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THE OSCBARS

Snickers is named the nation’s No1 chocolate bar, but what’s your choccy treat of choice?

IT was the nation’s No1 choccy bar 30 years ago – and today Snickers is back at top spot.

The nutty snack, known as the Marathon up until 1990,  has been the top-selling treat several times over the past three decades.

 Snickers is the top-selling bar, bit what's your favourite?
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Snickers is the top-selling bar, bit what's your favourite?

Made by American giant Mars, Snickers also claimed the title in  2012 and 2017, seeing off fierce competition from the likes of Dairy Milk, Galaxy, Maltesers  and KitKat.

Here, Richard Assheton reveals a sugar-hit parade of the UK’s top chocolate nibbles for each of the last 30 years.

Top choc bars through the years


THE PERFECT MIX, BUT TAMPER AT YOUR PERIL

THE Snickers bar is the ultimate quick fix if you suddenly feel hungry.

The taste of chocolate seems to miss something on its own, but chocolate and nuts have always been a classic combination.

Snickers has hit the nail on the head.

In the fight for supremacy, I’ve seen the Mars bar being overtaken by Maltesers and now Snickers has landed the crown once again.

It’s fascinating because I still meet people who refuse to eat a Snickers because they remember the old brand, Marathon, and were wedded to it.

They just felt the name Snickers was not for them.

Last year, Mars changed the name back for a limited time. They must have sold oceans. A lot of people suddenly felt they could buy a bar without buying Snickers.

A lot of manufacturers forget that we do have an extraordinary bond with our favourite brands.

We don’t like them to be tampered with, reduced in size or repackaged.

And we don’t like the makers to change the name of the product.

But despite all that battle, Snickers has triumphed.

That’s purely through being a terrific product with good marketing.

Snickers will be a favourite for years to come. A great brand is a great brand. It will remain a great brand unless you do something stupid like change the packaging.

l Robert Opie is presenter of Channel 5 documentary series The Wonderful World Of Chocolate.

By Robert Opie

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