Storck's sugar confectionery brand Werther’s Original is expanding its popcorn range with the launch of a new limited-edition Speculoos Caramel Popcorn, now available across all channels .
Launching ahead of key Christmas trading period, the new 140g sharing bag combines Werther’s Original’s signature caramel-coated popcorn with the warm, spiced flavour of Speculoos. The launch gives retailers an opportunity to tap into the demand for indulgent sharing snacks and seasonal flavour innovation, while bringing the trusted Werther's Original brand into more snacking occasions.
The launch comes as the UK popcorn category continues to grow, reaching sales of £211.5m in 2024, up 3.1 per cent year on year. Shoppers willingness to trade up is evident, with more than one in five shoppers willing to spend between £2.40 and £2.60 on a sharing snack. Werther’s Original Speculoos Caramel Popcorn is designed to encourage shoppers to trade up, helping retailers drive greater value from the category.
"Werther’s Original Speculoos Caramel Popcorn brings together our signature smooth caramel with the warm, spiced notes of cinnamon and biscuit that define the Speculoos flavour, creating a distinctive limited-edition treat for the festive season,” said Rebecca Robert, Marketing Director at Storck UK.
As demand for Speculoos-inspired flavours continues to grow, we identified an opportunity to pair this increasingly popular taste profile with the rich, buttery caramel craftsmanship that has made Werther’s Original a favourite with shoppers for generations.
With festive packaging that’s designed to standout in-store, the new launch gives retailers a distinctive seasonal SKU that can add interest to Christmas displays, encourage trade-up and offer shoppers an indulgent sharing treat for Christmas gatherings and movie nights."
Werther's Original Limited-Edition Speculoos Caramel Popcorn is available now across grocery, convenience, wholesale and travel channels. The 140g sharing bag has an RRP of £2.50, alongside a 72 x 140g free-standing display unit to help retailers create impactful seasonal displays and capture demand for premium Christmas sharing snacks.
TAP Retail has also invested in EDGEPoS self-checkout technology, trialling hybrid and standalone formats to establish the right solution for different store environments.
At its larger forecourt store, self-service helps separate customers purchasing fuel from those making quick shop-only purchases. “You can have somebody paying for fuel while three other people from the same van have just come in for drinks or food, but traditionally everybody ends up in the same queue,” Tom said. “Self-checkout gives us the opportunity to separate that traffic and improve the flow through the store.”
While some customers prefer self-service and others a staffed checkout, Tom believes offering that choice is increasingly important. “We have to embrace self-service. I don’t think we would ever take it out now and, in our larger store, we expect to introduce more of it as part of the refurbishment. Customers increasingly expect that choice, so automation is going to become more important.”
He added that implementation is key for other independents considering self-checkout: “You need to think carefully about the layout and process but put them in the right place and manage them correctly and they can be a real asset to the business.”
With the new five-year agreement in place, TAP Retail plans to continue exploring how technology can support the business as it develops.
“As we grow and hopefully add more sites, we will continue looking at where technology can make the business more efficient,” Tom said.
Darren Nickels, Retail Technology Operations Director at Henderson Technology, commented: “We have built a fantastic relationship with Tom and the team at TAP Retail over the past five years and we are delighted they have chosen to extend their partnership with Henderson Technology for a further five years.
“Tom and the team are always looking at how technology can make their stores more efficient and improve the customer experience. From ESELs and self-checkouts to using EDGEPoS data and developing their own dashboard through our API, they are embracing the opportunities that connected retail technology can bring.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with TAP Retail as the business grows, supporting them with the technology, integrations and service they need across their estate.”