UK / Ireland: Nestle's Wonka chocolate bars to be discontinued

Nestle is set to drop its Wonka brand of chocolate bars in the UK and Ireland less than a year after launch, European Supermarket Magazine (ESM) reports.

The line, unveiled last September, is said to have exceeded £16 million ($27 million) in sales by the end of May 2014, but monthly sales have reportedly tailed off from an initial £3 million ($5 million) per month to just £1 million ($1.7 million_ per month.

Promoted by Nestle as a product that was  "wonderfully inventive", the Wonka bars were "developed in response to consumer feedback which showed that Britons wanted something exciting, genuinely new and different", according to a company statement released at the time of launch. The line was made available in three varieties: Wonka’s Millionaires Shortbread, Wonka’s Chocolate Nice Cream, and Wonka’s Creme Brulee.

Production will end this summer but the product is likely to remain on shelves in the UK and Ireland for much of the rest of the year, ESM concluded.

Source: European Supermarket Magazine / Nestle