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Nestlé has launched a cookie dough flavour extension across its KitKat chocolate bar range in the UK, as the group leans on familiar, indulgent flavours to support volume and value growth in a highly competitive confectionery market.

The new range combines KitKat’s wafer-based chocolate with cookie dough flavouring and will be rolled out across multiple formats, including four-finger and two-finger bars, as well as a sharing bar.

The move reflects a broader strategy among global confectionery manufacturers to rely on flavour innovation and format diversification rather than entirely new brands, as inflation, private-label competition and changing snacking habits continue to reshape the category.

Cookie dough has emerged as one of the most resilient flavours across desserts, ice cream and confectionery, offering brands a way to introduce novelty while minimising consumer risk.

For KitKat, which is marking its 90th anniversary, the extension allows Nestlé to refresh the brand while staying within its core indulgence positioning.

By launching the flavour across single bars, multipacks and sharing formats, Nestlé is targeting multiple consumption occasions, from individual 'treat' purchases to at-home sharing, a segment that has grown in importance as shoppers look for value and versatility.

Stephanie Scales, marketing manager for KitKat at Nestlé UK & Ireland, said the new flavour was designed to build on strong consumer affinity for cookie dough while maintaining the brand’s signature wafer texture.

The launch follows a period of heightened marketing activity for KitKat, including a recent promotional tie-up with Formula 1, where the brand was named the sport’s official chocolate bar.

Such partnerships, combined with regular flavour and format updates, are increasingly critical for established brands seeking to maintain shelf space and relevance.

For retailers and suppliers, the rollout highlights how incremental innovation – rather than radical reformulation – remains a key growth lever in confectionery, particularly as manufacturers balance indulgence with rising cost pressures across cocoa, energy and logistics.

Products are already available in selected retailers, with a nationwide rollout planned from April.