Cadbury Trebor Bassett is set to reposition its confectionery brand Boost as an energy source for clubbers in a move that will bring it head to head with the likes of mighty energy drink Red Bull.
Two new countlines, Boost Guarana for mental energy and Boost Glucose for physical fuel, will hit shelves in the next few weeks, with a multi-million pound marketing campaign expected.
The major target is likely to be young men with active lifestyles ­ particularly those who burn the candle at both ends.
The guarana product has already provoked controversy in Australia, where it was launched in summer 2001 under the name Viking, with the strapline The chocolate bar with horns'.
Parents and school authorities expressed concerns because the bar's high level of guarana ­ a natural form of caffeine ­ made it unsuitable for children under 15, pregnant women or people sensitive to caffeine.
The product had not been targeted at children but CTB moved a caution notice to a more prominent position on Viking's wrapper nevertheless.
Soft drinks have been chipping away at the confectionery-dominated UK impulse arena for the past decade, with energy drinks in particular showing phenomenal growth.
This has slowed a little, but the sector is still worth around £750m, with Red Bull accounting for a volume share of 85%.
CTB's last major UK launch ­ the white chocolate Dream bar which arrived in January ­ was backed by £3.2m.

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