Benni Lickfett, deputy managing director at Norac Foods UK.

As retail buyers look beyond traditional confectionery for Halloween peaks, Whaoo! deputy managing director Benni Lickfett reveals how early supply chain scheduling, clean-label consistency, and responsive forecasting drive seasonal volume.

Supply chain & line flexibility

F&DT: Short-run, limited-edition packaging often introduces operational friction. How does Norac Foods manage the factory floor and line agility required for seasonal packaging runs without disrupting core production lines?

Benni Lickfett: Packaging updates always bring their own operational challenges, so early planning and open communication with our partners are essential to a smooth roll-out.

My advice is to always start earlier than you think you need to: get artwork agreed well in advance so packaging stock and production plans can be scheduled in with time to spare. From there, it’s about good communication with our factory team in France, who have years of experience navigating complex packaging changes. We work closely with them both on the supply chain and marketing side, and we lean on their expertise.

Technical formulation

Balancing a clean-label recipe (free from artificial preservatives and palm oil) with seasonal shelf-life and supply chain requirements can be challenging. How does your R&D team manage these technical requirements?

Benni Lickfett: Thriving for cleaner label is core to what we do at Whaoo! We are very aware that retailers are increasingly looking for clean label recipes, but more importantly, parents are seeking cleaner options as well. Especially as a family-oriented brand, giving parents products they can trust, and helping them make an easy choice at treat-time, is fundamental to who we are.

With that starting point, the question becomes what you can do without sacrificing taste, recipe, or value. Rather than launch an entirely new product, our seasonal edition uses the same recipe as our classic Chocolate-Filled Crêpe, so there are no new technical hurdles for our R&D team to navigate. It’s always a balance, but we think we’ve struck the right note for now: a good shelf life, no artificial flavours, colours, or preservatives, no palm oil, and great value.

Category disruption

With a 27% market share in branded crêpes, Whaoo! is competing for seasonal shelf space usually reserved for traditional confectionery. How are retail buyers responding to bakery/snack brands encroaching on these seasonal fixtures?

Benni Lickfett: We’ve found retail buyers hugely supportive of our seasonal packaging. Traditional confectionary will always have a place at Halloween, but our crêpes add some excitement to the fixture. Retailers know that, especially around the holidays, shoppers are looking for something new and engaging, and that stepping into unconventional categories helps tap into that wider retail moment.

Still, landing a place on the seasonal shelf is always competitive, which is why we make sure our eye-catching packaging does the advertising for us, while using shopper media to make it work even harder on the shelf.

Demand forecasting

How far in advance do your procurement and manufacturing teams need to lock in forecasts to manage sudden seasonal demand spikes without holding excess stock post-Halloween?

Benni Lickfett: No one wants to see Halloween stock still on the shelf in November, so forecasting accurately for seasonal spikes is a real challenge. Our forecasts are generally confirmed around three to four weeks out, and a lot of that comes down to experience with the market. Last year, our Halloween packaging and promotion helped boost sales by over 50% compared to the same period in 2024, so we are confident the stock will clear from stores within the Halloween period.