Choc sector to exceed €630m

IRISH consumers are expected to buy around 10% more chocolate between now and 2015, according to research by Euromonitor.

The EU data consumer analysis service predicts the chocolate market in Ireland is set to grow from €583 million to €631m over the next four years.

However, while the research does show that the Irish tend to eat more chocolate on occasions such as Christmas and Easter, we are not top of the festive consumption league.

Brazil, the world’s biggest Catholic country, is expected to increase its consumption of chocolate on seasonal occasions like Easter and Christmas by 50% come 2015. Britain is in second on 20%.

While retailers in Brazil have responded to their consumers’ Easter egg obsession by hanging them from the ceilings of stores, the principal message sent to manufacturers by Irish consumers is to reduce packaging and waste.

Miriam Tuomey of Bord Bia said: “Trends in Easter are a move from the traditional egg to other novelty shapes such as Luvable Lambs, Chicken and Eggs and the Easter Bunny. Smaller packaging sizes continue to be a key trend.

“Cadburys cut the pack weight of its shell egg range by 40% over the last three years, using smaller boxes and recycled polyethylene shells to hold the eggs.

“Nestle also removed packaging by using 30% less packaging and saving 700 tonnes of materials.”

Irish consumers are very occasion sensitive, with chocolate given as a present at Christmas, Easter, Mothers day and Valentine’s Day, Seasonal chocolate is worth an estimated €85.4m.

Seasonal treats are growing and the growth rate between 2005 and 2010 was 16% and is expected to reach €100m in 2015.

In Britain, the market was worth £5.4bn in 2010. The seasonal market amounts to 1.8% of the chocolate market value in contrast to the 3.6% in Ireland. In the US, seasonal chocolate accounts for 24% of the market.