Kitkat Ruby and Kitkat Senses salted caramel and hazelnut variants (all rrp 85p) are now available in c-stores.
Made with Ruby cocoa beans, Kitkat Ruby has a berry taste, which Nestlé claims occurs naturally with no artificial flavours or colour added. The roll-out of Kitkat Ruby follows an exclusive launch in Tesco where 94% of value sales were incremental to the singles category (IRI Singles Confectionery £RSV value sales, data to 8th Sep 2018). The firm claims that Kitkat is the first brand in Europe to use Ruby chocolate.
Meanwhile, having originally launched in 2008, Kitkat Senses bars have returned following the success of the sub-brand’s boxed format, which launched last February and is already worth almost £5m (IRI data: value sales 52 w/e 26 Jan, 19).
The salted caramel Senses bar contains a thick layer of salted caramel filling infused with crunchy caramel flakes and crispy wafer, while the hazelnut variant contains a layer of praline, crunchy hazelnut pieces and crispy wafer.
Kitkat Senses bars will benefit from two bursts of heavyweight media support in 2019. The bar is back on air with a first burst of TV advertising from 1 April through to June. It will also be supported by social, digital and video on demand advertising as well as a dedicated sampling campaign, and in-store support
All three new Kitkat lines are targeting the premium singles market, which is showing strong growth, up 26% in value year on year (Dunnhumby: customer Cross Shop - data to 26.08.2018). Nestlé notes that growth is coming from millennial shoppers and the rise of the “treat yourself” mentality whereby shoppers are self-treating and rewarding themselves.
Kitkat made with Ruby chocolate was first introduced in Japan and Korea in 2018 as Kitkat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby sold exclusively at Kitkat Chocolatory boutiques, complementing more than 350 Kitkat ‘Made in Japan’ products in a huge variety of flavours.
Alex Gonnella, marketing director for Nestlé’s UK confectionery business, says: “We know that a new type of Kitkat is a really big deal and we are very excited to be able to offer a different type of chocolate for Kitkat fans to try. Ruby chocolate is a big innovation in confectionery and we are very proud that Kitkat was the first major brand in the UK to feature this exciting new chocolate.”
Ruby chocolate was created by Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut, which spent over a decade developing this innovative flavour. The firm claims it is a fourth kind of chocolate to add to the traditional varieties of dark, milk and white.
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