New toppings to deal with shortage

It’s been claimed distribution issues are at the root of the problem. Last year the shortage was reported to be down to a surge in demand.

Now the UK’s leading confectionery wholesaler, Hancocks, is encouraging its customers to look for alternatives which may become just as popular in years to come.

They’re suggesting ice-cream vans, convenience retailers and leisure outlets consider different chocolate toppings, alternatives to flakes and adding sauces to offer customers something extra.

Among the toppings the buyers suggest are Kingsway Milk Chocolate sticks, the newly launched Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange sticks and Crazy Candy Factory topping sauces.

Ice-cream is a booming summer sector. According to data from Statista, the volume of ice-cream sold in retail in Great Britain exceeds 400,000 metric tons and ice-cream sales have increased to over £1.3 billion in recent years.

And data from 2020 revealed an estimated 3.16 million people ate ice cream two to three times a week with 4.57 million eating ice cream once a week.

Confectionery buyer at Hancocks, Max Domanski, said: “Summer is a key time of the year for ice-cream sellers across the country and data certainly indicates we love our ice-cream in the UK. Being able to offer customers choice is essential. 

“The number of flavours now available is huge and the toppings really are the icing on the cake for discerning ice-cream customers looking for the ultimate treat.

“It is always a challenge for retailers to pick exactly what customers are going to want to try but there are a few stand outs this summer season.

“Chocolate orange is still the big flavour combination customers are asking for which is why we’ve introduced the Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks. We’re expecting these to be very popular as we get further into summer.

“Other options for retailers include fun sauces, and chocolate toppings including Cadbury Crunchie Bits, Oreo Crumb, Biscoff Crumbs and Nestle Mini Mix with Milkybar & Rolo.”

Top five alternative toppings for 2022 include:

Kingsway Milk Chocolate Sticks 

Kingsway Milk Chocolate Sticks are an obvious alternative to Cadbury 99 Flake with the treat coming in boxes of 140 sticks. RRP £10.99 excluding VAT.

Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks

This popular flavour combination will be well loved by customers this summer. Each box of the newly launched Kingsway Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks contains 140 sticks RRP £13.59 excluding VAT.

Biscuit Crumb Toppings

Biscuit crumb toppings look set to be a big hit once again this summer. Try the tasty Oreo Crushed Cookie Crumbs for an indulgent treat which will leave customers wanting more.

Chocolate Minis

Most chocolate favourites come in mini versions, perfect for ice-cream toppings. Among the options are Cadbury Crunchie Bits and Nestle Mini Mix with Milkybar and Rolo..

Fun Sauces

Sauces are a good choice to add a little extra to summer ice creams. Crazy Candy Factory has a range of tasty topping sauces including milk chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate orange, toffee and bubblegum. RRP £1.99 excl: VAT for 625ml bottle.

Hancocks is the UKs leading confectionery wholesaler with 14 nationwide cash and carry stores and an online channel www.hancocks.co.uk. Customers can shop online 24/7 with delivery to the door or click and collect options. 

Hancocks is the one stop shop for confectionery for over 25,000 independent retailers and is part of the World of Sweets group.

 

https://www.statista.com/topics/7237/ice-cream-in-the-uk/#dossierKeyfigures

https://www.statista.com/statistics/301957/ice-cream-usage-frequency-in-the-uk/ 

 

 

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