New research reveals that British expats are responsible for a huge surge in the number of old-fashioned sweets being sold in the UK.
According to Waitrose, sales of old-fashioned sweets was up by 40 per cent last year. In 2016, the retailer teamed up with British Corner Shop, a group which sends traditional British groceries to expats across the world, and became the first UK grocer to sell own-brand products through the website.
Jelly Babies are the most popular sweet, making up a quarter of all total orders, closely followed by Mint Humbugs, which account for nearly a fifth of all orders.
Wine gums, Rhubarb and Custards and Butter Mintoes complete the top five most ordered sweets by British expats.
After the USA, British expats in Argentina and Australia place the most orders for confectionery, followed by India with Germany fifth ahead of France, the Netherlands and Italy.
“When you live abroad, there’s nothing better than satisfying the cravings you have for your favourite treats – which is why it’s our mission to help connect British food lovers all over the world with the tastes from the UK they love,” said Alex Kortland, Communications Manager for the British Corner Shop.
“There’s definitely been a surge in appetite for traditional confectionery this year and although you can find sweets in other countries, there’s nothing quite like a bag of sweets from home.”
Article published 6th January 2019