UK Sugar and Gum Confectionery Market Report 2024
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
Report Summary
Stay ahead of the curve and secure future growth for your business with Mintel’s Sugar and Gum Confectionery Market Report. Get a 360° view of the sugar and gum confectionery market including market size, share and forecasted growth to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Topics Analysed
- Performance of the market and the impact of rising prices and the cost of living pressures on value sales.
- Key trends in recent launch activity and product development opportunities.
- Reasons for eating sweets, including the role of treating oneself and flavour innovation.
- Consumer behaviours and attitudes related to eating and buying sugar confectionery, including the role of sharing occasions and opportunities for brand extensions.
- Consumer behaviours related to chewing gum, including opportunities to explore dental and other health benefits.
- Usage of selected leading brands and attitudes towards them.
UK Sugar and Gum Confectionery Market Overview
Average prices in sugar and gum confectionery have increased sharply over the last two years, up 30% in 2023 compared to 2021. Despite these price rises and the general increase in the cost of living, sweets prove to be an affordable treat, with nine in ten people in tight/struggling finances eating them.
Market size: Volume sales of sugar and gum confectionery have fluctuated, but are estimated to end 2024 lower than in 2019.
Consumer behaviour
Consumer efforts to eat healthily have been a factor holding back volume sales of sweets in 2024. Concerns about sugar intake caused 46% of eaters and buyers of sweets to cut back on them in the three months to April 2024. 43% reported buying reduced sugar sweets over the period, demonstrating how widespread the wish to cut back on sugar is as a consumer mindset.
Opportunity for brands
Linking chewing gum with dental health benefits offers a promising way for brands to encourage usage, given the appeal of a greater range of products catering to this among 62% of people. Gum products with dental health benefits tailored for children stand out as an opportunity, as 67% of parents of under 18s would be encouraged to give chewing gum to their children by such benefits.
Market Definitions
This Report examines the UK retail market for sugar confectionery (including mints) and gum. Mintel’s definition includes products sold through the retail channel, including:
- Soft confectionery (such as jelly sweets, pastilles)
- Standard and power mints
- Hard confectionery (such as boiled sweets, toffees, caramels)
- Chewing gum and bubble gum
- Other confectionery (such as loose pick‘n’mix and lollipops).
It also excludes sales of chocolate confectionery. Sales via catering or foodservice establishments are excluded; however, references and comparisons to these sectors may be made where relevant.
Meet the Expert
Richard is a Senior Food & Drink Analyst at Mintel, responsible for researching and writing a wide range of UK food and drink reports, as well as writing Analyst Insights discussing key launches, marketing activity and trends. Richard has more than 25 years of experience in market research, including a number of different analyst roles at Mintel.
A focus on self-treating, gifting, sharing occasions and flavour innovation will support sales of sweets under threat from consumer concerns about sugar intake.
Richard Caines
Principal Analyst, UK Food & Drink Research
Table of Contents
-
Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the sugar and gum confectionery market
- 'Big night in' sharing occasions continue to hold potential for sweets brands
- Opportunity for more sweets designed for adults
- Gum brands should promote dental health benefits to encourage usage
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size and forecast
- Market predictions
- Value sales growth to slow down with lower inflation
- Strong value growth for sweets and gum driven by higher prices
- Graph 1: retail value sales of sugar and gum confectionery, by type, 2021-23
- Top brands suffer volume declines, as own-label increases share of sweets sales
- Graph 2: leading brands' retail value sales in the sweets market, 2021/22-23/24
- Wrigley's dominates in gum, with small presence from other brands
- Graph 3: leading brands' retail value sales in the gum market, 2021/22-23/24
- Food price rises starting to come down
- Graph 4: consumer price inflation for confectionery products and all food, 2022-24
- HFSS restrictions have meant reduced visibility for sweets
- What consumers want and why
- Mints and jelly-style sweets lead
- Graph 5: usage of sweets and gum, by type, 2024
- Half of eaters reach for sweets more than once a week
- Graph 6: frequency of usage of sweets and gum, 2024
- Emphasise the treat aspect of eating sweets
- Graph 7: reasons for eating sweets, 2024
- Three in four buy sweets for sharing
- Graph 8: behaviours related to eating and buying sweets, 2024
- Gum brands should promote functional benefits beyond breath freshening
- Graph 9: behaviours related to using and buying gum, 2024
- Four in 10 think reduced sugar sweets taste less good
- Graph 10: attitudes towards sweets and gum, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Tropical fruit and sour flavours feature prominently in new launches
- New varieties/range extensions continue to lead launches
- Haribo continues with its 'Kids Voices' advertising and Mars Wrigley launches 'Chew Good' campaign
-
Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Volume sales slip back in 2023, hit by HFSS restrictions and tough 2022 comparatives
- Graph 11: retail volume sales of sugar and gum confectionery, 2019-24
- Double-digit value growth driven by higher prices
- Graph 12: retail value sales of sugar and gum confectionery, 2019-24
- Sharing and gifting support sales, but volume growth is held back by sugar concerns
- Market forecast
- Volume sales forecast to show minimal growth
- Value sales growth to slow down with lower inflation
- Sales forecast to increase to near £2.6 billion by 2029
- Health considerations and fewer children will hit sales
- Last income squeeze saw stable sales but little real growth
- Graph 13: retail value and volume sales of sugar and gum confectionery , 2010-15
- Market segmentation
- Fall in volume sales of sweets following 2022 growth
- Graph 14: retail volume sales of sugar and gum confectionery, by type, 2021-23
- Strong value growth for sweets and gum driven by higher prices
- Graph 15: retail value sales of sugar and gum confectionery, by type, 2021-23
- Market share
- Top brands suffer volume declines, as own-label increases share of sweets sales
- Graph 16: leading brands' retail value sales in the sweets market, 2021/22-23/24
- Graph 17: leading brands' retail volume sales in the sweets market, 2021/22-23/24
- Haribo strengthens market lead, with 18% increase in value sales
- Wrigley's dominates in gum, with small presence from other brands
- Graph 18: leading brands' retail value sales in the gum market, 2021/22-23/24
- Macro-economic factors
- Economic output has stagnated since the cost of living crisis began
- Graph 19: GDP, 2021-23
- Falling inflation has reduced pressure on household finances
- Graph 20: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- Food price rises starting to come down
- Graph 21: consumer price inflation for confectionery products and all food, 2022-24
- Interest rates expected to fall in 2024, but borrowing pressures will remain
- Food and drink prices still top the list of consumer concerns
- Graph 22: cost of living related issues noticed in the last two months, 2024
- Consumer sentiment: wellbeing is up but the recovery has slowed
- Graph 23: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Consumer confidence continued to trend upwards
- Graph 24: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- Cost of living crisis still seen as a problem
- Graph 25: perception of the state of the cost-of-living crisis in the UK, 2024
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- Government measures on HFSS food and drink slow to roll out
- Sweets and gum fall within HFSS
- HFSS is defined by nutrient profile
- Strong consumer interest in healthy eating
- Graph 26: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-24
- Population growth will support demand for sugar and gum confectionery
- Graph 27: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2018-28
- Mixed effects from changes in size of different age groups
-
What Consumers Want and Why
- Usage of sweets and gum
- Nine in 10 people use sweets or gum
- Graph 28: overall usage of sweets and gum, 2024
- Younger people are core users, much more so for gum
- Graph 29: usage of sweets and gum, by age, 2024
- Mints and jelly-style sweets lead
- Graph 30: usage of sweets and gum, by type, 2024
- Half of eaters reach for sweets more than once a week
- Graph 31: frequency of usage of sweets and gum, 2024
- Reasons for eating sweets
- Emphasise the treat aspect of eating sweets
- Graph 32: reasons for eating sweets, 2024
- Other treats offer cues on spotlighting ingredients and the eating experience
- Link sweets with "me time"
- Highlight treating others to tap gifting opportunity
- Opportunity for more sweets designed for adults
- Room for more gourmet sweets, including alcoholic drinks flavours
- Tap nostalgia trend with retro designs…
- …and flavours
- Flavour innovation important for tempting core younger users
- Graph 33: eating of sweets to try new flavours, by age, 2024
- New and unexpected flavour combinations will help engage sweets fans
- Strong communications needed to support new flavour launches
- Put a bigger spotlight on flavour innovation
- Behaviours related to eating and buying sweets
- Three in four buy sweets for sharing
- Graph 34: behaviours related to eating and buying sweets, 2024
- Sharing warrants marketing spotlight
- The 'big night in' continues to hold potential for sweets brands
- Look to new sweets flavours to become the talking point of at-home socialising
- Big impulse element to sweets buying makes visibility important
- Graph 35: 'seeing sweets in store whilst shopping prompts me to buy them', by age, 2024
- Pre-planned buying drives footfall to the sweets aisle
- Leverage branding to build standout
- Use disruptive packaging to signal disruptive proposition
- Opportunity for more brand collaborations
- Brand collaborations in other snacks offer inspiration for sweets
- Strong interest in sweet brands extending into other sweet treats
- M&S's Percy Pig brand extends into more categories
- Behaviours related to using and buying gum
- Gum brands should promote dental health benefits
- Graph 36: behaviours related to using and buying gum, 2024
- Promote using gum as part of a wider oral care routine
- Gum brands should spotlight oral health benefits more
- Expand product lines with ranges marketed for dental health
- Added dental benefits from Jenkki
- Link up with health professionals and health/wellness creators
- Target parents with chewing gum with dental benefits for children
- Strong demand for vitamin and energy gums from younger people
- Graph 37: interest in gum with added vitamins and gum that gives you an energy boost, by age, 2024
- Immune support and boosting energy levels are younger groups' top interests
- Graph 38: reasons for taking vitamins, by age, 2023
- Vitamin/mineral fortified gum launches rare across Europe
- Support vitamin gums launches with advice on benefits
- Strong interest in gum offering an energy boost
- Energy drinks high in caffeine under the spotlight
- Rare examples of energy gums without caffeine or vitamin fortification
- More flavours in gum spark strong interest among core users
- Graph 39: interest in a wide range of gum flavours, by age, 2024
- Room to push the boundaries more in gum flavours
- Attitudes towards sweets and gum
- Four in 10 think reduced sugar sweets taste less good
- Graph 40: attitudes towards sweets and gum, 2024
- Sugar concerns pose a threat to sales of sweets
- First challenge for reduced sugar sweets is convincing consumers about taste
- Emphasise the cumulative effect of sugar reduction in sweets
- Media spotlight on ultra-processed foods poses less of a threat to sweets than foods that are less of a treat
- Strong links between containing additives and being seen as highly processed
- Highlighting being free from artificial ingredients continues to be firmly warranted in sweets
- Graph 41: share of new launches in the sugar confectionery market making free from added/artificial ingredients claims, 2019-24
-
Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Branded products dominate new launches
- Graph 42: share of new launches in the sugar and gum confectionery market, by brand and private label, 2019-24
- New varieties/range extensions and new packaging dominate launch activity
- Graph 43: share of new launches in the sugar and gum confectionery market, by launch type, 2019-24
- Fruit flavours lead the way, spike in sour launches in 2023
- Graph 44: share of new launches in the sugar and gum confectionery market, by top seven flavour components, 2019-24
- Tropical fruit flavours feature prominently in new launches
- Rowntree's Randoms launches sour spin-off
- Own-label sweets also jump on sour flavour trend
- Skittles extends Giants range with Gooey variant
- Seasonal products gain share of launches
- Graph 45: share of new launches in the sugar and gum confectionery market with a seasonal positioning, 2019-24
- Easter not just about chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies
- More Halloween sweets from discount retailers
- Limited edition launches emphasise the fun and playful side of sweets
- Competition to gourmet sweets brands from Lidl's Sweet Corner
- Low/reduced sugar and sugar-free claims still rare in sweets launches
- Graph 46: share of new launches in the sugar and gum confectionery market making sugar-free and low/reduced sugar claims, 2019-24
- Sugar-free launches in sweets and gum
- Targeting parents with 77 calories per pack message
- Vegan claims gain share in sweets launches
- Graph 47: share of new launches in the sugar and gum confectionery market making vegetarian and vegan/no animal ingredients claims, 2019-24
- Some sweets launches give more prominence to being vegan than others
- More plastic-free gum launches
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Fall in total 2023 advertising spend as TV, outdoor and digital advertising slashed
- Graph 48: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on sugar and gum confectionery, 2021-24
- Haribo reclaims position as top advertiser in sweets and gum
- Graph 49: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on sugar and gum confectionery, by advertiser, 2021-24
- Haribo continues 'Kids Voices' campaign and encourages embracing outdoor pleasures
- New Fishing installment of Haribo's 'Kids' Voices' campaign launches
- 'Do What Makes You Ding' campaign for Wrigley's Extra celebrates confidence
- Mars Wrigley launches 'Chew Good' brand platform at start of 2024
- Milliways puts spotlight on plastic in gum
- Bazooka Juicy Drop Blasts advertising push and new Candy Kittens campaign
-
Brand Research
- Rowntree's the most trusted brand, but low levels of trust in the category
- Haribo and Tic Tac have the most differentiation
- Haribo has highest usage in the last year
- All brands apart from Maynards Bassetts see usage peak among the young
- Graph 50: usage of brands in the last 12 months, by age, 2024
- Correspondence maps
- Rowntree's top for consistently high quality image and Haribo for good value connotations
- Haribo seen as more innovative than other brands
- Haribo has the most fun image among sugar confectionery brands
- Rowntree’s, Haribo, and Maynards Bassetts have strongest delicious associations
-
Appendix
- Market segmentation
- Sugar and gum confectionery: value sales breakdown by product type
- Sugar and gum confectionery: volume sales breakdown by product type
- Market share
- Sweets: brand value sales
- Sweets: brand volume sales
- Sweets: manufacturer value sales
- Sweets: manufacturer volume sales
- Gum: brand value sales
- Gum: brand volume sales
- Gum: manufacturer value sales
- Gum: manufacturer volume sales
- Advertising and marketing
- TV leads adspend in sugar and gum confectionery
- Haribo the biggest advertiser
- Launch activity and innovation
- Share of new launches by branded vs private label
- Share of new launches by launch type
- Share of new launches by sub-category
- Share of new launches by claim
- Share of new launches by claim (continued)
- Share of new launches by flavour component
- Share of new launches by flavour component (continued)
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Value market size and forecast: total sugar and gum confectionery
- Volume market size and forecast: total sugar and gum confectionery
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (value): total sugar and gum confectionery
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (volume): total sugar and gum confectionery
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Why Mintel?
Gain access to high quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here's what else you can expect when buying from us:
Mintel’s Clients Portal
After your purchase is completed, you’ll receive an invitation to join Mintel’s Clients Portal which provides instant access to supplementary insights from Mintel’s industry experts.
Multiple Report Formats
Mintel’s reports are available in PDF and PPT formats, and arrive in your inbox alongside an excel datasheet, so you can share Mintel’s market intelligence with ease.
Interactive Databook
Mintel’s bespoke consumer data is presented as an interactive website, so you can deep dive into your chosen topic, explore demographics and download specific statistics.
Custom Presentations
Using Mintel’s custom presentation tool, you can easily incorporate selected research data and analysis into a tailor-made presentation to win over clients and stakeholders.
Browse our sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
Trusted by companies. Big and small.
