Everyone loves a classic Christmas chocolate box selection, but while chocolate prices have increased in recent years, their sizes seem to be getting smaller each year.
Inflation rates for sweets and chocolates over the last 12 months have risen by 11.8% as of October 2023. This is a huge jump compared to 2013, which saw an increase of just 1.1% by the end of that year.*
To unveil the nation’s favourite Christmas chocolate boxes and how they have changed over time, the slots experts at ICE36 analysed the sizes and prices of top brands during the last decade. They also reveal which chocolate boxes have gained the most popularity in recent years.
Change in chocolate box prices after a decade
Cadbury’s classic Milk Tray (530g) tops the list with a whopping 50% increase in price since 2013. The assortment of chocolates that once went on shelves for £6.00 a decade ago is now being priced at £9.00 in major supermarkets like Sainsbury's despite not changing in size.
Thorntons (264g) and Terry's Chocolate Orange (200g) have also seen a major price increase of almost 43%, respectively.
Change in chocolate box sizes after a decade
Cadbury’s Roses takes the top spot, having changed the most in size over the years. Featuring a selection of family favourites, Roses used to be approximately 850g in size but have drastically decreased by over 35% as you can now expect to grab a tub weighing just 550g.
Popular classics, including Cadbury Heroes, Quality Street and Celebrations, have also all reduced in size by at least 20% despite our research finding they had the lowest price increase at 10%
All other chocolate boxes have remained the same in size yet have increased in price by over 11% compared to a decade ago.
Chocolate boxes growing in popularity in the UK
Google searches for Cadbury’s Milk Tray and Guylian Seashells’ selection boxes have gained the most increase in popularity since 2021, with an impressive 50% peak in interest.
Interestingly, Cadbury Roses (0.23%) and Quality Street (5.41%) have decreased in popularity, receiving less than 6% interest over the last two years – significantly lower than all other chocolates.
Methodology
Using the Wayback Machine, we gathered data on various popular chocolate boxes, looking at the prices and sizes across various major supermarkets a decade ago (Nov-Dec 2013) compared to today. We then calculated the percentage differences of each chocolate, ranking them from highest to lowest.
To find out the growth in popularity of each chocolate box selection, we used Google’s Keyword Planner to search specific terms over the last two years (Nov 2021- Oct 2023). Therefore, we could determine the most popular brands in the UK by looking at the increase in year-on-year searches.
* https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/czbt/mm23
