Bonds of London expands its US lines in the UK

By Jenny Eagle

- Last updated on GMT

Innovative Bite's range includes Warheads and Hostess Twinkies
Innovative Bite's range includes Warheads and Hostess Twinkies

Related tags Sugar confectionery Confectionery Innovative bites

Bonds of London confectionery firm has announced it has added 80 lines to its American category, making it one of the biggest suppliers of US confectionery products in the UK.

The products include Hostess Twinkies & Snoballs, Cookie Dough Bites & WarHeads sour confectionery among other American snacks and confectionery.

Trend for US confectionery & snacks continues to grow

Vishal Madhu, founder, Innovative Bites, the company that recently acquired Bonds​, told ConfectioneryNews, Bonds of London has historically been known for its traditional British sweets, such as pick'n'mix jars and hanging bags.

These products remain popular with UK consumers, but the trend for American confectionery and snacks continues to grow exponentially, so we felt it was time to up weight this offering for Bonds of London's 7,000 plus customers across the UK,​" he said.

"The growing appetite for American snacks and confectionery within the UK is reflected in Innovative Bites own sales, which have been growing at a rate of 25% YOY. This is down to a mixture of existing customers giving the American category more sales space on their shop floor as well as acquiring new customers​."

According to a report by Euromonitor International, ‘Confectionery in the US 2015’, consumer trends in sugar confectionery continue to gravitate toward chewy products and preferences have been moving towards products with a soft, chewy mouthfeel over harder varieties.

Whilst boiled sweets, lollipops and other sugar confectionery saw value sales decline in 2015, the massive pastilles, gums, jellies and chews category grew by 4% and added $164m in absolute sales, to reach $3.9bn in 2015​,” it said.

This trend was also evident within other categories, such as toffees, caramels and nougat, in which softer varieties such as Lancaster [by Hershey] gained share over harder brands such as Werther’s Original​.

Millennials’ love for bold & spicy flavors

This trend toward chewy products is also evident in other product areas, such as vitamins and dietary supplements, in which gummy products have exploded onto the scene and become a major force in products for both adults and children. Chewy products continued to drive growth across sugar confectionery in 2015, and show no signs of slowing down," ​said the report.

It claimed sugar confectionery is expected to continue its growth over the forecast period, with value sales increasing by 8% at constant 2015 prices between 2015 and 2020, to reach $11.6bn.

This growth will be led by power mints, which is expected to see a CAGR of 4% at constant 2015 prices. Millennials’ love for bold and spicy flavors shows little sign of slowing down, and as the spending power of this demographic grows along with its earning potential, demand for breath freshening products will follow.

Power mints will continue to steal share from both standard mints and gum in this area, and will become an increasingly important part of the sugar confectionery category.

Since launching in 2008, Innovative Bites has grown to be one of the UK's suppliers of American brands including Hostess Twinkies, Boylan, Warheads, Cookie Dough Bites and MOM cereal brands.

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