Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) will be highlighting its continued commitment to leading innovation in the Travel Retail confectionery category by presenting new products and engaging experiences across strategic brands KitKat, Smarties, and Nestlé Swiss at the Summit of the Americas.
Launching into the Americas for the first time, the new products focus on NITR’s SOUL (Stories, Occasion, Unique, Local) strategic framework; a response to the ever-changing travel retail industry, particularly amongst millennials, who represent 50% of all spend (Nielsen 2017).
“Our clear focus at NITR is to deliver insight-based innovation. We come to Orlando with a compelling range of consumer focused innovations that show how committed NITR is to the confectionery channel and travel retail. We are excited to unveil our products and recent successes to the Americas market, and are confident that our added-value propositions deliver more than just enjoyable taste; they provide the vital factor of creating engaging experiences with relatable storytelling, especially among our millennial consumers,” says Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Nestlé International Travel Retail.
Dryburgh says the company has enjoyed an overall positive year in North America while Latin America has been – as for so many in the industry – a year of two halves: “We saw a very positive first half with strong growth, building the success of 2017, while the second six months were hit by the negative impact of currency crises in the region.”
Last year NITR launched Kitkat Senses. This year it becomes a range with Mini Moments, Collection and new addition: Kitkat Mini Desserts, a premium selection featuring new dessert flavors Tiramisu, Crème Brulée, Strawberry Cheesecake and Cherry Brownie.
Smarties, with an ambition to be kids’ friend and parents’ ally, is launching The Smarties Music Creator, which acknowledges the importance of active and imaginative play in children’s development by offering them the opportunity to learn creatively through a quality recorder and music sheet as well as a 38g hexatube of Smarties.
After relaunching its Nestle Swiss range last year, this year NITR is launching New Nestle Swiss 195g Tablet Flavors: Milk with Cranberries Almonds Hazelnut, Milk with Grapes Almonds Hazelnut, and Dark with Orange Zest & Cacao Nibs.