It's an important season in itself and whether you're located in a holiday destination or not, there are opportunities for all retailers of confectionery during the summer season. Category Advice: Children's Sweets Moo Free Chocolates now offer their dairy and soya free Easter egg in three flavours – original, honeycomb and orange. If you haven’t tried Moo Free before it’s an excellent replacement for milk chocolate and the mini moo bars are great for little ones. Plamil are also doing a dairy and soya free egg this year as part of their dairy free Easter range and Hotel Chocolat have one dairy and soya free egg! Other sweets that are great for using in plastic eggs – Easter themed Haribo or other jelly sweets, Jelly Beans (these are also great for using on your chocolate Easter nests to look like eggs), Easter Jelly Babies (Jelly Bunnies) or consider some of the non-food items below. Jelly Bunnies brings together bunny shaped pieces with the popular texture found in Jelly babies within a 160g bag. With 2018 off to a fast start, businesses of all stripes look firmly to the months ahead and the opportunities which both warmer weather and seasonal traditions bring for sales. The chocolate and confectionery market continues to grow and evolve at pace, with new, innovative and exciting products released every day. Discover our thoughts on the industry trends we can expect to see in 2018 via our infographic. Learn about the choices of modern confectionery consumers, how manufacturers are tailoring their products for their decisions, and how you can capitalise by meeting public demand.

I hope that helps you feel a bit more prepared for your dairy free Easter! Any other ideas I’ve missed? Why not try our Super Simple Jam Tarts, you could even use a bunny or an egg shape on top instead of a heart.Have a go at our Favourite Biscuits (dairy, soya and egg free; could use a gluten free flour), make them Easter Egg shaped and decorate them with different coloured icings! Baking is a really lovely activity for toddlers to enjoy, and a great way to ensure your treats are safe for your allergies. We have lots of go-to simple recipes that are delicious, allergen friendly and easy for toddlers and young children to help with. One of the most popular chocolate gifts each year, Easter bunnies are a must have for any retailer. With such tasty options on offer from the biggest brands, plus adorable bunny designs, shoppers love them year after year. Here are a few examples of the lines that shoppers will love to see on your shelves. Retro sweets are still big business and knowing the key favourites can make a notable difference to your sales. See our top choices here and see if you have them all covered in your own range of traditional sweets. Confectionery or confectionary?

Again if you’re okay with soya lecithin it shouldn’t be too hard to find some suitable dairy free Easter chocolate treats. Here are some options for those who are soya free also: For Mother’s Day, classic chocolate boxesare always a popular choice, however novelty gifts, such as our Belgian Milk Chocolate Rose have proven successful. The same can be said of Reese’s Peanut Butter Heart – the common theme being that products which both look incredible on display and make for fantastic gifts will naturally do well, and sell themselves, particularly when carefully selected and displayed, either on a gondola end, or at point of sale. HARIBO has hatched a chirpy range of treats, including a tasty new edition, which is sure to put a spring in everyone’s step this Easter! Explore our Star Mix Case of 12 or the Tangfastics Case of 13. Organising a festive gathering or event? Our Giant Cola Bottles and Heart Throbs tubs might be just what you need. Claire Caley, seasonal brand manager at HariboUK, said: “Sweets play a crucial role at Easter, not just offering an alternative to traditional chocolate but providing the variety and formats that are fit for purpose – whether that’s treats for gifting, sharing or Easter hunting.”Craving tubs of Star Mix or the inventive Soda Twist Zing? Discover the captivating Strawberry Balla Stixx or the timeless Gold Bears. For an exclusive treat, indulge in our Rhubarb and Custard or the Terrific Turtles tubs. Winning fans of all ages with their smooth milk chocolate with a sweet milky lining, Kinder’s famous chocolate sells well throughout the year. Their line that best lends itself to Easter, however, is the Kinder Milk Chocolate Bunny. The 110g bunny is made of the creamy and milky chocolate you’d expect from Kinder, whilst the blue bunny designs will turn heads and is perfect for Easter. For adults Booja Booja have launched a beautiful Easter collection this year of stunning hand painted eggs filled with their decadent dairy and soya free truffles. If you’re dairy free and you haven’t tried these truffles yet you really are missing out. We give you our point of view on the definition of both spellings. It's a confusing situation and perhaps there is not an absolute answer! History of confectionery