Confectionery manufacturers would like a strong Easter

Lilla Kelemen
brand manager
Nestlé Hungária

According to Lilla Kelemen, Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s brand manager, sales improved in all sales channels and the company’s performance was better than the average growth, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Nestlé held on to its market leader position

Market optimism in spite of the challenges

Sándor Balázsovics
sales director
Bonbonetti

We learned from Sándor Balázsovics, Bonbonetti Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft.’s sales director that they were able to react to the changes and hardships that the pandemic brought about, so the company’s sales didn’t suffer.

In 2020 Mondelez Hungária’s sales dropped just half as fast as the market average, which led to the company acquiring a big new market share. Then in 2021 sales improved by nearly 30 percent, so Mondelez is currently ranked third among branded product manufacturers – informed Franciska Marton, junior brand manager of seasonal and pralines at Mondelez.

Máté Balogh, sales director of Lindt & Sprüngli (CEE) s.r.o.’s Hungarian branch told: the Easter of 2021 was an exceptionally successful period for the company. Sales grew by 30-40 percent in both the chocolate egg and the figure segments. Lindt is hopeful that sales will continue to develop at this rate this year too.

Ákos Perjés, Haribo Hungária Kft.’s general manager of marketing and sales talked to us about rapidly rising ingredient and packaging material prices. Transportation problems have made the lives of manufacturers even more difficult. Luckily the company has been able to adapt to the constantly changing market situation.

More gift packs sold

Last season the premiumisation process continued and besides chocolate rabbits and eggs, demand has also been growing for various multiproduct offers. Lilla Kelemen told that the most popular are those gift packs that contain not only chocolate, but also some kind of toy or plush figure. Packs of filled mini chocolate eggs are also more and more popular. Discounters have been strengthening their market positions for years in the Easter confectionery category too, but Franciska Marton revealed that last year sales by hypermarkets increased just as fast.

Large-scale spring marketing campaign

Last Easter one of the engines of Nestlé Hungária’s market expansion was the KITKAT brand. The company will keep on expanding the product selection in 2022 too – said Lilla Kelemen. There will be new Easter confectioneries from the brand. According to the brand manager, the pandemic has changed the shopping habits of consumers very much. At the beginning large-sized product sales jumped to the detriment of chocolate bars, plus online sales increased. Then last year people started spending more time in stores again and this trend slowed down. In the spring Nestlé will implement a large-scale marketing campaign.

No slowdown this year either

Bonbonetti’s experience is that in addition to price, it is more and more important for people to buy products characterised by stable high quality. In the Easter season demand is bigger for the company’s milk chocolate figures. Sándor Balázsovics added that consumer demand augmented for both better-priced smaller and premium large-sized chocolates. More news from the company: in the second half of 2021 they commenced a very successful cooperation with Hungary’s No.1 marketing agency and celebrity uncle Tibi Dévényi, for the launch of new small and large chocolate tablet products. Bonbonetti also strengthened its social media presence. They won’t slow down this year either!

Even more emphasis on the online channel

Franciska Marton
brand manager
Mondelēz

One of the top products in Mondelez’s Easter selection is the very popular Egg´N´Spoon with milky Oreo filling. From 2022 – in the spirit of sustainability and innovation – the company markets the product with a wooden spoon. The company is thinking about adults too: Milka chocolate rabbits are also available in darkmilk version. Franciska Marton told that that in 2022 Happy Easter chocolate tablets return to the company’s offering. In the Milka chocolate rabbits segment not only the classic 45g and 90g variants will be available, but also a limited edition product in really attractive packaging. In marketing the online channel will be strengthened.

In line with the trends

Máté Balogh
sales director
Lindt & Sprüngli
(CEE) s. r. o.

Lindt offers classic Easter confectioneries in the Hungarian market, but shoppers can choose from a diverse selection: rabbits and eggs in various sizes, versions and flavours, plus special products such as the small Lindt chocolate carrots. Máté Balogh explained that Lindt products perfectly fit into the premiumisation trend. Demand is the biggest for them in hyper- and supermarkets, but this year select products (Gold Bunny, Lindor eggs) will be available in new retail channels as well. The company runs its own shop network and operates an online shop too.

Planned successes

Ákos Perjés
general manager of
marketing and sales
Haribo Hungária

HARIBO is present in every retail channel and has compiled its seasonal product selection tailored to the needs of different channels. Ákos Perjés said: those companies will gain significant market advantage which – in accordance with their agreements with retailer partners – will be able to supply stores with the planned amount of products on time. The expert forecasts stock shortages for the last few days preceding Easter. He added that Hungarian shoppers like HARIBO’s dragée products, sales of which continue to grow. Special Easter gummy candy figures and flavour variations are also very popular among consumers – these products don’t contain artificial colours. //

Chocolate rabbits and eggs in the Easter basket

Guest writer:
Nóra Gubek
market research consultant
NielsenIQ

Easter confectionery sales were worth nearly HUF 5 billion in March-April 2021, as value sales increased by 43 percent in comparison with the same period of 2020. Volume sales augmented by 11 percent and exceeded 800 tonnes. Manufacturer brands had nearly 80 percent of the market and their sales expanded by 40 percent, while sales of private label Easter confectionery products grew by 58 percent.

Chocolate rabbits made up for 47 percent of Easter sweets sales, and chocolate eggs were responsible for more than one thirds of products sold. 90 percent of Easter confectionery value sales were milk chocolate products. Three quarters of category sales were unfilled products (in value). //