Circana category analysis: Confectionery

The total confectionery market is now worth £9.4bn per annum, with chocolate accounting for approximately 75% of the market value. The confectionery market is growing, with value sales up by 3.9% over the latest 52 weeks (L52W) versus last year. Chocolate is the largest growth contributor with value sales up 6.9% vs last year, gum sales are up 1.4% vs last year and sweet sales are up 2.4%, with sweets the only category to see unit and volume growth over the L52W vs last year.

Chocolate growth is driven by an increase in average unit prices, as manufacturers continue to grapple with increased cocoa costs driven by poor harvests. Price growth is decelerating in more recent time periods. The confectionery market is dominated by the grocer supermarkets, the channel accounts for 63%, of the market value but the symbols and independent channel has a significant share over trade with 16.1% value share of the market, making it a crucial market for the channel.

The symbols and independent channel is losing share of the confectionery market with grocer supermarkets gaining share across all the categories, but it is in the seasonal chocolate and confectionery market where symbols and independents have seen the weakest performance. The seasonal chocolate and confectionery market alone is worth £1.9bn, with just 5.2% value share of the market, the symbols and independent channel has a big under-trade growth opportunity in seasonal chocolate and confectionery.