Good market position for chocolate

According to the Nielsen Retail Index, total value sales of the three chocolate segments increased by 3 percent in the December 2010-September 2011 period, compared with the same period a year earlier. Chocolate bar retail sales were up 4 percent in value and down 1 percent in volume.

The size of the annual market neared HUF 22 billion and more than two thirds of sales were realised in retail units with a floor space above 400m². Manufacturer brands were stable at 79 percent. Countline chocolate sales soared by 6 percent in both value and volume, the annual market went beyond HUF 18 billion. As for retail channels, sales were really fragmented. Manufacturer brands’ share from value sales was 90 percent (down 2 percentage point). Annual praline sales exceeded HUF 17 billion but were 2 percent lower in both value and volume than in the previous comparable period.