​Focus On: Easter & Spring: 17 January

By Rob Brown rob_j_a_brown@hotmail.com

Advertising deadline: 19 December 2025

Submissions deadline: 11 December 2025

Print, digital and sponsorship opportunities

Easter has always been important for confectionery brands and grocery retailers, but in recent years it’s become fundamental. Fourteen per cent of chocolate take-home retail sales value came from Easter Eggs and other Easter lines last year, and they were chocolate’s fastest growing sub category. But overall chocolate volumes are in decline.

• So, with chocolate becoming less of an everyday treat, what are brands and retailers doing to encourage people to buy more this Easter?
• Will it give beleagured chocolate brands the boost they need?
• And what about other key Easter items, such as hot cross buns, joints of lamb, gifts and so on?

A sense of occasion

• Easter Sunday 2026 falls two weeks earlier than it did in 2025. What impact will this have on sales?
• How will retailers and brands be looking to create a sense of occasion in stores?

Brands vs own-label

• Which were the best performing brands and own label ranges last Easter? Why?
• What will be the biggest hits in terms of new products from own label and brands this Easter?
• What sort of promotions will retailers be using to drive sales and compete with rivals?

Non-chocolate products

• Which non-chocolate products see the biggest boosts at Easter?
• How is this changing?

Innovation

• We will profile four new products or ranges. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each