The UK’s top 10 favourite sweets and confectionery brands 2021

1. Haribo gums and jellies

Value: £134.7m (-5.2%)

Germany’s Haribo has been left with a sour taste in its mouth after the HGV driver shortage throttled supply routes into the UK and forced it to axe promotional activity earlier this summer.

That’s been a major factor in Haribo’s £10.3m (6.2%) value decline, the greatest loss in the top 10 bestselling fruit confectionery brands. Haribo has shifted 2.2 million fewer packs – a decline of 8%.

2. Maynards Bassetts

Value: £106.0m (-3.8%)

Supply chain problems haven’t been the only challenge this year. With impulse sales withering under successive lockdowns, Maynards Bassetts (down 3.8%), Rowntree’s (down 1%) and others came unstuck.

3. Rowntrees

Value: £79.7m (-1%)

4. Skittles

Value: £44.9m (+5.4%)

Skittles, the second fastest-growing brand in the top 10 – up 5.4% in value on units up 2.8% – has also been busy on the NPD front, launching Giants Crazy Sours in June 2021 and Squishy Cloudz this month.

5. Drumsticks

Value: £42.1m (+7.1%)

Swizzels’ Drumsticks, however, achieved growth, driven by a combination of savvy NPD and promotions that contributed to a 4% drop in average price.

In fact, the brand is the strongest grower in the top 10. Its value is up 7.1% after the launch of a chocolate bar with a Drumstick filling in September 202o and an Advent calendar for last Christmas.

6. Haribo chews

Value: £21.5m (-12.2%)

7. Fruit-Tella

Value: £20.9m (+4.7%)

8. Starburst

Value: £18.1m (-12.6%)

9. Werthers Original

Value: £15.6m (-3.3%)

10. Barratt

Value: £13.8m (-3.2%)

^{Data from: Nielsen (52 w/e 17 July 2021)}