Farewell Snickers, now Marathon bars make a comeback

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A new report has revealed that Mars may be poised to resurrect the peanut-packed chocolate bar 18 years after it vanished from store shelves.

Nostalgic Britons could soon enjoy the retro revival of the popular sweet treat which was ditched in 1990 after Mars decided to align the UK Marathon product with the global Snickers name.

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Making a comeback: The Marathon chocolate bar could be back after it was renamed Snickers 18 years ago

Trade magazine The Grocer says that in the same week that Mars announced it was bringing back Opal Fruits as a three-month limited edition, the business has also re-registered the Marathon brand as a trademark in the UK.

The magazine says the retro re-brand would gain Mars valuable national coverage in the same way Opal Fruits received and Cadbury gained last year when it brought back Wispa.

Mars told the magazine that there were "no immediate plans" for another retro re-brand in the wake of Opal Fruits.

But Jeffrey Hyman, chairman of The Food & Drink Innovation Network said that it was still clever marketing.

"As a strategy it is excellent as it appeals to many older consumers" he said.

The Grocer said: "The nostalgic among us will no doubt welcome the news that Mars may resurrect Marathon on the back of the strong publicity the return of Opal Fruits has received.

"Consumers love a blast from the past but not as much as the confectionery manufacturers themselves, it seems.

"Mars is just the latest in a number of players to go retro. Nestle led the charge a few years back with the relaunch of its Texan bar and more recently Cadbury momentarily brought Wispa back to life."

But the magazine says that the revival is also a sad reflection on the state of new product development in the chocolate confectionery category where most "innovation" is either new packaging or just a variation on a theme.