Nestlé Rowntree has axed its Polo Liquid Orbs and Polo + Vivazol confectionery just eight months after their launch.
The products were the latest additions to the Polo brand aimed at getting consumers to trade up and stem a decline in Polo mint sales last year.
Liquid Orbs, sugar-free capsules filled with liquid mint, were designed to compete with breath-freshening strips, while Polo + Vivazol, a blend of the plant extracts menthol, peppermint and parsley oil, tapped into the trend towards natural ingredients.
Both products commanded
a premium price of around 75p for packs of 30 Liquid Orbs and 36p for a roll of Polo + Vivazol.
The products join the NPD graveyard at a time of relatively scant innovation
from the big confectionery brands, according to buyers in The Grocer’s Focus on Confectionery (October 8).
A spokeswoman for Nestlé Rowntree said the products were being axed to concentrate on the core Polo brand after consumer trials did not meet company expectations.
“We did a lot of trial for the products but they were not hitting the mark with core Polo consumers,” she said. “As a company you’ve got to try these things and we always try to push the boundaries, but some products stick and some don’t.”
Richard Brittle, purchasing director at Hancocks, said the products did not offer consumers enough variation or taste benefits to command the higher price. “There are far too many me-too products in confectionery,” he added.
The writing has been on the wall for the products for a while, particularly Liquid Orbs. Earlier this month Orbs made headlines after 19 schoolchildren in Sunderland injured themselves by squirting the green liquid mint in each other’s eyes. The Sunday Express wrote a story asking its readers whether the sweets should be banned.
Stefan Chomka
The products were the latest additions to the Polo brand aimed at getting consumers to trade up and stem a decline in Polo mint sales last year.
Liquid Orbs, sugar-free capsules filled with liquid mint, were designed to compete with breath-freshening strips, while Polo + Vivazol, a blend of the plant extracts menthol, peppermint and parsley oil, tapped into the trend towards natural ingredients.
Both products commanded
a premium price of around 75p for packs of 30 Liquid Orbs and 36p for a roll of Polo + Vivazol.
The products join the NPD graveyard at a time of relatively scant innovation
from the big confectionery brands, according to buyers in The Grocer’s Focus on Confectionery (October 8).
A spokeswoman for Nestlé Rowntree said the products were being axed to concentrate on the core Polo brand after consumer trials did not meet company expectations.
“We did a lot of trial for the products but they were not hitting the mark with core Polo consumers,” she said. “As a company you’ve got to try these things and we always try to push the boundaries, but some products stick and some don’t.”
Richard Brittle, purchasing director at Hancocks, said the products did not offer consumers enough variation or taste benefits to command the higher price. “There are far too many me-too products in confectionery,” he added.
The writing has been on the wall for the products for a while, particularly Liquid Orbs. Earlier this month Orbs made headlines after 19 schoolchildren in Sunderland injured themselves by squirting the green liquid mint in each other’s eyes. The Sunday Express wrote a story asking its readers whether the sweets should be banned.
Stefan Chomka
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