Booming chocolate brand Kinder is being expanded into sharing and countline bags next year.

The brand, which has grown more than 40% by value year on year to nearly £30m, is rolling out three new varieties of individually wrapped chocolates from January.

Brand owner Ferrero said it would target the “family time together” eating occasion with the products, which have been developed to appeal to adults and children. The range - Kinder Chocolate Mini, Chocolate with Cereals Mini and Choco-Bons - will be available in a sharing bag (rsp: £1.55/ 95g-108g) and a smaller bag for on-the-go snacking (rsp: 54p/26.5g-30g).

The launch will be supported by a £1.3m TV campaign featuring the slogan “invented by kids, loved by everyone.” Ferrero will also run sampling activity and roll out a range of PoS materials.

Sales of Kinder Chocolate have risen 43% to £27.7m in the past 12 months [Nielsen 52 w/e 11 October 2014], while ­sister brand Kinder Surprise has soared 61% year on year to £51.9m.

Kinder is not ­currently represented in the bite-size confectionery segment - an area that accounts for 19% of ­category sales, but 38% of growth [Nielsen 52 w/e 4 October].

The launch was the start of “an important new chapter for Kinder,” said Ferrero customer development director Levi Boorer. “Kinder continues to bring incremental growth to the kids’ confectionery category, and there is now an exciting opportunity for us to move into a new sector, attracting additional shoppers to the brand.”

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