Tangerine and Rose Holdings license Sunkist confectionery

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

Nostalgic appeal for Sunkist to aid confectionery crossover, claims brand owner Nichols
Nostalgic appeal for Sunkist to aid confectionery crossover, claims brand owner Nichols

Related tags License Confectionery

UK firms Tangerine Confectionery and Rose Holdings have each been granted licenses to produce soft-drink brand Sunkist in confectionery form.

The licenses were awarded by Nichols PLC, which owns Sunkist and other soft drink brands such as Vimto and Panda.

Tangerine will produce Sunkist bon bons and mini chews while Rose will manufacture branded bubblegum and Sunkist candy spray.

Sunkist nostalgia claims

Nichols claims the Sunkist brand has nostalgic appeal in the UK.

“Sunkist has a fantastic latent recall amongst the older consumers (i.e. older than teens) who remember the drinks from their youth,”​ company Brand Licensing Manager James Nichols told ConfectioneryNews.

“Whilst the brand isn’t as widely known as Vimto, its packaging gives it fantastic stand-out on shelf and looks entirely different from other packs in the category.”

Tangerine’s Vimto confectionery

Tangerine Confectionery already has a license to manufacture​ a range of Vimto branded confectionery in the UK.

Nichols said sales for Vimto Confectionery were performing strongly.

“A large part of their range was previously produced by Thornycroft before they went into administration (and before Tangerine were a licensee) and Tangerine’s current sales are significantly outperforming all historical sales. The bonbons in particular are showing fantastic growth,”​ he said.

He added that Tangerine had moved production to their Blackpool site in order to keep pace with demand.

Tangerine Confectionery closed its factory​ in Poole, Dorset, UK, earlier this year and moved production to other plants including its factory in Blackpool. The move resulted in 75 job losses.

Wholesale strategy

The other licensee for Sunkist, Rose Holdings, has permission to manufacture Sunkist and Vimto frozen ice lollies. It also makes Tango branded confectionery under license from Britvic.

All Sunkist confectionery will sold in impulse channels through Cash & Carry’s and delivered wholesale. The range will also initially appear in discount stores.

Related topics Manufacturers Candy

Related news