Joost Rosmuller, Vice President and Managing Director, Mondelēz WTR with Fraser Brown, Retail Director at Heathrow.

ON LOCATION: Mondelēz World Travel Retail (WTR) has teamed up with Heathrow and Avolta to unveil an exclusive limited-edition Toblerone Eton Mess bar that’s only available only at the London hub this summer.

TRBusiness was on location for the launch yesterday (Monday 15 June), alongside senior representatives from the supplier, the airport and the retailer, to find out more about the co-created bar.

Its distinctive taste profile, inspired by one of Britain’s most iconic desserts, blends raspberries, strawberries, meringue and shortcake pieces in a white Toblerone chocolate. Only 4,000 of the bars exist, of which only 65 pieces are being released per day.

Much to the delight of passengers, the launch is being led by a striking activation located at the main World Duty Free store in Terminal 3, which is expected to run for around eight weeks – while stocks last.

From the product itself to the head-turning theatre that has been created around it, there’s lots for shoppers to discover.

Fraser Brown, Retail Director at Heathrow, described the bar as a “playful yet premium take on a recognisable British flavour” that’s a prime example of the hub’s retail strategy in action – utilising Digital, Experience, Space and Offer to create immersive and engaging propositions for its passengers.

The launch was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 15 attended by senior representatives from Mondelēz WTR, Heathrow Airport and Avolta.

“We’re a big believer as an airport, in engagement with retailers and brands – were not a passive landlord, and this is a good example of that,” he told TRBusiness.

The T3 pop-up activation takes the shape of a red and white Toblerone ‘Never Square’ Collection Boutique complete with a product discovery table, digital animation that showcases the Eton Mess story, and a photo opportunity with a ceremonial Toblerone British Guard wearing an on-brand triangular-shaped  bearskin hat.

The ceremonial Toblerone British Guard strikes a pose with TRBusiness Editorial Director Faye Bartle.

More broadly, the launch is supported by an omnichannel campaign designed to build curiosity and demand before and during the airport experience.

This all began on May 29 with a teaser campaign across London, featuring the Toblerone British Guard carrying a giant Toblerone bar on the Heathrow Express train, travelling from London Paddington to the hub – a move that spawned a wave of social media moments, sparking speculation and building early intrigue around the limited-edition release.

Toblerone Eton Mess in the making

The high-impact launch is the culmination of many months of planning. The seed was sown for Toblerone Eton Mess during a conversation between Brown and Joost Rosmuller, Vice President and Managing Director, Mondelēz WTR, during the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last year – born from the duo’s shared ambition to create value through products that are distinctly different and create a great experience for travelling shoppers.

Drawing on the work that Rosmuller and his team has carried out around flavours, Eton Mess was chosen not only for being “consumer-centric”, but for its cultural resonance and relevance to Heathrow (the launch forms part of the hub’s 80th birthday celebrations). Plus, it coincides with the tennis season in London.

Far from just a boardroom idea, the partners have been fully involved in the bar’s conception – and bringing it to life. All were involved in a ‘top secret’ meeting towards the end of last year to taste the flavours, and they later witnessed the product being made, with up to 200 bars being handcrafted per day.

Only 4,000 of the handcrafted bars have been produced exclusively for Heathrow travellers.

“We had several British flavours in mind. We carried out focus groups to understand what consumers would like and Eton Mess stood out. Obviously, we knew this was going to be a summer activation, so the timing is right and it all started to fit together,” explained Rosmuller.

Eton Mess, priced at £27, is the fourth limited edition flavour following Crunchy Popcorn, Pink Crush and Strawberry Matcha.

“We see that when you really link the product to the destination, and it has cultural relevance – not just for UK people but for visitors, as it’s also nice to bring it home as a gift – it makes shopping at the airport, at Heathrow, really special, as you cannot get it anywhere else,” said Brown.

At the T3 activation, passengers can enjoy an ‘afternoon tea’ tasting experience, sampling mini meringues. Plus, they can watch a fun reenactment of the changing of the guard ritual, both in the terminal and at the boutique. On high-traffic days, the Toblerone British Guard also marches through the terminal to the pop-up to stand guard over the bars.

The launch reflects a focus on creating products that feel relevant to the place and time.

Rosmuller relayed that Toblerone Eton Mess is not intended to be rolled out more widely than Heathrow, as it’s being viewed as an ‘uber’ sense of place item.

“Here at Heathrow, this is positioned as the ultimate gift from Great Britain,” he told us. “It’s a Very Limited Edition – you can only get it here, right now. That scarcity, combined with the storytelling behind Eton Mess as a quintessentially British dessert, makes it more than a chocolate bar. It becomes a memorable experience, something you bring home that carries a story. And that’s where the value lies – in the moment and the memory, not just the product.”

On the world stage

On the choice of activation site, Avolta UK Retail Operations Director Peter Cunningham, commented: “The space is a great stage so to put something there that’s a great activation, that has a sense of place and a touch of theatre – you can see this morning that passengers want to engage and find out what it’s about so there a story behind it as well.”

He continued: “As a retailer, we have a great stage which is Heathrow, and we have a great brand, and what we do is bring that together to present it in a way that delights people and encourages them to buy – particularly from a gifting perspective.”

Shoppers are being encouraged to limit their purchasing to just a few of the limited editions at most, in keeping with the spirit of the activation to give as many passengers as possible the chance to snap one up. On the days that experience a swift, early doors sell-out, there is still plenty for shoppers to discover.

“With Toblerone you have so many different flavours so you can introduce people to the whole range,” said Cunningham.

Guests gather for the great unveiling at Heathrow on 15 June.

T3’s predominantly long-haul passenger base that sees travellers heading off to far-flung destinations such as the US and Middle East, is especially well suited to this launch.

“Although it’s available in all terminals, Avolta and Mondelez, quite rightly focused on Terminal 3 for the activation because we know that each terminal at Heathrow has great demographics, but each is different,” said Brown.

“And we know from previous successes with confectionery, that Terminal 3’s demographics is particularly good for doing confectionery activations.”

An uplifting experience 

The launch is intended to have a knock-on effect on the confectionery category as a whole.

“To me, this is not about winning market share from competitors,” said Rosmuller. “With only eight out of every 100 travellers currently buying a confectionery item, there are 92 who don’t. If you move from eight to nine or 10 buyers per hundred, the uplift is massive.

“That’s why we’re so passionate about activations like this: it confirms Heathrow as a special place to shop, our trinity partnership is special, and Toblerone as a brand is special, with our sales numbers reflecting that. When you create more engagement and excitement in the space, conversion goes up – and the whole category lifts, not just Toblerone.

“That’s the real opportunity – growing the category by creating special activations and ranges. This is what our ‘Destination: Value’ Vision is all about.”

Left: TRBusiness’ Faye Bartle with Anna Somogyi, Marketing Director, Mondelēz WTR. Right: Only 65 pieces are available per day. In Terminal 3 at the main World Duty Free store.

Avolta is keeping a watchful eye on how travelling consumers respond.

“We’re very interested in the qualitative feedback we get from customers,” said Cunningham.

“Heathrow does a lot in terms of measuring customer satisfaction, looking at customers’ interpretation of value for money, newness, exclusivity, gifting – so what we are hoping for is really positive in terms of that.

“Part of the whole process of that is that people are demanding more, so getting that qualitative data that shows people enjoyed the experience, they engaged, interacted and decided to make that purchase, is an all-round way of understanding its success. For all of us, it’s why were together as partners to look at how we can make that experience better – and if we get that feedback then I think that’s a real tick in the box for all of us.”

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