Belgian chocolatier Leonidas has unveiled a travel retail-exclusive Snacking line at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

The main focus for Leonidas at the event, the new range not only adds snacking and sharing to the brand’s traditional gifting line-up but also expands its offer at dedicated placements such as the checkout area. 

Leonidas’ Global Travel Retail Sales Manager William Legallais said: “This Snacking range targets incremental sales and increased basket size in travel retail and is a strong point of sale product. There is no intention to cannibalise our existing products. This new line complements our core gifting range which proudly wears our stand-out blue and gold colours.

“We have a strong line-up of products ready for the TFWA World Exhibition and are looking forward to sharing this and other innovations with retailers and guests at the event as Confectionery continues to be a leading driver in global travel retail.”

Leonidas cites research by m1nd-set indicating that, at 29% of duty-free buyers, confectionery is one of the most purchased categories globally, claims the second highest footfall (23%) and the second highest conversion rate (48%). 

The brand also pointed out that confectionery sales are back to pre-COVID levels, particularly in Europe, and the category attracts strong interest from Gen Z and millennial consumers.

Leonidas Snacking

Pochette Snacking includes Orangettes, Crousty, Sea Shells, Stones, Mendiants, and Marshmallows. All products are alcohol and palm oil free, contain 100% Pure Cocoa Butter and Sustainable Cocoa and are Made in Belgium.

Orangettes offers 14 candied orange peel pieces coated in dark chocolate and Mendiants 12 dark, milk and white chocolate discs decorated with pecan nut, almond, hazelnut, and dried fruits. The Crousty box contains 21 crunchy biscuit and praliné treats, coated in milk and dark chocolate, while Stones holds 50 almonds coated with milk, dark or blond chocolate.

The Seashells box contains 15 milk chocolates, with praliné and a caramel flavor, and Marshmallows offers eight marshmallows, with floral honey notes coated with dark and milk chocolate.

The Snacking range will be available in travel retail from October. 

Celebrating its 110^th anniversary this year, Leonidas has also revamped its core range to feature its blue and gold brand colours, with sleeves added to highlight product details. The brand refresh, in April this year, aimed to highlight Leonidas’ premium quality.

Another newcomer to the Leonidas portfolio which was revealed at Cannes is a new line for children, which actually targets adults buying for those younger travelers, especially as they return to school after the long summer break. 

The colorful range of products will be available in global travel retail from October, with additional treats in the pipeline for next year. 

The new line centers on eight colorful animals which are available in various shapes and sizes and include chocolate balls, milk chocolate and marshmallow teddy bears and chocolate pencils. Like all Leonidas chocolates, this new range respects the tradition of Belgian chocolate with the finest ingredients: sustainable chocolate made with 100% pure cocoa butter, without palm oil.

Packaging also features children’s favorite animals, including lions, unicorns, pandas, dinosaurs, hippopotami, and monkeys, in cones, pencil cases, cubes and bags.  

Leonidas is also relaunching its popular Napolitains range which targets gifting.

At Cannes, the brand highlighted its strong sustainability strategy. 

“Sustainability is an everyday mindset at Leonidas,” Legallais added. “We place the future of the planet and the satisfaction of our customers on an equal footing and do all we can to produce chocolates and pralines in the most environmentally responsible way possible.

“We are aware that the road is still a long one, but we have already undertaken several steps and made changes that allow us to attain our objective: to contribute to leaving future generations a world that is more sustainable.”

Leonidas has used certified cocoa in its products since October 1, 2021. “Thanks to this certification, the living and working conditions of 2.450 cocoa growers and their families have been improved,” Legallais said.

He also noted that “not only is the cocoa in our chocolate of sustainable origin, but the same is true of our packaging.” The majority of the brand’s cardboard/paper packaging is FSC-certified while using PET or polypropylene, made up of at least 50% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable.