Ritter Sport is adding to its travel retail line with a new Choco Cubes Fruity Yogurt Mix. The 20-piece pouch—which is exclusive to the channel—will be revealed at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, France, October 2–5. The family-owned German chocolate company will also present a redesigned booth at the event (Mediterranean Village N18) and is set to reveal two other novelties.

Ritter Sport’s booth will spotlight the brand’s core messages—colorful, joyful, and modern—in an eye-catching, feel-good environment designed to welcome customers into the Ritter Sport "living room."

Sustainability also plays a key role in the new-look stand. Ritter Sport’s exhibition furniture has been upcycled; the floor and overall construction can be reused at other trade fairs, with recycled materials used wherever possible.

Jan Pasold, managing director, global travel retail, Ritter Sport said the fruity yogurt flavors are especially popular in the Asia Pacific regions. “With the addition of new flavors, Ritter Sport is looking to strengthen the Choco Cubes product line-up as we know that small bites are performing very well in travel retail.”

Choco Cubes feature natural ingredients without added flavorings and cocoa from 100% sustainable, certified cocoa sources. The new product will be available on shelves in April 2024. 

At TFWA World Exhibition, Ritter Sport aims to develop ideas with important key accounts and distributors through partnership discussions. “Everything looks set to be right back on track this year, so the focus for 2024 is very much on the traveler,” said Pasold, adding that Ritter Sport’s focus is on developing existing key accounts, markets, and regions. “We see a lot of potential there. We are significantly better now than in 2019 and 2022; for us that means no more looking back and comparing with pre-COVID pandemic performances. It is all about looking ahead to a very positive future.”

This positivity comes on the back of excellent performance for Ritter Sport’s Travel Edition range, with the new 250g Mini Tower, Vegan Tower, and Limited Edition all meeting projected sales targets. The brand’s vegan products will be highlighted through a high-profile activation with Dufry and Emotion + at London Heathrow in September. “This is going to be a big story for us as the demand for ‘full flavour’ vegan products grows rapidly,” continues Pasold,

Looking at market developments, Pasold added: “Asia is getting back on track, distribution in the U.S. has grown, and we also cracked the MEA in the second half of the year. Ritter Sport products are now available in Dubai and Muscat, and discussions are ongoing with retailers in the region.”

He said Ritter Sport aimed to make the route to market more reliable and predictable. “This, of course, means exchanging information more closely with retailers in order to achieve more accurate forecasting. This is an important step to ensure that the traveler always finds sufficient fresh products on the shelf.”