Confectionery brands are pushing a broad wave of innovation into the market, with flavour exploration, upgraded textures and seasonal relevance – with Easter a big focus – driving much of the new development.
Established players continue to diversify their portfolios with extensions that tap into recognisable taste profiles while attempting to unlock new purchase occasions.
Premiumisation remains a core strategy across both chocolate and bakery, with brands looking to elevate classic formats and strengthen their presence in gifting-led channels.
Meanwhile, better-for-you cues, plant‑based recipes and sustainably sourced ingredients remain prominent as producers seek to align product launches with ethical and environmental expectations.
Global flavour influences continue to play a role, with Middle Eastern–inspired profiles and Asian snacking cues making their way into global confectionery. These trends are reflected in several launches targeting younger consumers and flavour‑curious shoppers looking for novelty grounded in familiarity.
Guylian Easter Egg
Guylian has expanded its seasonal line-up with a seaside‑themed Easter SKU, introducing the Guylian Seashells egg into major UK retailers.
The new product features a milk chocolate shell embossed with the brand’s signature seahorse and is positioned as a premium seasonal option.
The egg is paired with six individually wrapped Original Praliné Seahorse chocolates, offering an additional branded touchpoint and supporting consumer recognition of Guylian’s core seashell range.
Nestlé Easter
Nestlé Confectionery has expanded its seasonal portfolio for 2026, with a wide-ranging Easter line-up spanning chocolate singles, sharing bags and premium eggs.
The offer includes multiple new launches across KitKat, Aero, Milkybar and Rowntree’s, adding novelty, flavour innovation and textural variety to the fixture.
KitKat takes the lead this year with four new eggs. The range includes two marbled variants under the KitKat Incredible Egg umbrella, with Hazelnut and Salted Caramel options carrying flavour through the chocolate shell. The KitKat Chunky Funky Incredible Egg introduces biscuit pieces and cornflakes for added texture, while the KitKat Crispy Egg builds on the popular Bunny format with additional crunch embedded in the shell.
Nestlé has also broadened its appeal beyond chocolate. Rowntree’s introduces Egg-Venture, a sharing-format bag featuring limited-edition random fruity shapes designed to attract shoppers looking for non-chocolate alternatives.
Meanwhile, Milkybar extends its white chocolate offer with the Crispy Cookie Egg and a new Easter Friends sharing bag. Aero adds the Aero Brownie Egg, incorporating brownie flavour into its aerated chocolate.
The wider seasonal line-up will see the return of key performing SKUs including Smarties Sea Splash, Smarties Dinosaur Eggs, The Quality Street Incredible Egg and a full selection of classic eggs across KitKat, Aero, Rowntree’s, Lion, Toffee Crisp, Smarties, Munchies, Rolo, Yorkie and Milkybar.
HAPPi Pistachio
Happi is expanding its plant‑based Easter offer for 2026, with a new Pistachio Crunch egg, tapping into the ongoing consumer interest in Dubai‑inspired chocolate profiles.
The oat milk chocolate specialist has combined pistachio with Kanafe flavours to create a variant positioned to attract shoppers looking for global flavour cues within the seasonal fixture.
The egg blends sweet and nutty notes with a crisp texture, delivered through Happi’s established oat milk chocolate base. The brand highlights the product’s alignment with current flavour trends, citing the popularity of Middle Eastern‑influenced chocolate as a key driver for development. The pack uses a bright pistachio‑green colourway designed to create standout on shelf.
Like the wider Happi range, the Pistachio Crunch egg is made using natural ingredients and fully recyclable, compostable packaging. The chocolate is produced using ethically sourced cacao from Luker Chocolate in Colombia, supporting the brand’s positioning around sustainability and responsible sourcing within the plant‑based confectionery market.
Cartwright & Butler Easter
Cartwright & Butler is adding to its seasonal offer with the launch of a Simnel Loaf Cake, alongside a range of chocolate Easter treats.
The Simnel Loaf Cake brings a contemporary twist to a traditional format and is positioned for hosting occasions across the long weekend.
The loaf is presented in a decorative green tin tied with a gold bow, designed to function as both a gifting item and a reusable keepsake. The cake itself is a rich fruit loaf with sultanas and marzipan baked through the mix, finished with a toasted marzipan layer to deliver the classic flavour profile associated with Simnel cake.
Cartwright & Butler highlights the product’s alignment with its heritage in East Yorkshire, England, and its long-standing focus on indulgent, occasion-led foods. The new line is intended to sit alongside existing seasonal gifting propositions such as its biscuit tins and Easter egg tin, giving retailers an additional premium option for spring merchandising across food halls, delis and specialist retailers.
POLO Sugar-Free
POLO is expanding its sugar-free line-up with two new variants now rolling out nationwide: POLO Sugar-Free Extra Strong Mint and POLO Sugar-Free Berry Mint Flavour.
Both additions are produced at Nestlé’s York factory, which has manufactured the brand for more than seven decades.
The new flavours aim to broaden choice within the sugar-free mint category, offering more than functional breath refreshment while remaining aligned with POLO’s trusted positioning. Both products are vegan friendly and sit at price parity with the core singles range.
Nestlé highlights the new flavours as an opportunity to grow the sugar-free segment through stronger flavour appeal and increased relevance for everyday consumption.
Aero Caramel
Nestlé Confectionery is expanding its Aero Bubbles line-up with a new Caramel flavour.
The launch builds on continued demand for flavour extensions within established sharing confectionery formats and adds further variety to the Aero Bubbles range.
The new product combines smooth caramel flavour bubbles with a milk chocolate and caramel flavour shell, maintaining the signature aerated texture that defines the Aero brand. Nestlé highlights the variant as a key addition to its sharing portfolio, targeting households and informal social occasions.
Aero Caramel flavour bubbles will sit alongside Aero Bubbles Peppermint and the wider Aero line in retailers nationwide.
KitKat Cookie
Nestlé is extending its KitKat portfolio with a new cookie dough flavour range, introducing the profile across multiple formats to broaden relevance across break and sharing occasions.
The line spans four-finger singles and multipacks, two-finger multipacks, and a new sharing bar, creating broad coverage across key confectionery price points and missions.
The range pairs KitKat’s signature wafer with a cookie dough flavour chocolate, targeting demand for nostalgic, bakery‑inspired flavours within mainstream confectionery.
Nestlé said consumer appeal for cookie dough makes the extension a natural fit for KitKat and positions the line to work across both everyday and incremental purchase moments.
Hames cremes
Hames Chocolates is extending its presence in independent retail and the premium gifting channel with the launch of a new Dark Chocolate Fondant Cremes range.
Developed for farm shops, specialist retailers and gifting operators, the line offers a premium but accessible option built around familiar flavour profiles and consistent production quality.
Each variant features a 53% cocoa dark chocolate shell made with Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, paired with a soft fondant centre. The range includes four fruit-led options made with real fruit juice concentrates – Raspberry, Lemon, Orange and Mango – with selected flavours using natural oils to enhance authenticity. A Dark Chocolate Mint Creme using English Black Mitcham peppermint oil completes the line-up, adding a classic choice for shoppers seeking a fresh, traditional profile.
All five SKUs are vegan‑friendly and supplied in 88g packs, shipped in outers of eight for ease of merchandising.
Fini Mochi
Fini is broadening its confectionery offering with two new mochi SKUs as demand for globally inspired sweets continues to build.
Both variants are positioned to work across impulse and sharing occasions, with Fini highlighting taste and texture as key repeat‑purchase drivers.
Early consumer testing indicates strong sensory appeal, particularly around the chewy mochi texture and bold fruit profiles, supporting the brand’s strategy to drive sustained interest beyond novelty value.
The launch follows significant momentum for Fini in wholesale, particularly through its partnership with Parfetts.
