Top 10 UK chocolate brands in C-stores

Galaxy and Maltesers gain ground on Cadbury Dairy Milk as top UK c-store chocolates, finds IRI

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

Which brand are looking to knock Cadbury Dairy Milk off top spot?
Which brand are looking to knock Cadbury Dairy Milk off top spot?

Related tags Cadbury dairy milk Chocolate Milk Cadbury plc

Cadbury Dairy Milk remains the top selling UK chocolate confectionery brand in convenience stores, but sales have dipped as Mars brands Galaxy and Maltesers grow, according to IRI data.

IRI tracked chocolate sales in UK convenience stores  - such as McColls, Spar and independent grocers - for the 52 weeks up to September 13,2015 compared to the same period last year.

It found sales for Mars’ Maltesers brand grew 1.9% and 8.1% for its Galaxy brand, making it the number two bestselling UK c-store chocolate.

Driven by Maltesers NPD

“Mars as a manufacturer has always been strong in the convenience channel so no surprise that this channel is showing strong growth for them," ​Martin Wood, head of strategic insight – retail at IRI UK, told ConfectioneryNews.

“This has been driven by NPD especially regular and seasonal countlines and the growth of sharing formats (the Maltesers heartland) including big sales of pouches to complement the original boxes,” ​he continued.

Mars introduced bar format Maltesers Teasers in March 2013.

Cadbury Dairy Milk sales drop 14.8%

Sales for Mondelēz’s Cadbury Dairy Milk dropped 14.8% to £156.8m ($238m).

It follows wholesale chocolate price increases​ led by brand owner Mondēlez.

Top 10 chocolate brands in UK C-stores

iri top brands

KitKat sales fall

Nestlé’s KitKat, the number five UK c-store chocolate, registered a 6.9% decline.

“KitKat has been declining steadily as a single purchase countline,”​ said Wood. “I also believe the four-stick move from foil to plastic wrapper had a big impact.”

However, he added that the brand had grown sales for two-and four-bar multipacks, which had been heavily promoted.

Hanging bags

IRI found hanging bags – which account for just under 10% of c-store chocolate sales – were up 8.7%, driven by promotions and a proliferation of premium share bags.

However, sales for traditional single serve bars (countlines) declined.

This was driven by UK retailers simplifying portfolios and cutting the number of confectionery items in store and a move to push confectionery away from checkout impulse areas in favour of ‘heathier snacks’, said Wood.

IRI also found C-store chocolate costs UK shoppers 32% more than chocolate purchased in supermarkets, at £12.22 ($18.85) per kg.

*PLEASE NOTE - IRI originally claimed Maltesers had overtaken Cadbury Dairy Milk as the top UK c-store chocolate over the period, but it later issued a correction after failing to include  all Cadbury Dairy Milk brand variants.

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3 comments

Cadburys need to put the cocoa butter back in the recipe

Posted by Jennifer Shaw,

Ever since replacing cocoa butter with shea butter, Cadburys "chocolate" has tasted & felt horrid. It no longer melts in the mouth, it's now chewy & claggy instead. Whoever heard of chewy chocolate!?

And, they need to stop trying to capture greater market share by adding Oreos, popping candy, & goodness know what other horrors into the bars. Chocolate should contain cocoa mass, cocoa butter, & sugar as it's basic ingredients. Cadburys therefore no longer make chocolate. To be fair, some of the other manufacturers are also guilty of messing with their own recipes, but Cadburys is now hideous stuff.

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THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

Posted by Dixon Bambridge,

NOT HAVING THIS, WHAT A DISGRACE, UP YOUR GAME CADBURY. BEEN EATING CADBURY FOR 32 YEARS AND THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. WHO EVEN EATS MOLTESEARS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!

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CADBURY DAIRY MILK DETHRONED

Posted by MURIEL TOFFOLI,

NO WONDER SALES HAVE DROPPED SINCE KRAFT/MONDELEZ TOOK OVER MY BELOVED CADBURY MILK. A LIFE-LONG DEVOTEE/ADDICT, I NO LONGER BUY SINCE THEY CHANGED TO SKINNY LITTLE SLABS, MISERABLE LITTLE BLOCKS - THE UTTER DELIGHT OF SMOOTHNESS,THICK DELICIOUS CHOC ON THE PALETTE - GONE! TASTES COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.HERE IN SOUTHAFRICA CADBURY INTRO'ED GARISH NEW BARS STUFFED WITH WHO KNOWS WHAT.... WON'T EVEN TRY THEM I NOW EAT AERO,CHUCKLES, KIT-KAT. I DETEST MONDELEZ

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