Quality Street has reduced the size of its festive tubs for Christmas 2019, with the new 650g tub replacing last year's 720g offering. The move marks the latest instance of shrinkflation affecting the popular confectionery brand, as parent company Nestlé adjusts packaging amid rising ingredient and transport costs.
The new 650g plastic tub is part of a wider range that includes a 1kg tin available at most major retailers, an 800g gold tin exclusive to Tesco, and a 2kg jumbo tin sold at Costco. Nestlé has also altered the assortment mix, increasing the proportion of chocolate sweets from 35% to 46% while removing the toffee deluxe, following customer feedback. The toffee penny and toffee finger remain, and a new chocolate caramel brownie in teal blue wrapping has been introduced.
Ellie Worley, Quality Street's senior brand manager, said: '2019 is a huge year for Quality Street. We’ve got a new sweet, a new design and are developing the brand ahead of the Christmas season.' Production at the Halifax factory is running 24/7, producing 12 million chocolates daily and packing 85 tins or tubs per minute. New wrapping machines have doubled speed, wrapping up to 750 chocolates per minute.
Prices are set by retailers, but Quality Street is typically sold on promotion before Christmas. An advent calendar introduced last year will return this autumn, and the 'pick n mix' option at John Lewis is expanding to more stores. Nestlé is also opening its Institute of Packaging Sciences in Switzerland to develop sustainable materials.
