Mars Wrigley Confectionery is launching new Skittles Chewies and Starburst Minis.

The new additions to the £48.7m Mars Wrigley Confectionery candy portfolio (Nielsen Scantrack 20.05.18) have been created to offer ”texture innovation”.

Skittles Chewies, which is described as Skittles Fruits without the shell, offer a soft, lighter texture and a less intense flavour profile. Complete with standout pink packaging to differentiate from the core range, Skittles Chewies (RRP £0.49 per 45g) are available in single bags and sharing pouches.

A comprehensive £1.2m media campaign will support the launch of Skittles Chewies.

New Starburst Minis (RRP £1.39 per 196g, RRP £1 per 125g and RRP £0.49 per 45g) are a smaller version of Starburst Original, unwrapped for easier consumption, providing consumers with easy-to-eat, mini pellets that can be enjoyed wherever and whenever. With proven success in the US, Starburst Minis is currently worth $30m NSV and is projected to increase in value to $85m by 2020.

Dan Newell, fruity confectionery portfolio director, at Mars Wrigley Confectionery, said: “We are extremely excited to add two huge innovations to our existing Skittles and Starburst lines. Having undertaken extensive research, we found that retailers and consumers alike were looking for something with an alternative texture that still retained the fruity flavours of our much loved brands. As such, the launch represents huge sales opportunity for retailers to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in the fruit confectionery category.”