Exclusive Mary Carmichael Nestlé is adding six products to its ice cream portfolio this year and focusing on its five major brands, but it's not offering much on the consumer marketing menu. The company plans trade ads from March. "We're focusing on distribution this year," said a spokesman. He added that ice creams would benefit from the £34m invested across Nestlé's confectionery portfolio. New impulse products include Smarties Pop-up lolly ­ vanilla ice cream with Smartie pieces and a stick of mini Smarties (rsp: 80p). Frubetto ­ a low fat raspberry or orange fruit water ice lolly (rsp, 80p) ­ is also new, together with Rowntree's Ice Screamers ­ bags of five fruit bitesize lollies (rsp, 80p). In take home, Wonka Exploder six packs ­ lemon and cola flavour ice lollies that fizz like a drink (rsp: £1.99) are new, as are puppy shaped 102 Dalmatians ice lollies (rsp £1.99, for six). There's also a Smarties vanilla ice cream with yellow, red or green coating containing Smarties, (rsp: £1.89 for a pack of four) and a 15 x 15ml Ice Screamers pack (rsp: £1.99). The company lists its must stock' products as Kit Kat Chunky, Rowntree's Fruit Pastil-lolly, FAB, Maxibon, and new Smarties Pop-up. More than half last year's £7.5m ice cream investment went on Maxibon, mainly on the Maxibon Challenge roadshow. Wall's has discontinued major rival Winner Taco, so Maxibon has the hunger snack sector to itself. Nestlé said last year's spend was a long-term investment to build on the brand's success in other countries. {{MARKETING - P&P }}

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