that the rebranded launch into the UK market will be a great success.
