March 11 2019  |  Confectionery & Fine Foods

M&M’s takes the spotlight with new line-up

By Hibah Noor


This brightly colored M&M’s fan offers instant cooling relief at the press of a button


Mars Wrigley Confectionery International Travel Retail (Mars ITR) will be represented at this year’s Summit of the Americas on the stand of its US distributor Otis McAllister (Booth number: 701).

This two-year partnership has proven very successful for Mars ITR, which extended the partnership last year to all its US business except Dufry. Mars continues to handle its Latin American business directly.

“We’re very pleased with our partnership with Otis McAllister,” said Mars ITR Global Sales Director Christophe Bouyé.

“They really are at the sharp end of what’s happening in the US and we’ve enjoyed good results across all accounts.”

Mars ITR will be working alongside Otis McAllister at the Summit to introduce regional buyers to its latest category insights, based on reasons why travelers shop, and its latest travel retail innovations created to meet those requirements.

M&M’s, the largest confectionery brand worldwide, is the main focus of attention, while the company is also expecting significant interest in Maltesers sharing pouches, since the brand was launched into the US domestic market in 2017.

Retailers must offer a confectionery portfolio that meets the four key reasons to purchase, the company said. They are: Celebrate (gifting), Connect (sharing), Reward (self-treat) and Recharge (gum).

The diversity of Mars ITR’s portfolio means the company meets all these requirements with its global brands including M&M’s, Snickers, Maltesers Skittles, and Extra.

Mars ITR is updating its Celebrate (gifting) range to play to the universal appeal aspect of M&M’s, and attract more adult travelers. The range includes four new fun designs: Fan, Torch, Flip and Funnel – all exclusive to travel retail – featuring the Red and Yellow characters, and including bags of M&M’s Chocolate in various sizes.

M&M’s Fan: This brightly colored M&M’s fan offers instant cooling relief at the press of a button.

M&M’s Torch: Perfect for every day gifting, this useful torch will lighten and brighten any place.

M&M’s Flip: A new look to the popular M&M’s dispenser featuring Red and Yellow characters. Simply flip the dispenser upside down to release the M&M’s chocolate lentils.

M&M’s Funnel: This dispenser is designed for all M&M’s flavors: Peanut, Chocolate, and Crispy.

The M&M’s Mini’s Tube is a lower-price option for gifting. Each 49g tube offers M&M’s in a colorful candy shell, just a smaller version. Available in the US.

While not available in the US, new products in the Connect sharing segment will be on show for retailers from South America. They are:

M&M’s Salted Caramel 370g Sharing Pouch, Travel Retail Exclusive. This new limited-edition product capitalizes on the popularity of this flavor and is the first of its kind in the bite-sized confectionery category, Mars ITR said. It consists of soft and creamy caramel with a twist of salt, in a crunchy candy shell.

M&M’s Mix 400g Sharing Pouch, Travel Retail Exclusive: M&M’s global favorite flavors Chocolate, Peanut and Crispy come together in a sharing mix, designed for all travelers.

Buyers can also view redesigned packaging for M&M’s, Snickers, Maltesers and Celebrations being introduced throughout the year to reinforce the travel retail exclusive advantage and highlighting updated brand logos.

“We’re delighted to be featuring the MITR confectionery portfolio on the Otis McAllister booth this year, “ said Justin Nee, Otis McAllister Travel Retail Sales Director. “We’ve had a very busy and successful year building distribution and sales for what is one of our strongest brand portfolios, and are looking forward to an even better 2019.”

While Mars ITR is not having its own stand this year, the company is maintaining high visibility during the week.

Bright yellow registration bags, this year available to all visitors to the Summit of the Americas, will be branded one side with a bold M&M’s graphic, while a high visibility branded frame will be situated on the wall near the Otis McAllister booth.

REGION Americas
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