General News
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Barry Callebaut’s ‘smart growth’ strategy sees successful results in fiscal year 2018-19
07 November 2019Barry Callebaut recently stated that their sales volumes grew 5.1% to 2.14m tonnes in the 12 months to August 31, while net profit rose 6.9% in local currencies to CHF 368.7 million as they have officially released their full-year results for their financial year 2018-19. CEO of Barry Callebaut, Antoine de Saint-Affrique stated: “We committed to pursuing our successful ‘smart growth’ strategy. Good growth momentum, a strong innovation portfolio and discipline in execution make us confident of delivering on our renewed mid-term guidance. This is 4-6% volume growth and EBIT above volume growth in local currencies on average for the 3-year period 2019/20 to 2021/22, barring any major unforeseen events, which is consistent with our prior mid-term guidance. The chocolate maker also stated in a media conference held at the company’s headquarters in Zurich that they expected to pass on higher prices to its customers and expected other producing countries to also raise their prices while still supporting the joint Living Income Differential (LID) initiative introduced by Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire that adds on an extra $400 on cocoa sales for the 2020/21 season. Expansion In addition, Barry Callebaut expanded in the fiscal year under review across all Regions. In Region Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), the integration of Inforum, a Russian B2B producer of chocolate, compound coatings and fillings, acquired in January 2019, is well on track. In April 2019, Barry Callebaut signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Serbia to build the Group’s first chocolate factory in Southeastern Europe. The plant in Novi Sad is expected to be operational by 2021 and will serve as a regional hub, driving further growth in the Southeastern European market. In August 2019, Barry Callebaut opened its CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ Center in Antwerp, the 23rd globally. In the same month, Barry Callebaut announced the construction of its new Global Distribution Center in Lokeren, Belgium, to further improve its customer service. The logistics hub is expected to be operational by 2021 and will further drive efficiency. The Group also deepened its presence in Region Asia Pacific, e.g. by opening a CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ Center in Beijing, China, and by laying the first stone for the construction of a new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility in Baramati, India, one of the fastest growing chocolate markets in Asia. Barry Callebaut also strengthened its partnership with Garudafood, one of the largest food and beverage companies in Indonesia, by opening in August 2019 its second chocolate manufacturing plant in Rancaekek. To keep serving its customers optimally, the Group accelerated the expansion of its chocolate production capacities in the Region Americas. In March 2019, Barry Callebaut inaugurated a new cocoa processing unit in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, which will expand the Group’s capacity in the country by +40% by 2022. Innovation In May 2019, Ruby, the fourth type of chocolate, was officially introduced in the United States, the world’s largest chocolate and confectionery market, and Canada. Ruby is now available in more than 50 countries worldwide. Barry Callebaut also extended its dairy-free chocolate product portfolio in the United States, tapping into growing customer demand for dairy-free chocolate. Furthermore, Barry Callebaut’s sugar reduced solutions, like the new dark and milk chocolate with only 1% added sugar, cater to the desires of wholesome choice consumers and continued to grow by double-digits. In August 2019, Bensdorp, the premium cocoa brand of Barry Callebaut, introduced “Natural Dark”. It enables food manufacturers to deliver dark cocoa creations with an intense chocolate taste and a 100% clean label. Innovation momentum continued in September 2019, when “Cacaofruit Experience”, a new Food & Drink category including ‘Wholefruit Chocolate’, was officially introduced in San Francisco. Cost leadership In February 2019, Barry Callebaut successfully placed a EUR 600 million equivalent Schuldscheindarlehen. This transaction improves Barry Callebaut’s debt and liquidity structure by extending the average maturity and diversifying its sources of financing. At least two-thirds of the proceeds will finance sustainability-related projects to support cocoa farmers and their communities. Given the debut in the Schuldscheindarlehen market, the Group repaid in August 2019 its outstanding 5.375% Senior Note, due 2021, in the amount of EUR 250 million. This led to one-off finance costs of CHF 33.0 million in 2018/19 but is expected to have a positive impact of around CHF 10 million on net finance expense as from fiscal year 2019/20. The ongoing roll-out of its SAP system, more efficient business processes as well as digital solutions will continue to contribute to the Group’s cost competitiveness. Sustainability In order to support the Group’s goals to have more than 500,000 cocoa farmers in its supply chain lifted out of ...
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Sales set to spring as Ferrero invests in Seasonal NPD
01 November 2019Ferrero is investing £2.7m in media across spring 2020, coupled with the launch of 10 new seasonal lines to complement its strong core range. Levi Boorer, Customer Development Director at Ferrero, comments: “We expect to see shoppers planning in advance and being more considered in their purchasing decisions for Mother’s Day and Easter. We would therefore encourage retailers to stock up early to make sure they meet the demand for those shoppers looking to purchase in advance. On the flipside, Valentine’s Day is quite last minute for shoppers, so it’s important to be big and bold two weeks prior to the day to yield success.” Easter eggs Eggs remain a firm nostalgic favourite. Driven largely by NPD, the total Easter eggs category performed well in 2019, growing by +3.7%. “This year we’ll be bolstering our eggs range with an array of products to appeal to shoppers throughout the Easter period,” Boorer continues. Kids Eggs The Kinder range will be strengthened with the launch of two new Kinder Surprise eggs that include bigger toys and relevant licenses. The new Kinder Surprise 100g will see Justice League and Trolls toys featured, while the larger Kinder Surprise 220g eggs will receive a Marvel Avengers update. Thorntons will also be adding two new products to its range. Sitting alongside its bunny Easter egg designs, the new Dinosaur and Unicorn eggs (151g) will feature fun and eye-catching designs with a high level of characterisation to bring the popular creatures to life. Adult Eggs “We’re also introducing a new premium adult option with the Ferrero Collection Egg (240g). Featuring a milk chocolate shell, the egg is complimented with six Ferrero Collection chocolates (Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rondnoir and Raffaello).” Thorntons will also be revamping the design of three of its smaller Easter eggs, featuring an updated packaging design that reflects Thorntons’ established heritage in premium chocolate craftsmanship. A new Mint egg (197g) will now sit alongside the returning Classic (207g) and Toffee, Fudge & Caramel (203g) eggs. Thorntons is also expanding its range of premium gift eggs, perfect for shoppers to give as a treat to someone special. With an improved luxury look and feel to boost appeal in store, the existing Classic Premium Egg (264g) and Continental Premium Egg (256g) will be joined by a new Continental Dark Premium Egg (256g). Self-treat, novelties and sharing The Kinder Joy Easter range will undergo a revamp in 2020, which will see sixteen different toys launched in what will be the ranges’ largest selection. As the number two self-treat confectionery line during Easter 2019, the updated Kinder Joy range will encourage early seasonal sales. Kinder will also introduce a new Mini Eggs option, perfect for shoppers to enjoy on the move or for sharing with the family as a small treat. With a milk chocolate shell, the mini eggs are filled with a soft milky hazelnut centre. Thorntons is also expanding its footprint in the self-treat impulse sector with the introduction of a Thorntons Bunny (29g) and Thorntons Chocolate Caramel Egg (36g). The Kinder novelties range will also see the launch of the Kinder Mix Bunny Headband. Taking a seasonal twist on the Christmas Kinder Mix Reindeer Headband, the 167g product will feature a selection of Kinder Mini Bueno, Kinder Mini Chocolate and Kinder Mini Chocolate with Cereals for families to share. In addition, Kinder Chocolate is adding to its fluffy toys range, welcoming a new Leopard (73g) that joins the bunny and sheep novelties. Boxed chocolates “We’d always recommend that retailers focus on the core all year range first and foremost, as shoppers trust and recognise the well-known brands for their quality,” Boorer continues. “Our Ferrero Rocher brand was the number one in value sales and value ROS at Mother’s Day in 2018 for instance.” It’s no surprise that shoppers spend more to show their affection towards loved ones in the lead up to the spring occasions. 40% of baskets contained chocolate confectionery last Valentine’s Day alone. As an extension of its recent Classics makeover, Thorntons will be giving its boxed chocolates a Spring twist with a new packaging update available throughout the season to encourage shoppers to gift an extra special box of chocolates. With over 6.8 million shoppers at Valentine’s Day (+2.0% more than 2019), Thorntons is launching the Classic ‘With Love’ box to drive relevance across the key seasonal gifting occasions.
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Sappi in partnership with Constantia Flexibles for sustainable packaging solutions
01 November 2019With the increased global push for environmentally friendly and sustainable paper-based packaging solutions, Sappi has made great strides in developing breakthrough proprietary barrier technology to offer new opportunities to satisfy this need. These unique solutions enabled Sappi to closely collaborate with the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé to support the launch of the YES! snack bar wrapped in recyclable paper. Sappi worked in partnership with Nestlé and packaging supplier, Constantia Flexibles to develop solutions suitable for recyclable paper production processes. Susanne Oste, Vice President of Innovations and Sustainability at Sappi Europe commented: “Sappi has been working with leading consumer brand owners to develop and supply renewable paper-based packaging solutions understanding and supporting the goals of making their packaging recyclable without compromising on food protection and shelf life. One example of this is the new Sappi Guard range of products providing brand owners with a paper confectionery wrapper to meet market demand for more sustainable products.” “The acquisition in 2017 of barrier film technology company Rockwell Solutions Limited (Rockwell Solutions) of Dundee, Scotland gave Sappi the opportunity to enhance its product offering by adding recyclable barrier coatings to its products. The recent launch of the YES! bar by Nestlé provides a clear example of the benefits brought through collaboration across the value chain in our joint efforts to increase the use of recyclable packaging made from renewable wood fibre.” says Thomas Kratochwill, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Packaging and Speciality Papers at Sappi Europe. He added: “Sappi’s own strong commitment to developing sustainable paper-based solutions is bolstered by strong partners. It is only with strong leadership that the new products consumers expect will be realised and shared.” Stefan Grote, Executive Vice President Consumer at Constantia Flexibles commented on the partnership with Sappi: “We at Constantia Flexibles also recognize the importance of actively contributing to the circular economy. With our new innovation we have strongly underlined our competencies in paper-based packaging solutions that ensure high product quality and freshness over the entire shelf life. This is an important step towards more sustainable products that may innovate the confectionery packaging. We are very proud of this successful joint effort in the project with Nestlé and passionate to drive sustainable packaging solutions globally.”
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Nosferatu brings the Halloween vibe to LCF
31 October 2019In honour of Halloween today, we thought we at Kennedy’s would share some images of the spooky ‘Nosferatu’ cake, created by food artist Annabel de Vetten at the London Chocolate Forum earlier this month. The cake was inspired by de Vetten’s love of horror movies and what better way to capture that appreciation than by making a cake of the first horror motion picture ever made. The cake was exceptional in every way as it was captivating to look at – a chocolaty, moist sponge surrounded by flavoured marzipan supplied by Lubecca. James Passmore, Director of Banquet Chocolates, made the arrangement for delegates to have a slice of cake in exchange for a donation to a charity close to his hear, Cancer Research UK. Raising a substantial amount for the cause a making their exhibition stand at the LCF a communal hub for all attendees.
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Key Technology Introduces VERYX® Digital Sorters for Gummy Candies
31 October 2019Key Technology has recently introduced VERYX® digital sorters for gummy candies. Designed specifically to detect and remove foreign material (FM) and gummies with bits of remaining starch as well as color and shape defects, VERYX enables gummy candy manufacturers to improve product quality and protect their brand while virtually eliminating false rejects to maximize profitability. “VERYX’s unique sensor configuration not only allows for the most thorough all-sided surface inspection, but also offers patented Pixel Fusion® for advanced detection,” said Karel Van Velthoven, Advanced Inspection Systems Product Marketing Manager at Key. “Our gummy candy customers with installed VERYX systems are experiencing a sort accuracy that was unseen until now.” VERYX sorts oil-coated, sugar-coated, yogurt-coated and vitamin-enhanced gummy candies. It detects color, size, shape and structural properties to find gummies with bits of remaining starch, even when inspecting milky-white, yogurt-coated candies that are the same color as starch and have a similar texture. It detects all types of FM, including plastic and wood, to give candy manufacturers using plastic or wood trays in their candy-making process assurance that fragments of a broken tray don’t get packaged with product. The sorter also detects color defects such as mixed-color gummies and shape defects such as clumps, conjoined gummies, malformed gummies, mold spills and more. Key optimizes VERYX with the ideal cameras, laser sensors, algorithms and ejection system for gummy candies. Additionally, an application-specific line layout with an optional defect resort system blends Key’s expertise in digital sorting and mechanical product handling, further contributing to new standards of performance for gummy candy sorting. This integrated solution combines a chute-fed VERYX sorter with specialized Iso-Flo® and Impulse® vibratory shakers to achieve superior FM/defect removal rates with virtually no false rejects. Equipped with front- and rear-mounted cameras, laser scanners and multi-sensor Pixel Fusion™ detection modules, VERYX views all sides of the product with no blind spots to find and remove more FM and defects. The next-generation 4-channel cameras and high resolution laser sensors offer twice the resolution of previous sensor technology to see smaller FM and defects, including gummies with bits of remaining starch as small as one square millimeter. Key’s unique Pixel Fusion technology combines pixel-level input from multiple cameras and laser sensors to produce higher contrasts, enabling VERYX to find and remove the most difficult-to-detect FM and defects. Object-based sorting facilitates advanced shape sorting algorithms and intelligent ejection on VERYX. While most gummy candy manufacturers will program their sorter to remove shape defects such as clumps and conjoined gummies, other minor misshaped gummies might actually delight young consumers and may be programmed as acceptable on the sorter. Intelligent ejection improves the accuracy of all FM/defect removal and reduces false rejects. Rather than firing an ejector at the defect itself, VERYX performs contour-based and/or centroid-based calculations to target ejectors at the object’s center of mass to ensure FM/defect removal while maximizing yield. Product changeovers on VERYX are fast and easy. With double-sided Pixel Fusion, the detection system is so advanced, every type of gummy candy can be accurately sorted using the same background so hardware changes are eliminated. VERYX’s unique recipe-based sorting takes away the hassle of configuring the sorter for each new type of candy. Changing over to a new gummy shape or color takes only a couple of taps on the touchscreen to load the dedicated recipe. This recipe-driven operation simplifies use and ensures repeatable results so product quality is guaranteed, regardless of personnel changes and across multiple lines and locations. VERYX can also leverage Key’s powerful Information Analytics software, which allows users to analyze and share big data across their enterprise via an OPCUA-compliant infrastructure at the same time they sort. Data about the sort process and about each and every object flowing through the sorter, whether the data is used to make sort decisions or not, is available to reveal patterns, trends and associations. This data can help a processor optimize processes upstream and downstream of the sorter to achieve the next level in operational efficiency. VERYX is available in multiple sizes to satisfy a range of capacity requirements, with the highest volume system sorting up to five metric tons of gummy candies per hour.
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Macadamias ripe and ready to disrupt the chocolate category
29 October 2019Australian Macadamias have recently released findings from independent research agency, GalKal, revealing macadamias are an underutilised ingredient in the traditional chocolate and nuts pairing. As consumers constantly crave new and creative confectionery, macadamias can bring excitement and interest to commonplace product formulations. While chocolate and nuts are an established pairing, the space is dominated by nut varieties such as peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Over 13,000 chocolate products were launched globally in the past year; more than 1,400 (11%) featured hazelnuts and a further 485 (4%) featured peanuts, while only 75 (0.5%) products launched featured macadamias. Be it to unwind, destress, uplift or re-energise, consumers around the world crave chocolate confectionery to bring a sense of indulgence and escape from the everyday. There is a global demand for new flavour and texture combinations that inject luxury and surprise into the everyday chocolate experience. Lynne Ziehlke, General Manager, Marketing for the Australian macadamia industry said, “While consumers are very familiar and comfortable with the idea of nuts in chocolate, the current pairings have become quite commonplace and expected. “The research showed that macadamias are the ideal ingredient to disrupt the tried and trusted nut-chocolate relationship and help create more exciting, novel and unique expressions of chocolate.” The findings also brought to light the notion of ‘permissible indulgence,’ meaning consumers seek out chocolate that justifies the indulgence they crave either because it is perceived to be high-end or contains ingredients that are healthy. However, consumers do not want to compromise by settling for products that don’t deliver on the inherent pleasure of eating chocolate. Ziehlke adds, “We continue to see the concept of ‘health as the new form of wealth’ dominating the consumer landscape. Macadamias are recognised as a guilt-free ingredient due to their nutritional value but at the same time are recognised as a premium product that will add luxury and deliver an indulgent eating experience.” “The distinct, rich and creamy taste and texture of macadamias means they are the ideal ingredient to inspire chocolate innovation and bring excitement to a category in need of disruption. Macadamias also have a unique ability to balance out very sweet or very savoury flavours and create a harmonious overall taste profile. This opens up a wide range of opportunities for new product formulations.”
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Joe & Seph's launch UK's first vegan caramel popcorn range, in time for World Vegan Day
25 October 2019North London-based award-winning popcorn makers, Joe they’ve worked hard to create an equally delicious vegan range for those consumers that have special dietary requirements and don't want to compromise on taste. Three new additions will be joining Joe Vegan Toffee Apple Vegan Coconut & Cacao, an all-new flavour, especially created for their vegan audience, expect an exotic coconut crunch with a delightfully creamy, chocolate-y finish. Having spent nine years perfecting the recipe, the Vegan Collection joins an ever-evolving range of Joe & Seph’s innovations. As with all their products, the popcorn is handmade using only the finest natural ingredients, with an unerring attention to quality. Since founding Joe & Seph’s back in 2010 with his wife, Jackie, and sons, Adam and Paul, Joseph Sopher has wanted to create a range that is even more indulgent than the popcorn they’ve become celebrated for. Joseph says, “We’ve wanted to create a vegan range that truly echoed our cult-status series of indulgent popcorn flavours since we began. Never wanting to compromise on taste or ingredients, we’ve finally nailed our new vegan caramel, we can’t wait to bring our popcorn to even more households, and bring Joe & Seph’s back to those who’ve recently chosen to go plant-based.” Whether it’s as a moreish cinema treat, an indulgent end to a dinner party or a tempting snack to go with your round of tea, Joe & Seph’s will be on hand for a satisfying and tasty bite. Find the new Vegan collection at John Lewis Food Hall – Oxford Street, The Vegan Supermarket, La Suite West Hotel, Selfridges, IWOOT, QVC and www.joeandsephs.co.uk. VEGAN COLLECTION USPs Vegan Gluten Free All-Natural Ingredients Registered with Vegan Society VEGAN COLLECTION RRP & INGREDIENTS RRP £2.99 per 80g pouch, RRP £1.49 per 32g snack pack (Delivery included via www.joeandsephs.co.uk) Vegan Salted Caramel Ingredients: Corn, Sugar, Spring Water, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Gluten Free Oats (3%), Glucose Syrup, Sea Salt, Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil Vegan Toffee Apple & Cinnamon Ingredients: Corn, Sugar, Spring Water, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Apple Pieces (3%) , Gluten Free Oats (3%), Glucose Syrup, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Natural Apple Flavour, Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil Vegan Coconut & Cacao Ingredients: Corn, Sugar, Spring Water, Coconut (13%), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Gluten Free Oats (3%), Glucose Syrup, Cocoa powder (2%), Sea Salt, Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil, Coconut Extract THE JOE & SEPH’S RANGE The Joe & Seph’s Vegan Collection Milk & Dark Chocolate Popcorn Bites Over 50 varieties of Sweet and Savoury Gourmet Popcorn including a festive Christmas Range – Mince Pie, Mint Chocolate and Brandy Butter Gourmet Popcorn 15 Caramel Sauces including a festive Christmas Range – Brandy Butter and Espresso Martini Caramel Sauce NEW Christmas Gifting Range: Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar, Mini Gift Boxes, Stocking Fillers, Christmas Baubles and a Sharing Box- Ultimate Selection Box Joe & Seph’s Monthly Subscription Boxes
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CRAFTED® launches convenient 330ml range
22 October 2019Following the nation-wide success of their one litre juice range, British juice drinks brand, CRAFTED®, has announced an exciting expansion into foodservice with the launch of a 330ml range. Perfect for grab-and-go or drinking in, CRAFTED’s® 330ml juice drink range comprises of three delicious, refreshing, flavours – Mango & Passion Fruit, Still Cloudy Lemonade and Blueberry & Blackberry –which have been lovingly created with a careful selection of high-quality fruits to ensure an exceptional flavour. Containing no added sugars, or sweeteners, CRAFTED® 330ml juice drinks appeal to customers looking for a lower sugar, great tasting alternative to a standard soft drink as Christopher Banks, Chairman of CRAFTED®, explains: “As customers continue to become more nutritionally aware, operators now recognise the need to stock a wide variety of healthy food and drinks. Perfect for satisfying this very demand, CRAFTED® 330ml juice drinks contain no added sugars or sweeteners - the fruits that we carefully select are simply sweet enough. As well as this, a 330ml carton of CRAFTED® juice provides 1 of your recommended 5-a-day and is certified as suitable for vegans by The Vegan Society.” CRAFTED® 330ml is packed in TetraPak cartons - ‘the pack that grows back’ - which are made from up to 75% renewable materials and are fully recyclable as Chris comments: “Featuring convenient resealable packaging made from recycled materials, CRAFTED® juice drinks are as sustainable as they are delicious.”
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“Quickmove” minimises processing problems caused by microbial contamination in sugar beets
18 October 2019In the run-up to the sugar beet campaign, SternEnzym GmbH & Co. KG in Ahrensburg offers the sugar industry a new enzyme compound that comprehensively solves the problem of microbial contamination in sugar beets. The presence of the microbially formed polysaccharides dextran and levan more and more often causes problems during sugar production. During and after harvesting, microorganisms produce these polysaccharides from the sucrose present in beet juices. The new agent “Sugazym Quickmove” developed by the enzyme designers eliminates the processing problems associated with the presence of dextran and levan. This way, the use of Sugazym Quickmove ensures a trouble-free sugar production and enhances the final sugar quality. It is a well-known fact that the presence of polysaccharides can cause diverse negative effects during sugar production from beet. This particularly concerns polysaccharides formed by microorganisms after the harvest. The extent of microbial contamination in sugar beets is influenced by several factors. Apart from long storage periods and the amount of injuries on the beet surface, especially climatic conditions play an important role. This also implies that the quality of sugar beets is more and more often impaired by weather extremes. Freeze-thaw cycles as well as drought cause beet cell damages and thus enable microbial contamination. In particular, the increasing drought in recent years has caused a higher occurrence of microbial polysaccharides, which affect the quality and processing of sugar beet juices. Especially last year, considerable problems occurred, indicating that drought has become a more and more significant factor. The resulting presence of dextran and levan in beet juices causes an increase in viscosity, which in turn slows down filtration and crystallization. In particular, the slime formed by the microorganisms impedes the flow of the sugar juice during filtration, which then affects the subsequent processing steps as well. In the worst case, the filter machines are completely blocked. Apart from the well-known effects on the viscosity, sugar crystal deformation has also been associated with the presence of dextran and levan; this, too, leads to a serious loss of quality. Due to the increasing significance of this problem in the sugar industry, SternEnzym’s applications research team at the Stern-Technology Center in Ahrensburg conducted a comprehensive study about microbial contamination in sugar beets. Thereby, samples from different sugar beet factories were analyzed with regard to their microorganism profile, which permitted conclusions about the existing polysaccharides. In doing so, the target was to find an effective agent against the metabolites of all potential microorganisms. Based on numerous tests, the enzyme compound “Sugazym Quickmove” was developed. This compound is capable of hydrolysing problematical polysaccharides such as dextran and levan and thus removing them from the sugar production process. Timely use of the enzyme compound in the cossette mash can eliminate the above-mentioned problems of increased viscosity and crystal deformation during the process. This can already be achieved using a relatively low enzyme dosage of only 5 ppm and an incubation time of 10 to 20 minutes. The company has applied for a patent for this development. The current SternEnzym product range will be presented at FIE 2019 at the Paris Exhibition Centre in Hall 06, Stand D90.
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Confectionery sales are vital to ice cream parlour sector
17 October 2019The Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the UK trade body for the ice cream sector, has surveyed its members to reveal what other food and drinks they sell apart from ice cream. Confectionary was one of the key product sectors. 61% of ice cream parlours sell confectionary. The only other products that are sold by more parlours are hot drinks – 69% sell coffee and 63% sell tea and other hot beverages. The ICA believes confectionary companies should be looking more closely at growing their numbers of ice cream parlour customers – as this is also a booming sector. "According to international accountancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, ice cream parlours is one of the few growth sectors on our struggling high streets," comments ICA CEO Zelica Carr. "They are growing by 20% per year – which means by our calculations that there are over 1,200 parlours in the UK. That’s a large potential market for confectionary companies." Having analysed 67,157 premises in 500 town centres, PricewaterhouseCooper reported that ice-cream parlours, together with nail bars, bookstores, coffee shops and craft beer bars, are one of a handful of growing sectors. Overall, the high street is shrinking. For every 11 new high-street units, 16 close. Yet the number of ice-cream parlours, historically seen as a seasonal seaside concept, rose by 20% last year. The ICA’s research also revealed other important food groups sold by ice cream parlours. 61% sold cakes and 41% sold savoury snacks. For any confectionary companies interested in targeting the ice cream parlour sector, there is an annual trade show, organised by the ICA, called The Ice Cream and Artisan Foods Show. It will be held in Harrogate, 11-13 February 2020. "This is a perfect place to showcase confectionary products for the ice cream parlour sector,” added Carr. "A good proportion of the 1,200 parlours around the country will attend, as well as owners, managers and buyers from across the catering and food retail sectors."
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