Nestlé is bringing back the old Black Magic this Christmas by returning the dark chocolate brand to its traditional packaging.

The confectionery giant has ditched the modern design and flavours of the Black Magic Collection box that replaced the "old favourite" two years ago and brought back the classic red bow design and traditional flavours, such as Raspberry Parfait and Caramel Caress. It will be renamed Black Magic Classic Favourites (rsp: £6.23 for 376g and £3.22 for 188g).

"We underestimated the following the original brand enjoyed," admitted Nestlé UK trade communications manager Graham Walker. "We repackaged it two years ago to be more premium but the market in premium dark chocolate has changed since then."

Walker said he believed consumers would "look for the safety of their old favourite brands" including Quality Street and After Eight this year.

At £6.3m, Nestlé's total marketing spend for its confectionery brands is more than double last year's £3m.

Quality Street will receive a £3m spend for Christmas, including a new TV campaign, while After Eight will benefit from a £2.3m spend and £1m will go to selection boxes, including MatchMakers. Both After Eight and Match­Makers will get new TV advertising that will start running from September when Nestlé's Christmas range - including a chocolate penguin that contains Smarties (rsp: £1.99)- arrives on shelf. Nestlé is also investing in boosting its environmental credentials.

Following Cadbury's 32% packaging reduction across its selection boxes, revealed by The Grocer last month, Nestlé is removing all plastic packaging from its selection boxes. Recyclable card trays will replace the plastic and it has reduced the size of the boxes by 10%.

With last year's packaging reduction factored in, the boxes will contain 49% less packaging than in Christmas 2007. The number and size of chocolate bars inside remains unchanged.