Guylian is set to become the second big confectionery player to enter the low-carb market with the introduction of a new milk chocolate bar.
The Guylian Low Carb bar is being launched next month in a bid to capitalise on the growing number of consumers on low-carb diets, and follows Nestlé’s introduction of low-carb versions of Kit Kat and Rolo (The Grocer, May 29, p60).
It is to be trialled in Woolworths stores until January, after which Guylian’s sales and marketing director, Kevin Toms, hopes to roll out the product to all major grocery outlets, as well as chemists.
The bar has already proved a success in the US, where it has
been on the market for some time. Toms said: “We have launched a low-carb version of our distinctive Belgian chocolate in response to consumer demand. Recent research has revealed that more than half of UK consumers have admitted to trying a low-carb diet in recent times and we are capitalising on this emergent trend.
“In the past year, the bar has recorded huge double-digit growth in the US, so we decided bring it over to the UK, where we tend to follow US trends.”
The bar has a lower carbohydrate count than Guylian’s other products at 2g net carbohydrates per 28g serving and will retail at £1.49 for 85g, which Toms insisted was competitively priced.
Nestlé’s Kit Kat Low Carb carries an rsp of 79p for a two-finger pack, while a tube of Rolos costs £1.49.
Toms claimed Guylian Low Carb had retained the brand’s taste values and that demand for low-carb products would continue.
Fiona McLelland

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