Fruit drops added to Vimto confectionery

Vimto’s confectionery range has been expanded with the launch of fruit drops produced under licence by Newbridge Foods.

The new fruit drops come in eyecatching plastic tubs styled like Vimto’s soft drink cans, each containing 14 individually-wrapped fruit drops (rsp: £1) made with real fruit juice and containing no artificial colours or hydrogenated fats. They roll out to C&Cs and wholesale from the start of January, supported by advertising and sampling, and will also benefit from Vimto’s wider multimedia activity.

Vimto’s licensed confectionery range, which includes Fruit Numbers and Fruit Ropes, is worth about £15m. Value sales of the soft drinks brand have grown 6% to £56m [Nielsen 52w/e 29 October 2011], buoyed by new variants such as Cherry Vimto, which has helped strengthen the brand’s profile in the south of England.