Mars Wrigley has unveiled its Christmas confectionery lineup, introducing three festive innovations across its M&M’s, Snickers and Maltesers brands.
The supplier has added Crispy M&M’s Mini Santas, a small sharing bag of crispy, creamy Santa-shaped chocolates. It joins the existing Crispy M&M’s Santa range, which debuted last year with single-serve Santa-shaped chocolates.
Also new for 2026 is Snickers & Friends, a selection box containing Snickers, Twix, Mars and Snickers Creamy Duo bars. It is Snickers’ first Christmas proposition, designed to recruit male shoppers, according to Mars Wrigley.
“In a sub-category that skews towards female shoppers, the launch targets male gifters who are under-indexed in selection box formats,” a spokesperson for the manufacturer said.
Maltesers White Box will also hit shelves this Christmas in a bid to attract “under-35s, who over-index in white chocolate”. It follows the return of white chocolate Maltesers last June after an absence of more than a decade.
Citing NIQ data, Mars Wrigley claimed it was the only manufacturer to grow both value (+4.2%) and volume sales (+0.9%) during Christmas 2025, while total confectionery value sales rose by just 0.6% [24 w/e 27 December 2025].
Performance was driven by Advent calendars, boxed chocolate gifts and tins & tubs, alongside continued innovation in singles and small sharing formats, it said.
“Christmas remains a calendar highlight for many, and consumers will invest in creating memorable occasions,” said Steve Waters, seasonal senior brand manager at Mars Wrigley.
“Our launches have been designed to add excitement to the fixture, combining affordable indulgence with trusted flavours and formats to meet the needs of today’s value-conscious shoppers.”
The innovations will be backed by dedicated displays from early in the festive season.
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