Top convenience products: Confectionery chocolate

A quartet of Mars, Snickers, Kit Kat and Dairy Milk are top-five sellers for the majority of surveyed retailers, with Twix following closely behind.

Saki Ghafoor says Mars and Snickers are the overall top sellers for him, driven by £1 multipacks, but for Chris Pollard of Barlby Village Stores, North Yorkshire, Cadbury Dairy Milk trumps the other brands. “But whatever’s on promotion goes berserk, especially three for £1 offers,” he says. Twirl (7%) sells consistently well regardless of promotion, Chris adds.

Mars UK trade communications manager Bep Dhaliwal says 2012 was a great year for both Mars and Snickers. “At Mars Chocolate, we have seen sustained growth of our brands thanks to our commitment to quality and the creation of exciting and award-winning campaigns that consumers believe in.”