2025 has been another bumper year for new confectionery product announcements for retailers and shoppers alike.
Film tie-ins, mysterious flavour mixes and fruity twists were just a few of the innovations seen in the confectionery aisle this year.
This small selection of some of Convenience Store’s 2025 sweet favourites is only the tip of the iceberg of new products, with plenty of convenience-only specials and variants exclusive to the channel also hitting stores over the past 12 months.
In February, Mars Wrigley launched its Refreshers Watermelon Raspberry flavour, backed by a huge marketing campaign to recruit new shoppers into the gum category.
Lucy Sherlock, senior brand manager for Extra, said: “The launch is backed by a national campaign that includes sampling to one million consumers, partnerships with influencers and our biggest ever Win! Activation giving shoppers the chance to win a pair of custom trainers inspired by the colours of the gum’s fruity flavours.”
By May, Cadburys had launched a limited-edition bar in its Twirl range - Twirl White Dipped, in a move it said reflected a growing trend for milk and white chocolate together.
Katya Savelieva, brand manager for Cadbury Twirl at supplier Mondelēz International, said: “We’re delighted to be building on the love of Cadbury Twirl with this new limited offering. The combination of milk and white chocolate is proving to be a consumer favourite. Bringing this increasingly popular combination to life in the form of a Cadbury Twirl and its distinct swirly and melty chocolatiness will offer consumers something completely new and unique that we’re certain they’ll love.”
One of the most impactful looking bars joined the dark chocolate market in July, courtesy of Fatso. The brand announced the launch of its newest flavour - the boozy, tropical Drunk’n Monkey.
Co-Founder, Ella McKay, explained: “We’ve combined a tropical trio of ingredients and covered it in our delicious single-origin dark chunky chocolate. The outcome is both tasty and tipsy. As always, we continue on our mission to prove that dark chocolate doesn’t have to be all seriousness and restraint and we’re so excited to be bringing another new flavour into the Fatso fold.”
In the same month, Chupa Chups flipped into the Upside Down by teaming up with one of Netflix’s most iconic and top streamed shows, Stranger Things on two new lolly skus that were home to mystery flavours.
Kim McMahon, brand manager at supplier Perfetti Van Melle, said: “This is a dream collaboration for us. At its heart, Stranger Things is about ordinary moments turning into epic adventures, and at Chupa Chups we believe in finding joy and spontaneity in the little things.”
Finally, in September, two new KitKat minis lines were announced - Chunky Minis and a Two Finger Mini Mix, with both described as “perfect for sharing.”
Stephanie Scales, marketing manager for KitKat at supplier Nestlé UK&I, said: “We’ve taken our much-loved KitKat products and turned them into mini versions that can easily be shared. Individually wrapped, the launch is about offering shoppers a bite of the delicious KitKat bars they know and love, in smaller, more convenient portion sizes.”
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