Celebrations tub

Source: Mars Wrigley

The new tubs contain approximately five fewer sweets

Mars Wrigley has shrunk its Celebration tubs by 50g ahead of Christmas, removing approximately five sweets.

The confectionery giant confirmed the move after a warehouse worker posted photos of the old 600g and new 550g tubs side by side to X (formerly Twitter).

“Just had a delivery of stock ready to be shipped out for Christmas,” he wrote.

“Celebrations tubs getting smaller each year… but price will inevitably go up!”

When approached by The Grocer, a spokeswoman for Mars Wrigley said the business had “been actively trying to find ways to absorb the rising costs of raw materials and operations”.

“Unfortunately, the growing pressures mean more needs to be done.

“Reducing the size of our products is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is necessary for shoppers to still be able to enjoy their favourite Celebrations treats without compromising on quality or taste,” she added.

In addition to removing sweets, Mars Wrigley had shrunk the tub itself “to reduce the plastic used in the packaging by 17%”, the spokeswoman said.

Mars Wrigley would not confirm whether the change would impact shelf prices. “Pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer,” the spokeswoman said.

The manufacturer has shrunk packs across several of its confectionery brands in recent years in a bid to minimise the impact of soaring costs.

In 2022, it swapped the 23g bars in its Twix multipacks for 20g alternatives and replaced 189g Maltesers packs for 175g ones.

Last year, Mars Wrigley Galaxy bars moved from 110g to 100g and it swapped 152g packs of Starburst for 138g ones, removing three sweets.

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