The beginning of something new

Easter is traditionally an occasion of renewal and rebirth – not just for humans but for the whole of nature. Birdsong returns, flowers are budding and the sap is rising,and animals seek mates and repeat the cycle of life as cold weather recedes and spring arrives with the warming sun.

This year, that symbolism will have a special significance as the country slowly and nervously begins to emerge from the pandemic and its deep-freeze lockdown to return to normal life.

In other words, Easter for retailers – bringing consumer joy and celebration – is likely to be a time of bumper enthusiasm and sales of all the traditional Easter items.

And this year try to think of Easter as part of a double celebration –  for Mother’s Day is on the fourth Sunday of Lent as always – this year 14 March – just three Sundays before Easter Day itself on 4 April.

Families separated by social distancing and lockdown rules will be very keen to show even more appreciation than normal to mums who might have not seen them since Christmas or before – again, making this Mothering Sunday a big symbolic occasion of chocolates and flowers, cakes, cards and other treats.

Deep in the mists of time …

Easter, although taken over long ago in the UK by Christianity, commemorates an ancient fertility ritual – as we said, it’s the mating time of year, hence the bunny rabbits! In Old England it was the goddess Eostre (think of the female hormone oestrogen) who presided over the festival and even gave her name to it.

Somewhere along the line chocolate, once a great and rare luxury, came to be the common currency of Easter, and the new birth – like a chick from an egg, combined the delicious taste with the chocolate molding that nowadays no child (or adult) can be without on Easter day.

Consumers are happy to spend a little more on one-off seasonal purchases – especially this year, advises Bestway’s Trading Director, Kenton Burchell, quoting the latest research from Mintel: “Last year, the UK market saw growth in Easter treats in terms of both volume and value. However, value growth was highest, suggesting consumers may be investing in slightly more premium chocolate products as brands increasingly expand their offer.”

As we point out in this issue’s Chocolate and Sugar Confectionery feature, the category – and so Easter as well – is experiencing an uplift due to the “lipstick effect” (you’ll be hearing that phrase everywhere this year). When times are hard, as now, people treat themselves to relatively inexpensive luxuries like chocolate (or lipstick), often spending a bit more on a premium product (Chanel lipstick instead of Boots No7, maybe) because they are not spending a lot more cash elsewhere on vacations or new clothes.

And it’s not just chocs that sell at Easter. Swizzels, for example, have a Spring Selection and a Spring Mix that suit the seasonal occasion perfectly for those whose sweet tooth is not confined to chocolate.

“Swizzels’ Spring Mix offers the perfect gift for sweet lovers at Easter, as it includes a variety of Swizzels favourites including Drumstick Squashies, Parma Violets and Love Hearts,” says , Sales Director Mark Walker. The Easter-themed pouch is filled with a selection of 40 individually wrapped sweets from Swizzels.

“200g+ Easter Confectionery Pouches grew +15% in 2019, but declined in 2020 due the pandemic and the lack of social gatherings at Easter,” he added.“If restrictions are lifted for Easter 2021 [as looks to be the case], this will be a key product for retailers to promote to maximise sales for the sharing opportunities Easter brings.’’

“Easter self-eat is extremely important in terms of value to the market,” says Bestway’s Burchell.“It is really important to also have a good mix of both self-eat and Easter sharing to ensure stores can fulfil all the shopper missions. Having the best-selling small, medium and large eggs is also a great opportunity for the convenience market for 2021.”

Cakes and Cocktails

It’s not just chocolate, though. Flowers are a popular option for Easter gifts, as are other sorts of confectionery and also cakes. Cards are hard to come by under lockdown with card shops closed, so stocking a selection will supply an immediate need.

Cakes are a category where inventiveness can reap dividends. Of course there are the Hot Cross Buns which sell like you-know-what, but also – as the boffins at Birds Bakery suggest – other baked Easter enticements to experiment with.

Why not try tempting customers with a Hot Cross Bun loaf or afternoon cream tea packs. The craze for cupcakes has not gone away, so look out for Easter-special items from your supplier and any other themed cake skus, such as Easter Tart. Gingerbread and chocolate rabbits and even carrots (don’t forget the carrot cake, either) can all be good sellers.

Premier Foods are offering a fine Easter range including Mr Kipling Chocolate & Orange Easter Bunny Slices (8pk, £1.50), and Cadbury Crème Egg Cakes (4pk, £2.00) and Cadbury Crème Egg Gateau (8 servings, £3.00) and a Crème Egg Cupcake Twin Pack (£2.00) taking advantage of the crossover from the confectionery brand to carry snacking into teatime.

There are also cake versions of the popular Cadbury Mini Egg brand, including Mini Egg Nest Cakes (4pk, £2.00), Gateau (£3.00) and Choc Cakes (6pk, £2.00) – and check out the Mr Kipling Chocolate & Orange Easter Bunny Slices (8pk, £1.50).

And what ever you do, don’t neglect the home baking craze that is bound to boost Easter sales of cake ingredients. “A great way to make an occasion even more special is to prepare a meal, bake a beautiful celebration cake or make an indulgent dessert,” says Jen Brown, Head of Marketing for Cake & Dessert at Dr.Oetker UK. “Home Baking sees high sales increases throughout this period, with Mother’s Day indexing at 112% and Easter indexing at 125% vs. the category average.” She advises stocking up on Dr.Oetker’s Wafer Daisies, Chocolate Bars and Inclusions and Colours.

Children love to help to bake and with that in mind look at Dr Oetker’s Rainbow Decorating Icing pack: “The new product contains 6x 19g tubes of decorating icing in an array of rainbow colours including red, blue, green, yellow, pink and orange. The small design of the tubes makes it simple and easy for anybody looking to add detail, including little ones who may be keen to pipe vibrant designs onto their Easter or Mother’s Day-inspired home bakes.” There is also a Unicorn Decorating Icing pack, perfect for spring-themed bakes containing four pastel shades in a range of tutti frutti, apple, vanilla and strawberry flavours.

Needing to find opportunities to celebrate after the terrible year everybody has had can also mean Easter alcohol sales, especially with the bright, colourful sparkle of springtime spritzers and cocktails.

“The four-day Easter bank holiday weekend creates a real opportunity for celebrations to take centre stage at home. Premium products will help elevate the occasion, making it one to remember for shoppers and retailers as COVID-19 restrictions start to lift,” says Nick Williamson, Marketing Director at Campari UK. The Aperol Spritz was a great Valentine’s Day hit, to be enjoyed again at Easter or Mother’s Day, And to it can perhaps be added an Easter special – the Campari Gin and Tonic, the recipe for which Nick has shared with us.

“The Campari Gin and Tonic is a brilliant way to introduce shoppers to a new, refreshing serve,” he says. “A vibrant transformation of a classic drink, this ‘build in the glass’ serve will effortlessly elevate Easter celebrations. This eye-catching serve is a great proposition for retailers too – by merchandising Campari with traditional gin and tonic staples in-store, retailers will create a simplified shopping experience and help drive increased basket spend ahead of the long weekend.”