Nestlé targets rise in sharing with introduction of new Caramac packaging

Caramac, launched in the UK in 1959, is a caramel flavored confection, manufactured using sweetened condensed milk, butter, various flavorings and sugar, and traditionally sold as a bar that is packaged in a red and yellow wrapper. The Caramac line has now been extended to include a chocolate button product that will be retailed in a sharing bag. This is the brand’s first move away from bars. The new Caramac Giant Buttons sharing bag will be available from August 31.

Nestlé Confectionery said the new sharing bag format will, for the first time, enable more opportunities for the brand to be shared with friends and family, capitalizing on the key consumer trend for ‘sharing confectionery and informal socializing’. Citing data from IRI, a market research company which provides clients with consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and analysis focused on the consumer packaged goods industry, Nestlé Confectionery said that across the total market, chocolate sharing bags have grown 50 percent in consumer sales value over the past four years, with Nestlé Confectionery’s range growing ahead of the market at 75 percent over the same period.

Other chocolate brands produced by Nestlé Confectionery include Milkybar, Rolo, Munchies, Smarties and Yorkie, amongst others, and many are already available in a sharing bag format.

‘Since it was launched more than 50 years ago, Caramac has been a mainstay of confectionery fixtures across the UK, and whilst it has its hardcore following of fans, its classic caramel flavor also ensures the brand has broad appeal and therefore there is an excellent opportunity to extend it into growing areas of the confectionery category such as sharing bags,’ said a Nestlé UK & Ireland spokesperson.

A recent report has found that flexible packaging is set to expand its share in the food packaging market to 53.1 percent in the next three years.