Nestlé gift vouchers to boost Easter egg sales

Nestlé hopes to gain a major chunk of the Easter egg market with the lure of massages and golf lessons included in the price of a £4.99 egg.

The Experience eggs come with a pamper voucher in an Aero gift set or an activity voucher in a KitKat pack that can be exchanged at one of 1,200 locations nationwide for activities from beauty treatments to canoeing.

The launch forms a key part of Nestlé's Easter activity, which includes various launches, backed with a £8m advertising spend.

Nestlé anticipates people could buy multiple products for themselves for the vouchers alone, said Sarah Dwyer, category development manager for gifting.

Nestlé is also introducing new filled eggs, including a Smarties Shaker that contains mini Smarties, and a Milkybar Shaker that contains white chocolate covered rice balls, both with an rsp of 39p. Heaven and Black Magic are also launching filled eggs, with an rsp of 55p.

Premium, although the smallest segment of the market, is experiencing the most growth - up 14% last year by value, according to Nestlé. In comparison, filled and medium-sized eggs fell 7% and 11% respectively.

Eggs costing £1.99 and under account for 48.5% of the overall Easter market, with eggs costing more than £7 making up 6.3% of the market.

Dwyer said she expected retailers to focus on medium-sized eggs, which were key footfall drivers.

"There is value erosion as a result, but it also brings in additional households - up 600,000 last year," she said. "More consumers are trading up and there is less need for heavy dealing at the more premium end."

Spring was the second most important trading period after Christmas, said trade communications manager Graham Walker, adding that filled and mini eggs made up 21% of the total singles market over the period, with 51% of Easter chocolate sales made in the final week.

Other launches include a 45g mini Dairy Box, with a pocket-money price of £1.29, a range of Heaven-branded products such as a miniatures gift box and Nestlé's most premium offer - a £7.99 Heaven egg.