LONDON - Mars has revealed that Opal Fruits are going back on sale in the UK, 10 years after they were renamed Starburst.
The Opal Fruits brand name was scrapped in 1998 and replaced with Starburst by manufacturer Mars, much to the annoyance of some fans. Starburst first appeared in the US in 1976.
The chewy fruit sweets with the tagline "Made to make your mouth water" will now return with their old name for a limited period.
The packaging will be the same and the original four flavours of orange, lemon, lime and strawberry will be brought back.
The only difference will be that this time the recipe contains no artificial flavours or colours.
Opal Fruits will be on sale exclusively through supermarket chain Asda from May 11 for a limited period of 12 weeks. Starburst will continue to be sold as normal.
If the return of Opal Fruits is as popular as Mars expects it may make their comeback more permanent.
A spokesperson for Mars was reported in the Daily Mail to have said: "The brand is a classic. Everyone of a particular generation remembers the Opal Fruits catchphrase.
"After a 10-year absence from the UK market, we have decided to bring back Opal Fruits as a limited-edition offer. For those who remember the sweets in their original guise it will be an opportunity to evoke that sense of nostalgia."
Last year, Mars expanded its Starburst range with the launch of Starburst Drink, which comes in two flavours: Outrageous Orange & Pineapple and Sensational Strawberry & Raspberry. It also launched Starburst Choozers, a liquid-centred chew.
This week, Mars agreed to buy the owner of Wrigley chewing gum for £11.5bn. Mars plans to move its Starburst and Skittles sweets into Wrigley.
Source:
http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/80...k-decade-away/
