We’re a greedy bunch: almost one in four Brits wolf down chocolate ‘sharing’ bags on their own in one sitting. And increasingly they’re bought online: internet confectionery sales have passed £100m for the first time as brands have ramped up ad spend by 12.5%.These are just some of the facts you need to know about confectionery today, as we kick off a new programme of multimedia, digital-only category reports. Tuck in…

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It’s not good to share: one in four binge on sharing bags

Twenty seven per cent of all young people wolf down so-called ‘sharing bags’ to themselves in one sitting, an exclusive poll for The Grocer reveals. Plus, what do we really think about obesity and guilt lanes?

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Channels are changing: online sweets sales pass the £100m mark

Internet sales of sweets and chocolate have surged 28.4% in the past year, far outpacing total grocery’s online growth. Our exclusive analysis reveals more of us are putting confectionery on our shopping lists as fewer pick it up on impulse.

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Turkish Delight, black pepper and chocolate do not mix

Video: Mondelez gives The Grocer the keys to its Bournville R&D Kitchens to have a crack at making its very own Marvellous Creation. And we discover why being marvellous isn’t as easy as it might seem…

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Easter’s cracked: eggs serve up £44m growth

Last year we spent £73.8m (14.2%) more on seasonal confectionery, following a host of launches aimed at the Easter market. Meanwhile, sweets brands are enjoying devilishly good growth at Halloween, with the trick or treat trend booming.

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Spinach sweets are big in Japan: top 10 global confectionery NPD

Here’s our rundown of the hottest new confectionery launches from around the world, from chocolate brand claiming it can give you a six pack and aphrodisiac marshmallows to Japanese vegetable sweets and mushroom chocolate… tuck in.

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Growth isn’t cheap: confectionery ad spend surges 12.5%

Confectionery’s 10 biggest advertisers have forked out £65.2m on ad space, up 12.5%, in the past year. Find out how much they’re spending and on what, here. Plus, Ebiquity provides exclusive analysis on the creativity of the three biggest spenders’ ads.

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Merchandising matters: 50% of chocolate purchase choices are made at the fixture

Increasingly, brands have to think outside the (chocolate) box to stand out from the crowd in store. Here’s a rundown of how brands are looking to do just that, with increasingly inventive merchandising and point of sale activity.

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Wonka will be missed: five in six would buy again (shame it’s being axed…)

Video: How does Tesco Finest chocolate compare to an offering from Lidl’s De Luxe range? How about Dairy Milk with Ritz versus Nestle’s now axed Wonka Millionaire’s Shortcake? We asked our very own digital consumer panel to put these products to the test.

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Sweets are going social… but size doesn’t matter

Britain’s biggest confectionery brands have 85.9 million fans on Facebook between them but just 327.2k followers on Twitter. But just how effective is all this social media activity? Plus, we pick three of the most impressive posts from planet confectionery.

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It’s not what you know… meet confectionery’s must-know buyers

Any brand looking to win share of this competitive market needs to know their buyers. Here’s a rundown of some of the most influential buyers in the industry.