HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. -- Mars Chocolate North America has announced a variety of new products that will hit convenience store and other retail shelves in the coming months, and two of the items are back by popular demand.
Fan favorites M&M's Brand Crispy Chocolate Candies and Snickers Xtreme Bar will join newcomers 3 Musketeers Mint Bites, Combos Baked Snacks in two sweet and salty flavors, Dove Whole Fruit Dipped In Dark Chocolate, Twix Creamy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars and festive seasonal shapes.
"We're introducing some tantalizing new flavors to our brand portfolios, as well as relaunching popular M&M's Brand Crispy Chocolate Candies and Snickers Xtreme Bar," said Rick LaBerge, vice president of sales for Mars Chocolate North America.
New items from Mars Chocolate include:
- M&M's Brand Crispy Chocolate Candies, a limited edition in 1998, feature a unique, crispy center covered in creamy milk chocolate, enclosed in a colorful candy shell. (January 2015, 1.35-oz. single, 2.83-oz. sharing size, 9.9-oz. bag).
- Snickers Xtreme Bar, with 50% more caramel and 14% more peanuts than the original Snickers Bar. A limited edition in 2010, the bar offers a single layer of crunchy roasted peanuts and smooth caramel in milk chocolate. (December 2014, 3.59-oz. 2 to-go bars)
- 3 Musketeers Mint Bites are bite-sized treats featuring mint-flavored fluffy nougat in dark chocolate. (December 2014, 2.83-oz. sharing size and 6.0-oz. stand-up pouch).
- Combos Baked Snacks Sweet & Salty Caramel Crème Pretzel delivers the nostalgic taste of caramel crème candy and a salty pretzel crunch. (November 2014, 6.0-oz. bag).
- Combos Baked Snacks Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzel takes bring together the flavors of salty pretzels and vanilla frosting. (November 2014, 6.0-oz. bag).
- Dove Whole Fruit Dipped in Dark Chocolate is a delicious combination of real fruit dipped in Dove Dark Chocolate. (September 2014: cranberry and blueberry in 6-oz. stand-up pouches; January 2015: Cherry in 6.0-oz. stand-up pouches and cranberry and blueberry in 2.83-oz. sharing-size bags).
- Twix Creamy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars unite a layer of peanut butter on a classic Twix Cookie Bar, all coated with delicious milk chocolate. The new recipe includes a traditional crunchy Twix Cookie Bar instead of a chocolate cookie. (January 2015, 1.68-oz. package of two bars, 2.80-oz. 4 To Go).
- Seasonal Shapes in singles and 2 To Go formats make snacking more festive. Shapes include Twix Brand Ghosts, Santas, Hearts and Eggs, as well as Snickers Brand Pumpkins, Nutcrackers, Hearts and Eggs.
Seasonal confectionery sales continue to increase as consumers celebrate the holidays with their favorite brands in themed packaging and shapes. LaBerge said that holidays are a good time to add shippers and other secondary displays around the store.
"Confectionery is the most responsive category to merchandising, so it's critical to place secondary displays along the path to purchase in what we call 'hot-spot' locations," said LaBerge. "The 'hot spots' in a convenience store are by the register, cold vault, foodservice/deli and fountain drinks. When shoppers reach for a beverage or a sandwich, they're likely to grab a chocolate bar."
Mars offers retailers several display options, from traditional counter units and shippers to a new Mixed Singles Skinny Tower that requires minimal floor space.
Convenience store retailers can sign up for the Mars Chocolate Everyday Display Program, which features themes centered on "key moments" that bring family and friends together.
Some of the 2015 moments include Super Bowl, NASCAR, M&M's Brand Movie Mania and Road Trip. A Performance Rewards Program is available to convenience stores that incorporate certain Mars products and displays.
Mars Chocolate North America, a unit of Mars Inc., is based in Hackettstown, N.J. Mars Inc., McLean, Va., has net sales of more than $33 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience.
Mars brands include Petcare (Pedigree, Royal Canin, Whiskas, Banfield Pet Hospital, Cesar, Sheba, Dreamies and Nutro); Chocolate (M&M's, Snickers, Dove, Galaxy, Mars, Milky Way and Twix); Wrigley (Doublemint, Extra, Orbit and 5 Chewing Gums, Skittles and Starburst and Altoids and Lifesavers mints; Food (Uncle Ben's, Dolmio, Ebly, Masterfoods, Seeds of Change and Royco); Drinks (Alterra Coffee Roasters, The Bright Tea Co., Klix and Flavia); and Symbioscience (Cocoavia and Wisdom Panel).
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