The latest wave of launches shows how brands are using trusted equities to drive trade‑up, broaden appeal and energise shelves across confectionery, bakery and ice cream.
Retro cues continue to resonate with consumers looking for comfort and familiarity, prompting brands to revisit classic formats and update them for modern tastes. At the same time, seasonal peaks remain crucial, with businesses investing in campaigns and gifting ranges that amplify emotional connections and elevate brand heritage.
Texture is playing a central role in new product development (NPD), with brands experimenting across chocolate, sugar confectionery and ice cream to deliver multi‑sensory experiences. Crispy inclusions, layered centres and bite‑size formats are being used to create additional interest while supporting price‑point versatility and portion control.
Premium gifting is also undergoing a refresh, as brands mark key anniversaries and strengthen their presence across digital and retail channels. Marketing platforms centred around connection, indulgence and celebration are helping to maintain momentum in higher‑value lines despite shifting shopper budgets.
Read on for the latest confectionery innovations to hit the shelves…
A Baileys Easter
Lir Chocolates is expanding its Baileys Chocolate line for Easter 2026 with a new Caramelised Popcorn Easter Egg and the return of key seasonal SKUs.
The new Baileys Caramelised Popcorn Egg brings a milk chocolate shell infused with Baileys Original Irish Cream and whole pieces of caramelised popcorn for added crunch. The 225g format features a movie‑themed design for on‑shelf standout.
Alongside the launch, Lir is bringing back the Baileys Chocolate Original Easter Egg following healthy sales across 2024 and 2025. The product combines a Baileys‑flavoured milk chocolate shell with a pack of Baileys Original Chocolate Truffles. The SKU remains a top seasonal performer for the brand.
Milkybar Crunchy Pops
Milkybar is rolling out a new white chocolate sharing bag as it adds Crunchy Pops to its line-up. Landing in stores this month, the product combines crispy cereal balls with Milkybar’s signature creamy white chocolate and is positioned as a simple, family‑friendly treat. The launch joins the brand’s established blocks and buttons portfolio and taps into demand for bite‑size sharing formats across mainstream confectionery.
The pops are made with whole milk, Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa and contain no artificial flavours, supporting Nestlé’s ongoing focus on familiar, responsibly sourced ingredients. The sharing format is designed to boost versatility for households and impulse occasions as Milkybar builds visibility during its 90th anniversary year.
Godiva’s all loved-up
Godiva is marking its centenary year with a refreshed Valentine’s Day campaign aiming to strengthen brand visibility across key gifting channels.
The 2026 activation, Say it With Godiva, introduces a playful, modern take on seasonal gifting and is supported by actress and singer Leighton Meester, who reprises her role as Lady Godiva across digital, social and high‑impact out‑of‑home placements including a Times Square billboard.
The push is designed to highlight Godiva’s established core ranges while spotlighting its Valentine’s Day 2026 collection. The line-up spans several heart‑shaped assortments across multiple price points, including the Valentine’s Day Heart‑Shaped Gift Box in 9‑ and 14‑piece formats, the Masterpiece Heart Tin in 7‑ and 20‑piece assortments and two Goldmark tins featuring dark or assorted chocolates.
Munchies Salted Caramel
Nestlé Confectionery is bringing back a fan favourite for 2026 as the Munchies Fudgey Salted Caramel Flavour sharing bag returns to shelves across the UK and Ireland.
The product features the signature Munchies format of milk chocolate cubes filled with a salted caramel flavoured centre and the brand’s familiar crunchy biscuit piece. Positioned as an easy sharing option for households and informal occasions, the SKU re‑joins a portfolio that spans year‑round formats including the classic 52 g tube and 104 g sharing bag.
The reintroduction supports Nestlé’s approach of using proven flavour profiles to maintain relevance within the mainstream chocolate category.
Stockley’s Lemon Meringue
Stockley’s is expanding its speciality sweet carton range for 2026 with a new Lemon Meringue flavour, tapping directly into the rising demand for nostalgic dessert profiles across confectionery.
The launch follows the strong performance of the brand’s Jam Roly Poly & Custard variant introduced last year, which helped establish a platform for further retro‑led innovation. The new SKU pairs a lemon and vanilla shell with a tangy citrus centre, designed to deliver both familiarity and a bright, modern twist in a format aligned with ongoing interest in playful flavour combinations.
According to Stockley’s, the trend toward nostalgic profiles is being accelerated by both economic and category dynamics. With chocolate prices continuing to climb, sugar confectionery formats that offer bold, comforting flavours and accessible price points are increasingly attractive to shoppers.
Snickers ice minis
Mars is expanding its ice cream portfolio with the launch of Snickers Ice Cream Minis, a new permanent range designed to bring multi‑textural formats into the frozen snack space.
The bite‑size line-up spans five variants, including Original plus four new flavours that build on the brand’s core mix of chocolate, caramel and nuts. The minis are positioned for portionable snacking across multiple occasions, from at‑home treats to on‑the‑go bites, as Mars targets renewed interest in smaller formats within mainstream ice cream.
The range includes Snickers Crunchy Peanut Butter, which adds extra roasted peanuts and a denser texture; Snickers Almond with vanilla ice cream and almond pieces; and Snickers Salted Caramel, which combines salted caramel ice cream with caramel and peanuts inside a chocolatey shell. The core Original variant features peanut butter ice cream, caramel and peanuts.
A fifth SKU, Snickers x M&M’s Minis, marks the first ice cream collaboration between the two brands, blending peanut butter ice cream, peanuts, caramel and M&M’s Minis.
Rowntree’s freezer boost
Rowntree’s is strengthening its presence in the frozen aisle for 2026 with two new ice lolly launches designed to add colour, flavour and incremental growth to summer freezers.
The new Fruit Explosion multipack brings two dual‑flavour sorbet lollies featuring Apple and Sour Cherry with a sour cherry sauce, plus Mango and Passion Fruit blended with Kiwi and a kiwi sauce. The soft texture and layered fruit profiles aim to offer something new within fruit‑led frozen treats as retailers prepare for peak seasonal demand.
Also joining the line-up is Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles Berries, a Strawberry and Blackcurrant fruit ice lolly shaped in the brand’s recognisable Fruit Pastilles format. Made with fruit juice, the new SKU is expected to draw further shoppers into the segment. Both products sit within the brand’s wider Free the Fun marketing platform, supported by a full through‑the‑line campaign.
