Chocolate bar sales slump by 160million in past year as prices soar and sizes shrink

AROUND 160million choccie bar sales have melted away in the past year.

Britain’s most popular, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, has seen sales slump by four million after prices soared by 50 per cent.

Many favourites including Kit Kat, Galaxy, Maltesers, Twirl, Lindor and Kinder all sold less than in the previous 12-month period.

Experts said people are eating less chocolate amid price hikes and shrinking sizes.

The average rise in cost was 16 per cent. But Dairy Milk’s 110g bar rose 50 per cent from £1 to £1.50.

Quality Street, Galaxy and Lindt Lindor went up by more than 40 per cent.

At the same time, packs are getting smaller. Cadbury’s Buttons shrank by 23 per cent, from 240g to 184.8g.

A report by market research firm Mintel reveals we bought 16million kilos less chocolate in the past year. Yet shoppers spent six per cent more.

The rising price of cocoa and big factory energy costs are blamed.

Richard Caines, chocolate analyst at Mintel, said: “People are eating chocolate less frequently and soaring prices is a major reason.”