Perfetti van Melle (Perfetti) is internationally recognised both in domestic and travel retail markets for its confectionery brands such as Mentos and Chupa Chups.
That said, while Mentos mints have had significant success in many supermarkets, the firm believes that there has been less progress in its travel retail presence in recent years, and is taking steps to grow this area.
“Confectionery is a major category for all brands involved in travel retail, but one area we find has been overlooked is that of refreshment,” Perfetti van Melle Global Travel Retail Director Michiel Goedvolk told us.
“By refreshment in confectionery, we are referring to those products which can give consumers that added cooling or revitalising sensation during their consumption experience, like mints or chewing gum.”
To develop this segment, the firm plans to play on one of its most successful brands, Mentos.
“Mentos mints undoubtedly have a very successful recipe and it has become our most well-recognised global brand over the years,” he added.
“So we are not messing with a good formulation but instead are working on flavour and format innovations – for instance, for the chewy dragee mints, we now have a Feeling Berry Good Jumbo Mentos Roll with multiple tubes of Mentos in it that also plays on the berry flavour trend; as well as a travel-exclusive 75-pieces box for the sugar-free hardmints.”
Travel retail confectionery sales often focus on products such as chocolates and gummies due to these being more suitable for gifting as well as for packaging innovation – but Goedvolk said that the refreshment focus means refocusing on the travelling consumer instead.
“The way mints and gum are packaged means that these actually have lower price points than the gifting products, which in turn means these purchases can be even more impulse driven at the check-out counters,” he said.
“The big difference is that these are more likely to be a personal choice for the traveller’s own personal consumption, whether this is to freshen up their breath before getting on the plane, to chew gum to pop their ears due to the pressure difference and so on.”
So while Perfetti is still focused on growing its travel retail market with gifting and snacking products, the belief is that refreshment is where the real future focus may be.
“There’s still room to grow in the rest of the segments, but refreshment is just overall underdeveloped right now and the opportunities are massive,” he said.
Berry and sour trends
In terms of confectionery flavour innovation, Goedvolk identified two major global ones on the rise: Berry flavours and sour flavours.
“The Feel Berry Good Mentos Jumbo Roll has been a focus for us this year mainly because it is very much an on-trend product in terms of the flavours focus, containing cherry, blueberry and raspberry dragees,” he said.
“It’s not a complicated product and just plays on the ongoing berry trend that is really going strong in both travel retail and domestic retail.”
The other increasingly popular area is sour flavours, driven by consumer demand for intense and refreshing experiences.
“There is a really big sour trend in many markets, it’s big in the US and outpacing other flavours in Europe, as well as growing quickly in APAC,” he said.
“We’ve developed a sour lollies pack under the Chupa Chups brand – comprising Sour Lemon, Sour Apple and Sour Strawberry lollies – in order to play into both the sour trend as well as the ongoing snacking trend, and expect to see this gain popularity very quickly.”