NielsenIQ confectionery monitor: losses resulting from late Easter date

NielsenIQ cites the late date for Easter this year, three weeks later than 2021, as the cause of this significant decline.

Chocolate products, the largest category, suffered a decrease in revenues of 4.9% down to € 1.017 bn (sales volume - 6.0%; 98,400 t). Double-digit revenue losses were registered here in the segments of large tablets (over 100 g), 100 g tablets, cake bars (each - 11.4%), and especially seasonal chocolate (- 37.3%). Strong growth was registered for the remaining bars (+ 17.6%) and chocolate specialities (+ 13.1%).

Salty snacks also fell behind expectations. Sales of € 662.0 m signified a decline of 4.3% (sales volume - 5.2%; 79,100 t). Very weak entries into the new year were cited for salted pretzels (- 17.1%) and crackers (- 12.7%). Revenue drivers came in the form of the segments rice snacks (+ 6.4%) and tortillas (+ 5.3%).

Sugar confectionery suffered the mildest revenue losses with - 1.1% to € 404.0 m (sales volume - 3.1%; 61,700 t). The kick-off into 2022 was particularly poor for seasonal sugar confectionery (- 46.1%), puffed rice (- 23.8%), and gelee products (- 23.4%). Chewable bonbons (+ 10.5%), cough drops (+ 6.4%), and chewing gum (+ 4.7%) helped compensate the losses to some extent.

Sweet baked goods saw revenues fall by 4.2% down to € 311.5 m (sales volume - 5.9%; 52,100 t). Cookies (- 34.4%), pastry and wafer mixtures (packs - 19.6%; bags - 13.3%), and wafers with chocolate (- 13.9%) registered performance dips. Seasonal baked goods on the other hand registered major growth of 41.5%.