Mars releases laundry list of candy, salty snacks, chocolate bar launches
CHICAGO Mars Snackfood this week at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show at McCormick Place has announced a lineup of snack products to be launched this fall and winter.
Mars has announced the upcoming launches of spicy jalapeno cheddar tortilla-flavored Combos. For the candy category, Mars will be releasing Dove Promises Changemakers bite-sized milk chocolate and rich dark chocolate candies. Dove is also extending its line with Dove Chocolate Large Bars in flavors creamy cappuccino and mandarin orange. New Snickers Fun-Size Changemakers, with caramel, milk chocolate nougat and nougat will also hit shelves by the winter season.
In the sugar-candy category, Mars adds Skittles Crazy Cores, Starburst FaveReds flavored like cherry, fruit punch, strawberry and watermelon and Starburst Sour Gummibursts with flavors green apple, watermelon, strawberry and orange tangerine.
To boost sales of its wide variety of chocolates and snack products, Mars has a number of promotions lined up for fall and winter. M&M’s will get special packaging featuring Ms. Green, the alluring, romantic, female M&M character, in time for Valentine’s Day.And for the Super Bowl, Snickers will get special packaging treatment, along with tie-ins to a fantasy sweepstakes game which will award 17 trips to the Super Bowl, as well as chances for several secondary prizes. Mars has also announced that 3 Musketeers candy bars will be the official candy bars of the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2008 celebration and will get special treatment on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve celebration show.
Though times are tough in the current cash-poor consumer economy, items such as candy are still seeing strong sales, Mars said. For example, data released by market research firm Information Resources Inc. showed that chocolate sales in convenience sales were up 4.1 percent for the 52-week period ended Aug. 10. Mars Snackfood said that sales of its chocolate candies increased 9.1 percent for the same time in that channel.