Nielsen confectionery monitor: salty snacks and chocolate products driving sales

The Nielsen confectionery monitor running through the calendar week 18 of 2021 reports sales increases of 2.6% up to 3.74 billion packs and increased ­revenues of 4.9% up to € 5.483 bn ­(basis: grocery retail + drug stores).

As previously, salty snacks continued to set the pace of growth with an ­increase in revenues of 9.5% up to € 1.367 bn (sales volume + 8.6 %). All of the segments, with the exception of student snacks, enjoyed increases, with the trio of premium nuts, snack specialties and potato chips taking the lead. The five strongest consumption-driving segments among chocolate products are 100g tablets (+ 15.0%), chocolate bars (+ 6.9%), seasonal chocolate (+ 7.5%), praline-like products (+ 6.4%) and chocolate snack articles (+ 8.5%). ­Only the ­sub-category of tablets less than 100g registered a slight decline of 3%.

The results were varied among sweet baked goods, with eight product groups generating increases and six segments experiencing ­decreases. The strongest growth through the end of April was reported with Other baked goods (+ 18.2%), Other baked goods without (+ 16.3%) and with chocolate (+ 14.6%), as well as wafers without chocolate (+ 15.0%). The decline in cough drops (- 19.9%), fruit candies (- 8.8%) and chewing gum (- 14.2%) characterised the negative outlook for sugar confectionery, with a sales volume decrease of 3.2% and a decline in revenues of 2.9% down to € 815 m. Segments that managed to defy the downward trend included fruit and wine gums with growth of 3.5%, joined by miscellaneous (+ 16.6%), foam sugar (+ 11.5%) and chewy ­candies (+ 4.5%).