'Americana mania': Hershey enters UK biscuits market with Reese's Rounds

Peanut butter biscuit Reese's Rounds will rollout in grocery retail later this month in 145 g packs containing eight biscuits for a suggested price of £1.50 ($1.83).

It comes after Hershey launched peanut butter spread to the UK market earlier this year under its Reese's confectionery brand, worth $3bn globally.

Lightbody Ventures has worked with Hershey for the past three years to produce branded bakery products such as dessert cakes and cookies for the North American market.

Peanut butter craze​

“Reese’s Rounds are being launched at a time when more than half a million households have added peanut butter to their regular purchases and it is the second biggest spread in the UK with 17.9 tons sold in the take home market in 2015,”​ said Lightbody commercial controller, John Steele.

Hershey claims Reese's Rounds is the UK's first real peanut butter biscuit.

Lightbody said Reese's brand recognition in the UK was already high following consumer tests and noted that US brands such as Mondelēz's Chips Ahoy and Oreo had already enjoyed great success in the market.

“The ‘Americana mania’ trend continues to gain momentum both in and out of home,”​ said Steele.

He added that health-conscious consumers may seek out Reese's Rounds over conventional chocolate for a treat due to peanut butter's association to protein.

Private label producer Lightbody has manufactured snacks, cakes and biscuits for retailers such as Asda, Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour.