In a bid to tap into the burgeoning Halloween market, United Biscuits (UB) has unveiled its first ever mixed McVitie’s sharing carton, consisting of two themed Jaffa Cake Bars in a ‘Trick or Treat House’ pack.
Halloween is going from strength to strength to become the third most significant event in the UK retail calendar. Now worth more than £300m, it falls only behind Christmas and Easter, and UB hopes its new novelty sharing pack will be a big hit with consumers.
The McVitie’s Cake Company is also bringing back its McVitie’s Halloween Jaffa Cake Bars, with a new pack design, in ‘Spooky Zingy Orange’ flavour and a revamped variation, now named ‘Scary Lemon & Slime’. The latter has a new recipe this season, replacing the previous white sponge with a chocolate sponge, topped with a lemon and lime jam, and covered in dark crackly chocolate.
UB has invested in the new look Halloween packaging as part of its broader Masterbrand strategy, strongly incorporating McVitie’s branding on-pack. The range aims to capitalise on the key seasonal trend which is expected to see an overall rise in sales by 12.5% this year, with UB forecasting a retail sales value for its sharing cakes of over £1m.
The McVitie’s ‘Scary’ and ‘Spooky’ Jaffa Cake Bars (rrp £1.00) will be sold in packs of five and the Trick or Treat House (rrp £2.50) will contain a total of 14 bars, providing consumers with a snack that they can save or share with friends this Halloween.
Claire Hooper, Senior Brand Manager at McVitie’s Cake Company commented: “As a retail moment, there are signs that Halloween is getting bigger each year. This represents a major opportunity for cakes and we are confident our new range will tick many boxes as a fun and tasty snack, perfect for sharing and helping people get into the spooky seasonal spirit!”
