WELCOME TO HANCOCKS ADVICE AND INFORMATION PAGE
Here at Hancocks we have more than 55 years of rich experience in the confectionery trade and are always eager to support our customers by sharing our insights on what works in store. On this page you’ll find useful resources to help you prepare for and maximise key events in Spring 2018, and throughout the whole year. We regularly post useful articles, blogs, infographics and videos, all designed to help you plan, develop and grow your confectionery business.
This page is a useful resource for our customers, and we hope that it helps to answer any questions you might have. However, if you have any specific queries which aren’t answered on this page, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re only too happy to help our customers where we can, with our trading experience, industry knowledge and expert staff. We'll continue to add to this list throughout the year, so please do bookmark it for easy reference and check-in for regular updates.
KEY EVENTS TO PREPARE YOUR CONFECTIONERY BUSINESS FOR
LET’S MAKE 2018 ANOTHER SWEET YEAR!
With 2018 off to a fast start, businesses of all stripes look firmly to the months ahead and the opportunities which both warmer weather and seasonal traditions bring for sales. The chocolate and confectionery market continues to grow and evolve at pace, with new, innovative and exciting products released every day. Discover our thoughts on the industry trends we can expect to see in 2018 via our infographic. Learn about the choices of modern confectionery consumers, how manufacturers are tailoring their products for their decisions, and how you can capitalise by meeting public demand.
Easter, St. Patrick’s Day and Mothering Sunday are all rapidly approaching and retailers of all kinds are asking themselves, “What should we stock”, “How can we best present our stock?” and “What’s the best way to maximise sales?”. Here at Hancocks we’ve prepared handy resources for chocolate and confectionery retailers to tap into, to perfect their trading strategy just in time for 2018’s spring season!
1.Discover our range of confectionery, choose seasonal products and order with ease for Spring 2018.
This year we’ve stocked an incredible range of sweets and chocolate, ready for Mothering Sunday and of course Easter. With over 250 unique Easter gifts, among countless lines, we have everything your customers could want – from giant and premium chocolate eggs, to seasonal pick-n-mix sweet and value lines. While classic Easter items like Kinder Eggs & Mini Eggs are proving very popular this year, new special edition products like Bassetts Jelly Babies Chicksand Haribo Chick’n’Mix giftboxes are also trending.
For Mother’s Day, classic chocolate boxes are always a popular choice, however novelty gifts, such as our Belgian Milk Chocolate Rose have proven successful. The same can be said of Reese’s Peanut Butter Heart – the common theme being that products which both look incredible on display and make for fantastic gifts will naturally do well, and sell themselves, particularly when carefully selected and displayed, either on a gondola end, or at point of sale.
We’ve got you covered for the entire spring season with the broadest possible range of treats, both traditional classics and new innovations which your customers might desire. You can browse our Easter range here, buy online, in-depot, or by using our convenient Click & Collect service, new across all of our depots for 2018. Click & Collect is a completely free service, allowing you to order and collect your confectionery as easily as possible. Find out more about Click & Collect here.
2. Create a seasonal display and beautify your shop with our stands, Jars, ribbons and accessories.
As mentioned above, it’s not enough to stock up on chocolate eggs and tasty sweets. As Easter approaches, you need to ensure that your shop is also decorated attractively to easily draw the attention of passersby, easily turning them into customers. When beautiful products are also carefully arranged to draw the eyes, fantastic products will sell themselves – it’s about planning ahead to create an exciting customer experience. Here at Hancocks, we have an amazing range of confectionery stands, jars, ribbons, bows, scoops, bags and accessories, all for you, to showcase best-selling ranges or show-off delicious pick and mix sweet in style.
3. Stay in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter for competitions, top trade tips and the chance to win fabulous confectionery giveaways!
We recommend keeping an eye on our social media profiles all year-round. We constantly share the latest deals and special offers available at Hancocks, as well as news about new product lines, fantastic competitions, and the latest news about the confectionery industry as it becomes available.
4. Subscribe on YouTube to receive our top tips.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up date with our latest content, and be notified as soon as our Get Ready for Easter video is released - filled with even more advice and tips on getting your sweets store in tip top shape, just in time for the Spring season.
GENERAL ADVICE FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONFECTIONERY
Below we’ve prepared a series of advice pages where you can find out more about different types of confectionery to help you get started if you’re new to the industry, or to provide more information that can help you decide which types of confectionery are the best choice for your business.
Category Advice: Spring Confectionery
We discuss the key spring occasions and consider how best to tackle your confectionery range to make the most of this opportunity. The earlier you start to plan, the better your results will be.
Category Advice: Summer Confectionery
It's an important season in itself and whether you're located in a holiday destination or not, there are opportunities for all retailers of confectionery during the summer season.
Category Advice: Children's Sweets
Perhaps the most important customer where sweets are concerned, learn how to decide what to stock from the dizzy array of kids confectionery that is available and maximise your sales from this demanding younger audience.
Category Advice: Lollies and Pops
How to make the most of this profitable sector of the confectionery market. Whilst children are a big audience for creative lollipops, there's something here for grown-ups too.
Category Advice: Pick and Mix
Hancocks leads the way in wholesale pick and mix sweets, having been a key category for us since 1962. We consider how best to tackle this massive and profitable category for the first time if you have not yet ventured this far. The effort and planning is well worth it given the continuing popularity of pick and mix sweets for all ages.
Focus on: Fizzy and Sour
It's without doubt a growing trend. Are you comprehensively covering the opportunity within your range? We give you our thoughts.
Top Sellers: Children's Pick and Mix
Want to know if you're stocking the best range? Check out our list of big sellers across children's pick and mix to ensure that you have it covered in your store.
Top Sellers: Kid's Sweets
The range might be enormous but there are some certain sellers to ensure that you have nestled amongst your range. Check our list here.
Top Sellers: Traditional Pick & Mix
Retro sweets are still big business and knowing the key favourites can make a notable difference to your sales. See our top choices here and see if you have them all covered in your own range of traditional sweets.
Confectionery or confectionary?
We give you our point of view on the definition of both spellings. It's a confusing situation and perhaps there is not an absolute answer!
History of confectionery
This is a potted history of some of the main milestones in the creation of what we now understand is the confectionery industry. Interesting reading which goes all the way back to cavemen.
Order sweets online
Are you a retailer looking for a convenient way to re-stock your shelves with delicious confectionery? Follow our guide on how to order online with Hancocks.
Christmas confectionery
Christmas is a lucrative time of year for sweet retailers, with the demand for Christmas themed confectionery reaching higher than chimneys!
