Gum suppliers have had plenty to chew over in recent years. The launch of Cadbury's Trident in 2007 revived a tired market and brought a flurry of NPD.
But the good times weren't to last, and chewing gum is once more in decline with a 2.4% fall in overall value as unit sales tumbled 6.7% [SymphonyIRI 52w/e 17 July 2010]. And Trident has been worst hit. Value sales crashed 38% partly in the wake of Cadbury delisting the brand's worst-performing lines.
"The category has struggled due to the arrival of a lot of me-too brands," says Cadbury director of marketing Lynne Vandeveer. For Cadbury stablemate Trebor, however, it has been a different story. Its lower-price tag has played a major role in its success it sells for 32p compared with the 69p ticket on Trident and a year after launch sales are exceeding £8.2m [SymphonyIRI].
Meanwhile, category giant Wrigley which holds an 86.5% share of the gum market [Nielsen 52w/e 14 August 2010] has adopted a back-to-basics approach that it says is already turning around a 3% year-on-year fall in value sales of the brand [SymphonyIRI 52w/e 17 July 2010].
"Over recent years there has been a lot of innovation, much of it fruit-based, while we have come to understand that what the UK consumer really wants is mint gum," says Wrigley sales director Duncan McCulloch. It claims its Food Creatures ad campaign which reminds people that chewing gum can help to keep their teeth clean and their breath fresh has brought about a 2.2% rise in value sales of Extra in the past 12 weeks.
Focus On Confectionery
But the good times weren't to last, and chewing gum is once more in decline with a 2.4% fall in overall value as unit sales tumbled 6.7% [SymphonyIRI 52w/e 17 July 2010]. And Trident has been worst hit. Value sales crashed 38% partly in the wake of Cadbury delisting the brand's worst-performing lines.
"The category has struggled due to the arrival of a lot of me-too brands," says Cadbury director of marketing Lynne Vandeveer. For Cadbury stablemate Trebor, however, it has been a different story. Its lower-price tag has played a major role in its success it sells for 32p compared with the 69p ticket on Trident and a year after launch sales are exceeding £8.2m [SymphonyIRI].
Meanwhile, category giant Wrigley which holds an 86.5% share of the gum market [Nielsen 52w/e 14 August 2010] has adopted a back-to-basics approach that it says is already turning around a 3% year-on-year fall in value sales of the brand [SymphonyIRI 52w/e 17 July 2010].
"Over recent years there has been a lot of innovation, much of it fruit-based, while we have come to understand that what the UK consumer really wants is mint gum," says Wrigley sales director Duncan McCulloch. It claims its Food Creatures ad campaign which reminds people that chewing gum can help to keep their teeth clean and their breath fresh has brought about a 2.2% rise in value sales of Extra in the past 12 weeks.
Focus On Confectionery
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