(an advertising supplement) Leaf 66 Virginia Street Southport, Merseyside PR8 6RX Tel: 01704 502400 Fax: 01704 502401 Websites: www.chewits.co.uk www.gumfactory.com www.freezepops.com Key personnel Managing Director Peter Gauffin Commercial Director Ian Gillard Customer Marketing Controller Anne Allin Brand Manager Alison Ireland Key brands Chewits Chewits Chewbs Chewits Baby Dinos Chewits Chunx Chewits bag range Chewits bubblegum Mr Freeze Malaco Zappers Zappers Candy Jawbreaker Eye Poppers Rain-blo House of Terror Westlife Cool & Minty Xtreme Chewits LEAF is bringing the flavour of America to the dynamic £523 million UK fruit sweet market with a new addition to its top-selling Chewits range. Toffee Popcorn flavour Chewits have already proved a monster hit with kids in research. Now they join the top-selling strawberry, blackcurrant, fruit salad, cherry and cool blue minty varieties. Anne Allin, Customer Marketing Controller at Leaf, says: "The children's confectionery market is fast moving and kids are always on the look out for exciting and innovative new product launches. Toffee Popcorn is a contemporary flavour which will attract slightly older children to the Chewits brand." Latest figures show that the fruit sweet market is growing by 11.2% per annum while the toffee popcorn market is expanding by 5% per annum and is now worth £14.2 million at retail level. Toffee Popcorn flavour Chewits have an eye-catching American design and stylish metallic ink packaging for maximum on-shelf impact and appeal to kids. The packs also strongly feature Chewwie the Chewitsaurus, the supercool star of the Chewits advertising campaign. "Leaf has traditionally supported its Chewits range with a powerful programme of advertising and promotions and this year will be no different. The company is also continuing with an aggressive programme of innovative new product launches," says Allin. The company has a new hit on its hands after signing the first confectionery deal to launch a Westlife branded product. Westlife Cool & Minty blue spearmint bubblegum retails at 25p and comes in stylish counter top dispenser display packs for maximum impact. Each pack contains five blue spearmint flavour bubblegum balls with menthol for a supercool taste sensation. There is also a free, exclusive Westlife tattoo in each pack ­ with a total of 50 original designs to collect. Further interest and excitement has been created by a powerful on-pack promotion which offers consumers the chance to win VIP backstage passes to see Westlife in concert. There's also a new Leaf interactive website featuring games, features and hot links which can be found at www.gumfactory.com "Leaf's launch of Westlife Cool & Minty blue spearmint is part of a major new product development programme for the company's Children's Fun Factory bubblegum brands," says Allin. "Recent successful launches have included Funky Freaks and Devil's Fireballs ­ which join the spine-chilling House of Terror range." Leaf is also warming up for a sizzling summer with a trade promotion for its brand-leading Mr Freeze, which dominates the £16 million UK freezer snacks market. The hot news is that independent retailers are being given the chance to buy a stylish Mr Freeze impulse freezer cabinet for £275 ex-VAT and to receive £275 worth of free stock at retail value, along with point-of-sale kit featuring wobblers, window stickers, inflatable pop and mobile. Leaf's presence has been boosted recently by the addition of a range of top-quality products from Malaco, Scandinavia's number one sugar confectionery company, including fruit jellies and gums, liquorice and fruit-flavour pocket-money countlines in assorted shapes and flavours plus foam and bagged sweets. The latest addition is bubblegum flavour Giant Bootlaces, which offer kids one metre of tasty fun. "One of the major trends in confectionery is extreme, sour flavours, which are all the rage with kids," says Allin. "Malaco offers a great range of innovative, high-quality products with excellent flavour delivery." {{Z SUPPLEMENTS }}