IRI confectionery monitor: strong growth in the crisis year 2020

Following on the heels of significant growth in the previous year (revenues + 4.7%; sales volume + 3.7%), according to the IRI confectionery monitor 2020 revenues grew by 7.5% up to € 14.565 bn, with a rise in sales volume of 6.0% up to 1.918 m tonnes (basis: food retailers + drug stores + hard discounters + gas station shops). There is no doubt that the measures related to the Corona pandemic contributed to this significant boost.

The salty snacks category cracked the annual revenue mark of € 4 bn, exceeding the previous year’s value by 13.1%. Sales quantity rose by 9.7% up to 482,999 tonnes. The product group with the strongest revenues, chocolate products (without seasonal products), closed out 2020 with an increase of 6.3% up to € 5.984 bn (sales volume + 6.2%; 593,239 t). With € 2.570 bn the product group sweet baked goods and cakes hit above-average revenue growth of 8.7% (sales volume + 7.5%; 470,664 t).

In contrast, with € 2.011 bn sugar confectionery came in at 0.5% below the sales level of the previous year (sales volume - 0.2%; 371,294 t). The decline in revenue in the chewing gum segment was far more dramatic, with a total of € 430 m signalling a fall of 13.5% (sales volume - 14.0%; 293.7 million pieces).