The Association of Hungarian Confectionery Manufacturers (HUNBISCO) is optimistic about the prospects of the Hungarian confectionery market. According to Nielsen’s latest figures, in last year’s Easter season Hungarians took home 900 tons of chocolate figures, a 20% increase compared to 2016.
The chocolate bunny proved to be the favourite, overtaking the runner-up chocolate eggs as well as the duck, sheep and chick figures. The monetized Easter confectionery sales increased even more than the volume, by 28%: HUF 4,5 billion landed in the tills. The total annual Hungarian confectionery market in 2017 was more than HUF 200 billion. This year’s forecast by the Association’s members, who account for over 80% of the domestic turnover, anticipates a further 2-3% growth – said Sándor Sánta, the President of HUNBISCO. Interestingly, in the Easter season , besides the chocolate figures, the demand for candies also increases, and the candy market itself has been performing better than the whole confectionery market over the past year thanks to the innovations.
Consumers are becoming more and more open to products of higher quality, made of premium materials, in a higher price range. The previous years were characterized by a drop in the volume of consumption, but demand has shifted steadily to quality, he added.
For confectionery manufacturers, Easter generally brings a higher demand for chocolate figures, with sales up to 20% over the sales volume of the December period, added Sándor Sánta. He also revealed that the chocolate bunny has been the most popular figure at Easter for four years.
Under a European framework agreement, the added sugar content of food products will have to be reduced by 10% by 2020, and via voluntary commitments this reduction has already been started by the confectionery manufacturers together with the National Association of Food Distributors. Sweets that meet specific requirements, such as gluten-, sugar- and lactose-free products, are gaining ground for more and demand is expected to continue to grow.