Celebrations, contain popular chocolate miniatures including Milky Way and Maltesers. These tubs were number one for Brits even with the inclusion of the divisive Bounty bar, which was pulled from its tins in previous years.
A survey by MyVoucherCodes using YouGov data found that 21% of consumers voted Celebrations as their favourite Christmas selection box, with Quality Street closing second.
Nestlé’s Quality Street has been on the market since 1936 – over 60 years longer than Celebrations – but it narrowly missed out on the top spot, as one-fifth of shoppers chose it as their most loved choc.
Mars recently came under fire for ‘shrinkflation’, when it was revealed that its Galaxy chocolate bar would become 10g smaller, despite the price of the bar rising. However, the discount deals website’s research reveals that shoppers have not been deterred from the brand.
Cadbury’s Heroes and Roses took third and fourth place with 20% and 15% of the votes, respectively.
Interestingly, a small number of respondents picked other non-traditional options as their favourite, including luxury Swiss chocolate brand Lindt, as well as Thorntons and Hotel Chocolat.
Battle of the sexes
When it came to the battle of the sexes, men maybe aren’t from Mars after all, as they chose Quality Street as their favourite, while women preferred Celebrations. Out of the top four contenders, older generations also favoured Quality Street above the other popular confections.
Generation X, baby boomers and the ‘silent generation’ (those born between 1925 and 1945) all voted the Nestlé-produced chocolate as their favourite Christmas selection box. The eldest generation by far enjoyed this treat the most, perhaps due to it being the longest-running of the four. Meanwhile, Gen Z and millennials both voted Celebrations as their favourite tub, with Heroes coming in second.
Sarah-Jane Outten, savings expert from MyVoucherCodes, said: “Whatever your chocolate preferences are, if you’re looking to stock up on sweet treats for the family, or are just doing your usual pre-Christmas food shop, don’t forget to look for money-saving deals online. Always check for vouchers or discount codes for your favourite retailers, so that you can sort your Christmas shopping for less this year.”