Available in over 85 countries and with more than 5 billion bars sold annually, KitKat is Nestlé’s leading confectionery brand in terms of both revenue and brand value, making it a cornerstone of the company’s global portfolio. This year marks 90 years since the brand’s beginning in 1935 in York, where its R&D and manufacturing HQ still resides today.
With its iconic tagline, “Have a break, have a KitKat” the brand has become the international symbol of a meaningful break from the stresses of daily life. Throughout its 90-year history, the brand has been continuously reinvented to cater to new consumption moments and to appeal to the local tastes and cultural preferences of many regions around the world. Originally created as a four-finger chocolate-covered wafer bar, KitKat today, is offered in over 300 diverse flavours around the world, ranging from hazelnut or salted caramel here in the UK to more exotic fare such as wasabi or matcha in other markets.
A brand with British heritage and global appeal
The home of the KitKat, York, has a rich chocolate-making history. Once nicknamed the Chocolate City, it’s where KitKat was originally invented by Rowntree’s and where it is still made today. Thanks to an employee suggesting an idea for a chocolate bar that could easily fit in a lunch box, the bars that you know and love today made their first appearance back in 1935. The name originates from an eighteenth-century pastry cook called Christopher Catling, or Kit Cat as he was more commonly known.
90 years later, Nestlé York makes up to four million KitKat bars every day, all designed, developed and delivered here by its team of chocolate experts.
Giles Naish, the great-great-grandson of confectionery pioneer, Joseph Rowntree, and Confectionery Innovation Project Lead in York today, proudly showcases the generational legacy and values that underpin Nestlé’s presence in York in Nestlé’s recent Good for Britian, Good for the Future campaign.
Giles Naish, Confectionery Innovation Project Lead, Nestlé UK and Ireland, highlights: “We're constantly innovating and coming up with new ideas, so when you see a new product in a shop somewhere, you can think that actually the idea will have been developed here in our kitchens and factory.
“Next time you have a break and have a KitKat, you're enjoying 90 years of history that started here in York and continues as one of Britain's success stories.”
Scott Coles, Managing Director for Nestlé Confectionery in the UK and Ireland, comments: "To think KitKat started here in York 90 years ago and has grown into a multi-billion-pound, global brand is something we're all incredibly proud of.
"York is still home to our confectionery business and factory where we employ more than 2,000 people and make millions of KitKats every single day.
"KitKat is a true British success story and, while 90 years is an impressive milestone, I'm sure KitKat will be helping the people of Britain have a break for many decades to come."
Innovating while staying true to our roots
Nestlé continues to invest in its biggest and most profitable brands, like KitKat, because of the growth opportunities they offer. Most recently, the company launched KitKat blocks in Europe, where tablets have grown by over CHF 1.4 billion in sales over the past two years and are now valued at CHF 7.5 billion. With tablets now the second most popular chocolate format in Europe, KitKat blocks are designed to capture the growing demand for indulgent and shareable chocolate experiences. KitKat is known for providing consumers with a much-needed break during the day. With blocks, it is now expanding to new occasions, like those well-earned end of day breaks at home, after work or during the weekend.
KitKat has also collaborated with other popular Nestlé brands, such as Nescafé, to create the KitKat Nescafé Mocha Flavour. It has also introduced innovative and appealing finishes, for example in the KitKat Chunky Funky, an eye-catching marbled bar to engage and excite younger consumers.
An unforgettable tagline…
Effective marketing with a consistent message over time is crucial for winning with consumers across new geographies and has been a key component of the brands success over the course of 90 years. From pre and post war advertisements to global campaigns such as the recently launched 'Break Better' campaign, encouraging people to take more meaningful breaks, the 'have a break' positioning has remained the cornerstone of the brands ethos whilst adapting to present-day culture.
KitKat has also maintained its continuous success throughout its 90 years by finding a balance between a consistent brand experience and localisation to achieve maximum impact and profitability. From customising its flavours and recipes to local preferences to targeting key consumer groups in different markets through various partnerships, advertising channels and event marketing.
Here in the UK, the brand recently teamed up with nostalgic movie rental brand, Blockbuster, to create an immersive experience. Brits were encouraged to step away from their everyday life and rewind to a simpler time to celebrate the launch of its new format sharing bars and encourage people to take a more meaningful break. The activity saw over 6000 members of the public drop in and really highlights the continued strength and resonance of the brand, with both existing KitKat fans as well as new generations.
As the brand looks to the next 90 years, KitKat will continue to reinvent itself, applying many of the same strategies it has in the past, but constantly modernising to appeal to changing consumer preferences.
*Images reproduced with the permission of Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York
