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The market

The confectionery market is traditionally divided into candy, chocolate, pastilles and chewing gum. Cloetta is active in all these categories, as well as in the nuts category.

The confectionery market

The total market for confectionery in Cloetta’s main markets amounts to approximately SEK 285 bn (271). The confectionery market is relatively insensitive to economic fluctuations and shows stable growth that is driven primarily by population trends and price increases. Market recessions affect us mainly through general price pressure from the retail trade and increased competition from the trade’s own private labels. However, private labels account for a relatively small share of confectionery compared to other grocery products.

Consumption patterns

Confectionery is one of the most impulse driven categories in the retail trade. Up to 80 per cent of purchasing decisions are made at the point of sale. Brand, availability and product placement are significant success factors. The European confectionery market is characterised by strong consumer loyalty to local brands. Shoppers however rarely buy only one brand but rather tend to have a few brands in their purchasing repertoire. The main considerations when buying are brand, flavour, quality and curiosity about new products. Consumption patterns and taste preferences vary between the different markets. For example, compared to the rest of Europe, the Nordic region has a higher per capita consumption of chocolate and candy.

Competitive market

The global market for confectionery is dominated by international companies like Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, Ferrero, Perfetti Van Melle, Haribo and Lindt & Sprüngli. However, in the local markets these meet tough opposition from players with locally established brands such as Cloetta, Fazer, Orkla and Toms. No player has a strong position across all European markets. Consolidation of the confectionery industry is taking place gradually. The industry as such has a long history and the pace of technological product innovation is low.

Pick & mix

The Pick & mix segment has a very strong position in the Nordic countries and accounts for a large share of the total confectionery consumption, while the consumption of pick & mix is considerably lower in Central Europe where packaged candy and chocolate have a stronger position. In Sweden, pick & mix normally accounts for 30 per cent of the total confectionery market, while in the other Nordic countries it accounts for 5 to 15 per cent. Pick & mix candy as a market has been growing faster than packaged products in most Nordic countries. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, pick & mix has lost market shares, however, is back to growth in 2022.

The nut market

Cloetta is also active in the nut market via the brands Nutisal and Parrots. The total nut market in the Nordic region is worth around SEK 5 bn, and the private labels of the retail trade account for approximately one third of the total market. In Cloetta’s main markets, the nut market is experiencing annual growth of 1–2 per cent in volume. However, in the past few years the growth has been around 4 percent a year in value due to price increases and a shift to the premium product category.