Cadbury and the rise of the supermarket: Innovation in marketing

This project used company archival data, supported by evidence from the trade press, to examine the development of the manufacturer-retailer relationship in the case of Cadbury and the supermarket retailers distributing its products in the period 1953-1975.

Project outputs

We revealed that the increasing importance of supermarket retailing, in relation to the confectionery as well as the grocery goods trades, had a direct influence on Cadbury’s marketing strategies and practices. We also provided new insight into the significance of these changes for Cadbury’s relationships with other manufacturers, including small-scale retailers typified by confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents.