Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (ITR) has outlined plans to drive confectionery growth through product launches, new gifting formats and an expanding M&M’s Experience footprint.
The strategy, presented during the recent TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes, centres on moving beyond ‘stopping power’ to build greater ‘staying power’ once travellers enter the confectionery category.
Mars Wrigley ITR said more than half of travellers who enter the confectionery aisle make a purchase, with future growth increasingly dependent on keeping shoppers engaged for longer through stronger shopfloor presence and retail experiences.
Looking ahead to 2027, the company plans to launch a 440g Twix White Handle Pouch, developed in response to growing consumer interest in white chocolate.
The travel-exclusive (TREX) format features the classic Twix with a white chocolate layer in a shareable pouch designed for travelling consumers.
The company is also building on the recent launch of the Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa Pouch, following the positive performance of Galaxy Kunafa across selected locations.
To address different shopper intentions and budgets, Mars Wrigley ITR has structured its gifting portfolio across a range of price points. This includes the new M&M’s Tin Collection, spanning smaller collectable souvenirs through to larger family-sharing tins.
The company is also expanding its sense of place range with a dedicated bundle bag for the new small M&M’s tins at high-profile promotional activations, featuring destination imagery, regional greetings and themed M&M’s characters.
Building shopper engagement
Mars Wrigley ITR said shopper engagement is central to its strategy to increase dwell time and drive category growth, with a particular focus on the M&M’s Experience concept and next-generation interactive promotions.
The company is preparing to open an M&M’s Experience shop-in-shop at Kuwait International Airport in partnership with Avolta. It will be the seventh M&M’s Experience location globally and the third in the Middle East.
Mars Wrigley ITR said its multiplayer M&M’s Playhub generates more than five hours of active playtime each day, with a 40% repeat engagement rate. Its digital ‘You & Who’ station sees half of users send personalised video greetings to multiple recipients.
Next year, the company plans to further develop the M&M’s Experience concept with enhanced gifting stations, stronger sense of place elements across fixtures and retail furniture, and new travel-exclusive products.
Further M&M’s Experience openings are also planned through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027.
Mars Wrigley ITR Market Director An De Volder said: “Confectionery already has a strong conversion in travel retail, but stopping shoppers is no longer enough to grow the category. We have seen first-hand that our M&M’s Experience locations have the power to outperform the category and deliver tangible growth.
“By combining an iconic global brand with meaningful dwell time, whether through gaming, personalisation or sense of place, we are unlocking incremental growth for our airport and retail partners.”
Alongside its M&M’s Experience locations, Mars Wrigley ITR is also rolling out a new generation of high-profile promotions featuring destination-themed M&M’s tin statues tailored to individual locations.
The concept is already live at Copenhagen, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Singapore Changi and Kuala Lumpur International airports, with further locations planned before the end of the year.
De Volder added, “There is a lot more to come, and we look forward to working closely with our retail partners to keep raising the bar for confectionery in international travel retail.” ✈
