Plastic Sherbet Fountain packs boost sales by a fifth

Tangerine Confectionery last year replaced the product's iconic paper packaging with a resealable plastic tube and sparked outrage in the national press.

But, as a result of the change, UK sales have increased by 20% and the firm has secured a contract to supply three million Sherbet Fountains to Australian Bulk Foods. The product was previously not widely exported.

Blackpool-headquartered Tangerine will also supply 700,000 cases of Taverners 'Proper Sweets' and executive chairman Steven Joseph said there was an opportunity to grow exports, particularly to take advantage of the weak pound.

"The export potential of brands like Sherbet Fountain and Taverners is huge, particularly in what you might call former colonial markets such as Australia, South Africa, Canada and Hong Kong," he said.

The market is being driven by British ex-pats who are introducing products from their childhood to their own children.

For more on Tangerine Confectionery, see the February issue of Packaging News.

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