Category Focus: Festive favourites!
From chocolate treats and sumptuous pastries to in-store services, here we round up the essential products all retailers want to stock in order to cater to any and every need customers will have during the Christmas shopping period…
Print15 November 2017
From chocolate treats and sumptuous pastries to in-store services, here we round up the essential products all retailers want to stock in order to cater to any and every need customers will have during the Christmas shopping period…
Barely had the fireworks of Halloween stopped this year before retailers and consumers alike started preparations for the Christmas season. From a retailer’s point of view, it’s vital to have anything and everything stocked for every eventuality, whether it’s food, party supplies, cocktails, finger food, last minute gifts or everything in between, there’s room for every eventuality in the Christmas shopping season! With that in mind, here goes with some of those retail essentials, be they iconic offerings or new arrivals to the market.
Smooth melting bliss
Boasting double digit growth of +13% and a market share of 11.4% Lindt Lindor maintains its position as Ireland’s number one premium boxed chocolate brand*. With a wide range of flavours and attractive formats, Lindt Lindor are guaranteed to cater to all your customers’ needs this Christmas.
From the limited edition Lindor Hazelnut to the classic Lindor Milk recipe, the Lindor Cornet range will excite and engage your customers with a delicious range of flavours to choose from. As ever, Lindt continues to bring innovation to the market and this year sees the launch of the Lindor Christmas Tree. 125g of smooth melting bliss in a seasonal Christmas Tree shape – the perfect gift for loved ones.
On the back of its strong performance in the market, Lindt will deliver a massively up weighted national support plan behind the Lindor brand this Christmas, with Lindor TV advertising returning to screens along with a strong push in-store with premium point of sale and display.
With a format for every occasion, give your customers the gift of bliss this Christmas! Lindt Lindor 200g retails at €6.99 and the Lindor Christmas Tree 125g retails at €6.
Bring it home
Launching some of the most exciting new products just in time for Christmas 2017, Lindt is helping to “Bring the Magic Home”. Lovingly created by the Lindt master chocolatiers, shoppers can look forward to creating magical family moments with the adorable Lindt Teddy and a collection of new creations to the Lindt Teddy range.
Leading the new line up and expressing the tradition of the Christmas Jumper, the Lindt Teddy with Christmas Jumper 200g is now available in festive green. Also new to the Lindt Christmas range, the limited edition Lindt Teddy Red and Pink 100g ensures there is a perfect gift for everyone in the family.
For dark chocolate lovers looking for a bit of sophistication this Christmas, Lindt is introducing the Lindt Excellence Advent Calendar – unique to the market with two thin and intense squares of Ireland’s number one dark chocolate brand – Excellence – to enjoy every day in the countdown to Christmas*.
This Christmas bring the magic home for your shoppers with Lindt Christmas collection.
*(Source: Nielsen 52 weeks to 8th October 2017 – MAT)
Sweets and treats
Christmas is a time for indulgence and Cuisine de France has the perfect luxury offering to suit all tastes. Its exclusive range of products are perfect for the seasonal shopper looking to indulge in a tasty festive treat. Cuisine de France offers tasty and convenient treats that can be eaten on the go or taken away to share. Furthermore, the Christmas range is supported by a complete POS bundle including secondary display units.
The Christmas range includes four delightful products which are sure to become festive favourites amongst consumers:
- La Brioche Chocolat: Cocoa-enriched brioche pastry with a creamy white chocolate and orange filling.
- Luxury Trifle Muffin: A twist on the classic Fruit trifle dessert, this muffin features a moist sponge with mixed fruit throughout and vanilla crème patisserie topping.
- Brandy Mince Puff: A buttery puff pastry encases this festive filling of vine fruits, sultanas, currants and mixed spice. These products come with a Cuisine de France Treat and Share box ideal for gifting and sharing.
- Cranberry Twist: hand twisted buttery pastry filled with a c rème patisserie and cranberries.
Stores will have a strong opportunity to boost profits this Christmas with the Cuisine de France Festive Treats range. Retailers should speak to their local business developer to inquire about introducing the Cuisine de France range of Festive Treats to stores.
Spread the happiness
In a comprehensive plan to capture seasonal sales and spread the happiness, Ferrero is set to work with retailers in the lead-up to Christmas with an array of NPD and a media investment to the tune of €640,000. Alongside its new launches and family favourites, the brand will be unmissable on the nation’s airwaves, featuring no less than four campaigns including Nutella’s first-ever Christmas creative.
Worth €3.4m, the Ferrero seasonal boxed offering, which includes Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Collection, Raffaello and Thorntons, enjoyed a growth of (+7.5% ) last Christmas.
Through a €300,000 investment across the Ferrero Rocher and Raffaello brands, Ferrero Rocher will welcome a new TV creative in the lead up to Christmas. ‘Make Your Moments Golden’ will engage younger audiences and remind people of the great tastes that come from the brand. Alongside this, Ferrero Rocher will receive full support across multiple channels, keeping the products front of mind during the key seasonal occasion.
With the brand now worth €685k, Raffaello’s support will continue to focus on highlighting the sweet, smooth and nutty flavours of the product via TV, with an integrated approach across consumer touch points.
With growth of +27% year-on-year in Ireland, the Ferrero Collection is now worth €1,434k. A range of collection boxes will be available. The Ferrero Golden Gallery will feature two new flavours in time for Christmas: the Tenderly Biancoretti (white chocolate praline with a crunchy almond filling) and Delicious (smooth dark chocolate in a crispy shell) have been added to both the 206g and 389g boxes.
For the kids, Kinder Joy will return this Christmas with new collectable winter eggs (RRP €1.39). Available in three colours and four different designs, the range will include a selection of eight toys, perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree.
Meanwhile, with the premium advent segment experiencing strong growth of +41%, there has been increased choice in chocolate and non-chocolate advents for both adults and children. Kinder is introducing the Kinder Mix Advent Calendar (RRP €7), containing Kinder Chocolate Minis and Kinder Chocolate with Cereals Minis. The calendar will continue to premiumise the advent offering during Christmas for retailers.
This year, Thorntons will be adding to the range attached to its existing license for much-loved children’s favourite The Snowman with the introduction of The Snowman and the Snowdog Advent Calendar, containing milk chocolate with a 60g white chocolate Snowdog for Christmas day.
In addition to these new products and additions, Kinder is launching a social media campaign focused on making a child’s magical Christmas wishes come true. One lucky family will win the chance to have their Christmas wishes delivered to their door by Kinder.
“Following a successful Christmas 2016, it is important as a leading confectionery manufacturer to offer retailers ranges and products that help cater for the different types of festive shopping needs,” says Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero.
“Whether it’s to gift, share or simply to treat and enjoy with loved ones,” Boorer says, “we know shoppers love our products and that they are a staple at Christmas time.”
A splash of magic
Christmas is a time for indulgence, especially in the dessert department, so a must on every customer’s shopping list is certain to be Avonmore Cream. The numbers are remarkable – with over 1.5m Irish households buying it, and almost 300 units bought every minute during Christmas week, Avonmore cream is a must-stock product for the Christmas season. The range includes a wide variety of creams to suit every occasion, including Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream, delicious Avonmore Sour Cream (perfect for party dips and appetisers) and Avonmore Fresh Dessert Cream, which is perfect for pouring straight over puddings, pies and festive treats.
Pre-whipped and ready to serve, Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas puddings, mince pies, Irish coffees and Christmas desserts. This added convenience makes it a particularly popular product during Christmas, when time is short and celebrations are long! In addition to standard Whipped Cream, Avonmore has a number of flavoured whipped creams, perfect for the festive season as consumers look for an extra twist for their festive treats.
Back by popular demand, Baileys Whipped Cream combines the unique and great taste of Baileys Original Irish Cream Liquer and Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream. Delicious on top of a chocolate cake, in a latte, or with any dessert, it combines two great Irish products into one unforgettable taste.
Also back by popular demand, Avonmore’s Caramel Whipped Cream is a clear seasonal favourite with consumers. Infused with tasty Christmas Caramel, this fabulous flavour appeals to consumers both young and old and is perfect for family desserts and treats.
For consumers who want a luxuriously thick pouring cream, Avonmore Fresh Dessert Cream is a must. Its smooth, thick consistency is the perfect accompaniment to mince pies, Christmas pudding, trifle and Christmas treats.
Avonmore Cream will have a strong seasonal support plan in place for its Christmas “Add a splash of Magic” campaign. The campaign encourages consumers to “Add a Splash of Magic” to all their festive dishes, and will be supported by a heavyweight campaign including TV, outdoor, experiential sampling, digital and PR. With such a wide range of creams, it’s no wonder Avonmore is a favourite with consumers; it’s the cream that makes Christmas.
For information on all of Avonmore’s seasonal favourites, along with a wide range of stunning Christmas recipes and step by step video guides, consumers can visit CookwithAvonmore.ie.
Family flavours
As the producer of Ireland’s favourite home-grown and hand- cooked crisps, Keogh’s Farm is delighted to be bringing back its limited edition Roast Turkey and Secret Stuffing flavour crisp. This year, the packaging has got a new look and feel, illustrated by Peter Donnelly, a near neighbour to the Keogh’s farm. The pack illustrates the herb boxes from mother Denise Keogh’s back garden. Denise’s home-grown herbs are used to create the secret stuffing flavour, while the pitchfork is a favourite tool from Peter Keogh’s garden.
The Keogh family’s secret stuffing has been a Christmas dinner favourite for many years, using herbs and spices picked fresh from the farmhouse garden. Each Christmas, a limited amount of Keogh’s potato crisps are seasoned with a combination of the secret stuffing and succulent roast turkey. The Keogh Family has been farming the area’s rich fertile lands, renowned for producing Ireland’s finest potatoes, for over 200 years. Its limited edition Roast Turkey and Secret Stuffing is available through December. For more, visit www.keoghs.ie.
The stuff of legend
Legendary Irish chocolatier Lir takes its inspiration from another Irish legend, the Children of Lir, the epic tale of love, beauty, magic, passion and transformation. Thirty years ago, Lir started out in humble fashion on the kitchen table of co-founder Connie Doody, with a simple vision of creating joy and happiness for lovers of fine, chocolate confections.
Since those early days, Lir has been devoted to the magic and he craft of turning the finest chocolate from around the world into hand-finished and hand-decorated works of art that are based on both traditional recipes and gloriously unfamiliar new combinations.
As part of its 30th birthday celebrations, Lir’s master chocolatier has created the beautiful Discovery collection. The new range brings together Lir’s delicious chocolate exteriors with mouth-watering interiors, using ingredients sourced around the world, from Ireland to Madagascar and Tahiti. The Discovery collection includes exciting new flavours such as Persian Lime Truffle, Raspberry and Pistachio Duo, Dark Chocolate Torte and Chewy Pecan Caramel, alongside classic, much-loved favourites like Praline, Salted Caramel and Coffee.
In addition to the Discovery collection, Lir has also created a delightful Dessert Collection and three irresistible flavours of cocoa-dusted truffles: Salted Caramel, Marc de Champagne and Milk Chocolate. The Discovery Collection has an RRP of €13 (180g) and €24 (360g). The Dessert Collection’s RRP is €9 (145g), while the Truffles (168g) are priced at €9.50. The Lir Collection is set to be available from all major multiples.
Taste above all
Ireland’s number one* hand-cooked crisp brand, O’Donnells, is showing no signs of slowdown in the market. The brand is still showing double digit growth year-on-year, even seven years after launch and is the market leader within the growing premium crisps segment*.
O’Donnells operates within sharing, impulse and multipacks. The brand has six award-winning flavours in the range, and the latest addition – Ballymaloe Relish & Cheddar – has a high rate of sale and is driving incremental sales to the crisps category.
As Christmas fast approaches, O’Donnells’ range of sharing bags are ideal for the festive period, as family and friends get together. Not only that, but O’Donnells also has the perfect gift for every crisp lover.
The nation’s favourite hand cooked crisp brand has a box of its award-winning Mature Irish Cheese & Red Onion flavour in a beautifully designed gift box available throughout the festive period. First introduced last year, it proved very successful, selling out in early December. The gift boxes are available now, so make sure to stock up early before they’re all gone!
According to the brand, a box of O’Donnells is the ultimate Christmas take-with gift, which aptly fits the brand’s tagline, “Taste above all else!” *(Source: Nielsen MS MAT J/A17)
Do more in-store!
Christmas is the perfect time to choose PostPoint as your preferred electronic services supplier, according to the brand. Retailers who join PostPoint this month can offer their customers festive favourites such as One4all Gift Cards and the Christmas Stamp Booklet. Both of these are very popular products which are well established in the Irish marketplace, plus they give PostPoint retailers a competitive advantage when trying to attract customers into their stores this Christmas season.
The One4all Gift Card is Ireland’s leading multi-store gift card and is exclusively sold through Post Offices and PostPoint outlets. The One4all Gift Card makes the perfect gift for any occasion as it is accepted in over 7,000 retail outlets nationwide.
PostPoint retailers can purchase stamps and One4all conveniently and quickly through the PostPoint helpdesk on 1890 20 42 20, and all orders are delivered free of charge straight to the retailer’s door.
Original Flavour
The original gourmet potato chip, every bag of Kettle Chips is hand-cooked, using only the best potatoes to create a naturally crunchy and tasty chip, perfect for entertaining guests over Christmas or as a treat during the holidays.
Kettle Chips potatoes are specially grown for their size and bold flavour, which give the crisps their distinctive crunch and taste. The best of these potatoes are thickly sliced directly into pure sunflower oil that enhances their flavour even further. The crisps are then carefully stirred by hand, one batch at a time, until they are cooked to golden perfection. Finally, they are seasoned with 100% natural ingredients – no preservatives, additives, artificial flavourings or colouring.
Kettle Chips are distributed by Stafford Lynch Ltd., and are available in 40g and 150g bags along with four Multipack bags.
The flavour ranges include Lightly Salted, Sweet Chilli with Sour Cream, Balsamic Vinegar & Sea Salt, Sour Cream & Sweet Onion, Sea Salt with Crushed Black Peppercorns and Mature Cheddar & Red Onion. A Variety pack is also available in the Multipack range. Kettle Chips are an ideal snack for those who appreciate healthier, natural products but without sacrificing quality and taste.
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