Cadbury plans to launch more gum brands in the UK from 2010 in the wake of the success of Trident.

Leading Cadbury brands such as Stride and Hollywood Style had proved hits in the US and France respectively, potentially paving the way for UK launches, said director of marketing for gum and candy John Phillipson.

"We've still a lot to do on Trident, but in the mid-term we could look at other brand launches," he added.

Following the US launch last week of an "enamel-building" Trident gum, Phillipson said functional was also an area of interest in the UK. "We have to do our homework on the real growth areas. Functional gum is done by our competitor, but we can market more aggressively," he said. "We have access to a whole pipeline of gum innovation and the best technology in the world. Access to all that means anything could be on the cards for the UK."

Philipson's comments came as Cadbury stepped up its challenge to market leader Wrigley with two new Trident sub-brands to join Splash and Soft. Sweet Kicks is positioned as the first indulgent gum, launching in chocolate mint. The second sub-brand, Fresh, a three-strong liquid-filled gum, is "sensory mint refreshment".

"With Sweet Kicks we can now offer indulgence in gum. Pleasure has been missing from gum but we want consumers to think about it in the way they do confectionery."

Both will be promoted through a TV push in July as part of Trident's £10m marketing spend for 2008.

Gum currently makes up 7% of the UK confectionery market, according to Cadbury. However, in other markets it is more typically about 15%, leaving "a lot to play for", said Phillipson.

In-store marketing will also be a key focus. In research, Cadbury found 20% of consumers entering stores did not notice chewing gum, despite its till-side location. When they did notice it, 95% of consumers coverted to purchase.

Trident has clocked up sales of £33m since its January 2007 launch [Nielsen 52 w/e 23 February].