Price of festive chocs soars

Anumber of festive chocolate boxes cost at least 50% more than a year ago in some of the worst inflation across grocery products, Which? has found.

While overall supermarket food and drink inflation slowed to 8.3% in November, price rises on chocolate as a food category were almost twice as much at 15.3%, according to the watchdog.

The increasing cost of key ingredients, including cocoa and sugar, have been largely to blame for prices of confectionery going up, with both commodities being hit by supply issues and poor production in the last 12 months.

At Asda, Green & Black’s Organic Classic Miniature Chocolate Bar Collection, 180g went from £3.59 on average in the three months to the end of November 2022 to £6 on average in the same period this year – an increase of 67.2%.

Which? also found Nestle’s Black Magic 348g and Dairy Box Medium Chocolate Box 326g were both £3.35 on average at Asda in the three months to the end of last November but had increased to an average of £5.25 this year – an increase of 56.6%.

At Tesco, Cadbury Mini Snowballs Chocolate Bag 80g, Cadbury Mini Snowballs Chocolate Bar 110g and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Minis Bag 125g all went from £1 on average last November to to £1.50 this November.

Meanwhile, at Sainsbury’s, Which? found that Quality Street Matchmakers Zingy Orange Chocolate Box 120g went from an average of £1.26 to £1.89 in the space of a year, an increase of 49.9%.

Which? said its figures included special offer prices but not multi-buys or loyalty discounts, arguing that the latter were only available to customers who were prepared to sign up to loyalty schemes – and not every consumer was able to do so.

Other chocolate treats were also subject to high inflation, the consumer group found, with Asda’s Snack Size Chocolate Caramel Chews (6x38g) increasing from an average 65p in 2022 to £1.35 on average in 2023, a hike of 107.7%.

Bolands Elite Chocolate Kimberley Teacakes 132g at Morrisons saw the average price hiked from £1.30 in the three months to the end of last November to £2.59 in the same period in 2023, an increase of 99.2%.

The discounters’ take on the Mars bar – Aldi’s Dairyfine Titan and Lidl’s Mister Choc Choco & Caramel Bars (both six packs) – both saw similar increases from 62p and 65p respectively on average in the three months to the end of November 2022 to £1.09 and £1.08 on average in the same period in 2023 – a rise of 75.8% and 66.8% respectively.

Despite the higher prices this year, both Cadbury owner Mondelez and Quality Street maker Nestle have reported an increase in sales this year as cash-strapped shoppers turn to more basic gifts and treats this Christmas.

Which? Retail editor Ele Clark said: “Festive selection boxes are one of the staples of Christmas, whether you’re buying a last-minute gift or sharing chocs with your loved ones in front of a classic seasonal film.

“We’ve seen large price hikes on some festive favourites this year, so to ensure they’re getting the best value for money on their Christmas chocs, shoppers should compare the price per gram across different pack sizes, retailers and brands.”

British Retail Consortium economist Harvir Dhillon said: “The continuing fall in food inflation is a clear sign of supermarkets’ efforts to deliver the best value they can for their customers.

“Chocolate has been hard hit by soaring global cocoa prices, which have almost doubled over the last year, reaching a 46-year high.

“The cost of cocoa has been badly affected by poor harvests in parts of Africa.”

BITTER SWEET: The increasing cost of key ingredients such as cocoa and sugar have been blamed for the price hikes.