Natra launches truffles for premium market
chocolate markets with a new range of Belgium truffles, only two
days after acquiring a chocolate factory in the country.
The product launch could not be more timely, as the company's announced must comes just before consumers in the EU and US start shopping for the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The product will be sold in the four varieties cocoa, champagne, toffee and Capuchin, and "will complement our current offer of chocolates and chocolate seashells of Belgium origin," the company said. The range will be sold under the brand name 'Les Délices d'Ellezelles', and also as a private label brand (PLB) in Europe and the US, Natra added. Natra announced the launch only two days after the company acquired the Belgium-based chocolate brand All-Crump, the third biggest chocolate and hazelnut spread in Europe. The company said earlier this week that the move is part of a company strategy to increase its presence not only in the European chocolate spread market, but also in the overall chocolate and confectionery market. Natra produces 45,000 tonnes of cocoa and chocolate products each year, and recorded profits of €380m in 2007. Every year the company sells nearly 500m chocolate products in Europe; 400m flavoured chocolate products, 80m chocolate bars and 18m boxes of chocolates. The company also said that it will try to increase its presence in the PLB market, and claims to be present in 20 of the 30 biggest European PLB brands. "Natra is developing a strategic plan based on the organic growth of the company as well as the investment in innovation of product in order to consolidate itself as one of the key operators on the European market of PLB," the company said. According to the Private Label Market Association, the market share of private label brands, also known as 'store brand' or 'own label', is continuing to grow across the EU. Total private label market share was highest in Switzerland, where 53 per cent of products sold were retailer brands, valued at 46 per cent of the total market. Private label market share was next strongest in the UK, with 43.3 per cent the market, followed by Belgium's total private label market share of 42.1 per cent and Germany's at 38.9 per cent, the association said.
