Interview: Why the future looks sweet for Haribo’s Bluewater store

Confectionery giant Haribo opened its latest store in Kent’s Bluewater shopping centre this month, marking its 11th retail site in the UK.

Aiming to “capture the moment of childlike happiness,” the shop marks Haribo’s first outside of an outlet centre, as it builds up its network of UK branches.

Although direct retail is still a relatively new addition to the business, Haribo’s new Bluewater store is fully decked out with colourful lights, and more sweets than you could imagine.

Featuring a giant digital screen as its shopfront, a feature pick ‘n’ mix station, and a 3D selfie area, the store is certainly hard to miss for shoppers strolling by. 

With the highly anticipated site finally opening, Haribo’s head of retail, Rebecca Fox, tells Retail Gazette about the store and Haribo’s wider UK ambitions.

Bluewater site a “no brainer”

The opening of the Bluewater Haribo store was met with much fanfare. Shoppers joined the retailer’s Goldbear mascot, who carried out the official ribbon cutting of the store, for its opening celebration .

The first 50 customers through the doors were given free goodie bags, with more shoppers set to win surprise giveaways during the store’s first week.

The shop features exclusive merchandise and a feature pick ‘n’ mix station, as well as a colourful, dedicated area of the store where visitors can take selfies.

Fox, who has worked for Haribo since 2018, says the brand’s ten existing UK outlet stores have been “really successful” and have “paved the way for us to start looking at what we do next after outlets”.

She notes that Bluewater “really stood out to us” as a potential site. Haribo had previously run a successful ‘Hide N Seekers’ event in 2023, bringing the UK’s largest ballpit to the centre, meaning there was a good pre-existing relationship between Haribo and the shopping centre operator.

“We saw the love for Haribo at Bluewater at that time – there were two hour queues to come to our event,” says Fox.

As the UK’s fifth biggest shopping centre, pulling in 28 million visitors per year, Fox insists it was a “no brainer” for Haribo to pick Bluewater for its first shopping centre branch.

Clearly, it will not be its last. Fox says the brand is open to rolling out stores “wherever we can”.

With Bluewater marking its 11th retail site in the UK, Haribo plans to continue its trend of opening one to two stores per year.

Offering a sneak peek to the company’s store expansion plans, Fox reveals the brand is hoping to open its next site in Scotland.

“We continue to look in all areas of the UK at different shopping destinations, so everything’s in scope,” she says. “It’s really just following our Haribo fans and putting down stores in places that make geographical sense.

“There’s a couple of new outlets under construction currently, so we’re always looking at all the different diverse shopping locations in the UK to see where’s best for our next store.” 

Wider range and variety

The Haribo brand has been around since 1920, but it took a long time to create is own retail proposition. The first Haribo outlet store launched in November 2017 at the London Designer Outlet centre.

Although physical stores are still a relatively new initiative for the brand, Fox says they play an important role in displaying a far broader range of products than can be found in third party stores.  

“From a stores perspective we offer the whole range that you’ll find in any supermarket or convenience store in the UK, along with our products which are exclusive to stores,” says Fox. “It really is a hub for the Haribo fans out there.”

With some fans drawn to the stores by an existing fondness for a favourite product, the wider range provides a perfect opportunity to introduce them to new variants.

“Those big brands bring the customers in and then that’s our chance to say ‘you love Tangfastics, have you tried this product, and would you like to fill up the pick n mix?’ 

“It’s the perfect chance as they get a whole cup and they can try all the different sweets from our 60 pick n mix bins.” 

The store aims to cater to a wide range of shoppers, with vegetarian and halal selections clearly displayed along the walls.

“We’re trying to appeal and have something for everyone,” says Fox. “Whether you’ve got specific dietary requirements and you’re looking for vegetarian sweets or you’re planning a party with bulk items.”   

As well as displaying a wide range of sweets, Haribo’s stores also house a general merchandise range which is exclusive to its shops.

The range means Haribo superfans can even get their hands on colourful branded stationery, flasks, glass jars, socks, and more.

Highlighting one of the brand’s most popular pieces of merch, Haribo retail area manager Simon Kennedy points out its pastel pink Chamallow plush toys are some of its best selling products.

Shoppers at Haribo stores can also get their hands on a range of scented candles, with scents including cherry cola and melon.

Interactive activations

Although its Hide N Seekers event at Bluewater in 2023 was considered a success, Haribo has no immediate plans for any more brand activations. However, Fox says the brand is focusing on the stores themselves becoming activation points.    

“We’re not doing large scale events, but we’re bringing that kind of experience into the stores, whether that’s taking your photo in our photo area or sharing on socials,” says Fox.

Utilising its iconic Goldbear character, the store boasts a 3D photo area for shoppers to stand in and take selfies. “Shoppers can stand here, strike their pose, and then share the photos on social media. We’re planning to run some social competitions, sharing your selfie in the Haribo store to win prizes,” explains Fox.

The store’s entire shop front serves as a digital screen, which will display seasonal content and, potentially, something even more engaging. “We’re looking as to whether we can make those more interactive in the future with games, etc,” says Fox.

Future plans remain consumer focussed

Following the excitement of its Bluewater launch, Fox says Haribo’s focus for the year ahead hinges on “introducing new products that customers are going to love alongside their old favourites” both in its own stores and the wider marketplace.

Bluewater is certainly the perfect place for Haribo to showcase its new creations, with its full selection of sweets on display.

Kennedy points out it often finds its “top selling products in the stores are the things you can’t get anywhere else,” such as those under its “global favourites range” which is exclusive to its shops.

“We’ve got products imported from Spain, France, Turkey, this is a range where we bring in new products all the time,” he says.

“So you might come in now but in six months time we’ll have something new and exciting there as well.”

With its widest range of products available and new sites in the pipeline, the future of Haribo’s physical stores certainly looks promising.

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