Gum: sticking with the health message Sugar free gum led the way, and now makers are chewing over fresh ways to increase its health appeal in a market worth £258m Very few products are in the fortunate position to benefit from the endorsement of the medical profession. Chewing gum is one of the rareties. The sugar free variety has achieved spectacular sales in the last 10 years ever since dentists started recommending it as a means of neutralising the plaque acid that causes teeth decay. Wrigley, the world's largest chewing gum maker, has been at the forefront of promoting the health benefits of sugar free. "It accounts for 90% of our sales, and has led the chewing gum market's 197% growth over the past 10 years, compared to the total confectionery market's 60%," says marketing director Alistair Whalley. "We have 98% of the total chewing gum market now worth £258m." Wrigley's portfolio has been transformed in the past 10 years. The original sugar brands, Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint and Juicy Fruit, have seen their sales eclipsed by the rising sugar free varieties, led by star performer Wrigley's Extra, now worth £100m and on course to reach 400 million pack sales this year. Increasingly, Wrigley's new product development has concentrated on providing health benefits that are additional to sugar free. Ice White, which helps whiten teeth is now a £29m brand, achieving 12% of Wrigley's sales in a year since introduction. "It's been very successful and we have other things planned for it next year," says Whalley. Airwaves, a decongestant with menthol and eucalyptus, is now a £39m brand. This month a throat soothing honey and lemon variant makes its debut. "We forecast it will be as big as the original Airwaves," predicts Whalley. Other developments are in the pipeline. A likely course is to develop gum's excellent properties as a pharmaceutical delivery mechanism. In the US, Wrigley has test marketed caffeine gum. Another line of development is the creation of a less sticky gum that will be easier to remove from pavements and soft materials, which may be introduced next year. For retailers, the Wrigley brand's appeal lies in it being a top profit earner. "Four of the top six confectionery profit earners are Wrigley chewing gum lines, according to independent research," says Whalley. Increasingly high levels of out of stocks are sapping profits, however. "Out of stock levels are rising and we reckon retailers are losing £20m a year because of it," says Whalley. "We're highlighting the issue and encouraging retailers to increase replenishment," he says. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}