Russia’s Voronej confectionery company has revamped both the contents and the packaging of its product range in a bid to compete more effectively with the growing number of foreign confectionery brands, writes Angela Drujinina.

The company’s flagship brand, K zvezdam (which means ‘Towards the stars’), was relaunched at the start of the year with a more modern design, including unusual forms for the sweets themselves and a map of the constellations. While the revamp of the 40-year-old K zvezdam brand is the most recent novelty at Voronej (part of the United Confectioners holding company) it is not the only one.

The company’s flagship brand, K zvezdam (which means ‘Towards the stars’), was relaunched at the start of the year with a more modern design, including unusual forms for the sweets themselves and a map of the constellations. While the revamp of the 40-year-old K zvezdam brand is the most recent novelty at Voronej (part of the United Confectioners holding company) it is not the only one. In 2004 the company launched 18 new original products, including the Staryi Zamok (‘Old Castle’) chocolate box, the Po secretu (‘I’ll tell you a secret’) brand of waffles and Nejnoie (‘Delicate’) cookies. Waffles and biscuits such as Po secretu and Veselye celoveciki (‘Cheerful little people’) are targeted primarily at children, and their formulation is tailored to suit the demands of parents concerned about what their children eat. For example, both these brands contain vetoron, a natural additive which is rich in beta-carotene, as well as vitamins  and Ñ, glucose, fructose and pectins. They also contain potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, iodine and fluorine. As a result of the high level of new product activity in 2004, the company’s waffles and cookies division saw sales increase 6.5 per cent to 9 per cent of total turnover. The United Confectioners holding comprises 15 confectionery companies, including ROT FRONT, Krasnyi Okteabri and Babayevskiy. The holding’s turnover in 2004 was around $670 million, up some 14.5 per cent on the previous year.