German chocolate company Ritter Sport is extending its travel retail portfolio for this year’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes in October. A 20-piece Choco Cubes Fruity Yogurt Mix pouch, which is exclusive to the channel, will be revealed at the event, along with two other new novelties.
The family-owned company will also present a redesigned booth at Mediterranean Village N18. According to Ritter Sport, its booth will underline the brand’s core messages – colourful, joyful and modern – through an eye-catching, feel-good ‘living room’ concept.
The brand’s focus on sustainability will also play a key role. Ritter Sport’s exhibition furniture has been upcycled, the floor and overall construction can be reused at other trade fairs, with recycled materials used wherever possible.
Highlighting the extended Choco Cubes line, Ritter Sport Global Travel Retail Managing Director Jan Pasold noted that the fruity yogurt flavours are especially popular in the Asia Pacific regions.
“With the addition of new flavours, Ritter Sport is looking to strengthen the Choco Cubes product line-up as we know that small bites are performing very well in travel retail,” he said. Choco Cubes feature natural ingredients, without added flavourings and cocoa from 100% sustainable, certified cocoa sources. The new product will be available on shelf in April 2024.
“Everything looks set to be right back on track this year, so the focus for 2024 is very much on the traveller,” Pasold added.
At Cannes, the focus will be on developing existing key accounts, markets and regions. “We see a lot of potential there. We are significantly better now than in 2019 and 2022; for us that means no more looking back and comparing with pre-COVID pandemic performances. It is all about looking ahead to a very positive future.”
This positivity is based on the strong performance of the Ritter Sport Travel Edition range, with the 250g Mini Tower, Vegan Tower and Limited Edition all meeting projected sales targets.
The brand’s Vegan products will be highlighted through a high-profile activation with Dufry and Emotion+ at London Heathrow in September. “This is going to be a big story for us as the demand for full flavour vegan products grows rapidly,” Pasold said.
He noted sales in Asia are “getting back on track”. “Distribution in the USA has grown, and we also cracked the MEA in the second half of the year. Ritter Sport products are now available in Dubai and Muscat, and discussions are ongoing with retailers in the region.”
According to Pasold, Ritter Sport aims to make the route to market more reliable and predictable. “This, of course, means exchanging information more closely with retailers in order to achieve more accurate forecasting. This is an important step to ensure that the traveller always finds sufficient fresh products on the shelf,” he concluded. 
