Cadbury Trebor Bassett is adopting elves as its theme for Christmas this year, and is also introducing additional seasonal NPD. Cadbury Magical Elves comprise eight characters made of milk chocolate and popping candy, priced at 20p each. Already launched in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland, they will be rolled out here in time for Christmas. To establish elves as a theme for this year's Christmas ranges, the characters will also feature on a dedicated website and on the back of selection boxes. The company is also relaunching its Snowman novelty chocolate, with 150g versions, which will be priced at £1.99 rather than the 220g size's £4.99 price tag. The Snowman will now be made out of hollow rather than solid chocolate, and will be sold on its own without a box. "The novelty sector is one of the fastest-growing areas and foil figures are a big part of this," said Natalie Cunningham, category manager for Christmas. "The Lindt Reindeer recorded strong growth last year for example, and we saw an opportunity for a product aimed at children at the £1.99 price point, with a recommended two-for-£3 promotional price." Cadbury is also refreshing its selection box range by introducing a Lenticular 3D image on large selection boxes, and it plans to introduce a smaller 1.3kg pack for its Cadbury Roses and 1kg pack for Cadbury Heroes. "Refreshing the Cadbury Selection Box design will improve impact on shelf," said acting head of customer relations Kate Harding. "We believe we have found the balance between a great offer while still maintaining value for retailers."

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