Quality Street tubs are shrinking yet again – but you might get more big Purple Ones

Quality Street tins and tubs carried 720g of chocolate in 2018, but this year the offering has been brought down to 650g.

The chocolatier has also switched up the assortment this season, with more chocolate but less toffee. In May, Nestle announced it would be axing the Toffee Deluxe.

A social media storm had seen the variety reinstated after it was first removed in 2016. This year, Quality Street will instead include the new Chocolate Caramel Brownie.

Quality Street was first introduced in 1936 in Halifax, West Yorkshire by Harold Mackintosh. Harold was the son of John and Violet Mackintosh who created the Toffee Deluxe as a standalone product earlier in the 20th century.

Named after the J M Barrie play, Quality Street is still manufactured in Halifax to this day and the Nestlé factory produces more than 10 million sweets every single day in the run up to Christmas.

Ellie Worley, Quality Street’s senior brand manager, said: “2019 is a huge year for Quality Street. We’ve got a new sweet, a new (packaging) design, and are developing the brand ahead of the Christmas season.

“I know just how much people love Quality Street and we work really hard to find that balance between keeping things fresh but also familiar. We’ve been listening and I think we’ve got the perfect mix this year and made the changes that people have told us they’d like to see.”

As well as the 650g tub, there will also be a 1kg Quality Street tub on sale, as well as a limited edition 800g gold tin at Tesco supermarkets. Budget retailer Coctgo will be stocking special 2kg tins too.

More chocolate

While the standard Quality Street tub weight has been again decreased, customers might be soothed to learn that this year will see a higher proportion of chocolate.

Nestle said feedback from shoppers suggested a keenness for a higher ratio of chocolate, so while more expensive to make, the company has upped its number of chocolate sweets from 35 to 46 per cent per tub.

It remains to be seen whether there will be more Green Triangles and Purple Ones as a result of the changes.