Mars is ploughing £2m into the launch of the latest addition to the Starburst range in an attempt to repeat the success of the £8m Choozers sub-brand.

Starburst Twisted, available from next week, combines two flavours in one fruit chew . It will be available in strawberry & lime, cherry & lemon and blueberry & banana flavours, in 180g bags and 45g sticks priced at £1.25 and 36p respectively.

Choozers has already clocked up sales of £8.1m since hitting supermarkets last April [IRI 52 w/e to 22 March 2008]. The total Starburst brand grew 36.4% to £36.8m in the period.

Mars said it hoped Twisted would "reignite the everyday sugar confectionery category, as Choozers did last year". If similar sales levels were achieved, further extensions could be in the pipeline, added trade relations manager Bep Sandhu.

The marketing push includes a TV campaign kicking off in June and running throughout the summer, supported by in-store displays and sampling.