Nestlé Confectionery has announced a raft of developments for Christmas 2008 including the launch of products that play on the heritage of its Quality Street brand, the overhaul of After Eight and the introduction of more environmentally-friendly packaging across its gifting range. The changes will be backed by an £11.5m marketing spend.

Additional alterations to Quality Street include the introduction of My Caramel Swirl to the brand’s large individual chocolates in replacement of the Orange Crunch variety. The name of the chocolates will also change, from Big Ones to My Favourites, backed by a £500,000 poster campaign.

The company’s Matchmakers brand is also being brought under the Quality Street label for the first time in a bid to give it a more gift-like quality and make it more of a routine sharing product. The brand will consist of two flavours - mint and orange – with the honeycomb being dropped.

After Eight is also being given a packaging revamp, including the introduction of the royal warrant onto packs for the first time. The range is also being rationalised. The 300g milk chocolate packs are being scrapped and a new variety pack of milk, dark and white chocolate is taking its place. 

Heaven, Nestlé’s new premium brand, will be extended with a 162g Champagne cocktail truffle selection box and a gift bag of the bars.

The company is investing in reducing packaging on its children’s selection packs, taking more than 231 tonnes of packaging out of the supply chain this year, according to Nestlé. Small chocolate selection packs will be 25% smaller, medium packs will be 33% smaller and the size of the large packs will be reduced by 42%, with the weights of all three cut by more than a quarter. 

Nestlé will communicate the cut in packaging waste via messages on shelf-ready packaging and a £500,000 advertising campaign in the women’s press.