Yowie secures Walmart trial in Texas
The company entered the US market earlier this year after overcoming a long standing ban on chocolate filled eggs by using larger toys in a special capsule with a plastic ridge and bulls eye button that releases the toy.
The 50 Walmart test stores will stock Yowie eggs from the second week of October. Walmart will evaluate sales performance and if the trial proves a success it will roll out Yowie nationally.
The brand will be stocked in displays at cash register aisles. Walmart is the leading retailer in the US and the world. It operates 4,000 stores and 800 club stores across the US and posted $279bn in sales for fiscal 2014.
Yowie chocolate eggs, based on Yowie monster characters, are produced under license in Florida by the Whetstone Chocolate Factory.
Yowie chocolate products were previously produced by Cadbury under license from Kidcorp Pty Ltd. Cadbury sold 31 million units in Australia in 1997. The Yowie Group now holds rights to Yowie characters.
The group hopes to grow in the US before targeting Europe and the Middle East in a second growth phase.
Yowie began selling its first products in the US earlier this year through distribution deals with c-store chain Valero and candy specialist distributors Dylan’s Candy Bar, Lolli & Pops and Sweetie Candy.
It said that the stores were selling 50 units per store per week, which it claimed was a high performance selling rate for the confectionery category.
