Perfetti Van Melle has appointed Rob Lockley as its new Commercial Managing Director in the UK.
He joined the confectionery manufacturer as Sales Director 18 months ago, helping boost performance across its four major brands: Mentos, Chupa Chups, Fruit-tella and Smint.
The leadership change comes at a time when the business is growing (+3.6%) well ahead of the market (-0.9%). 2024 was a strong year, with performance driven by new launches such as Mentos Discovery, which delivered £1.3m in value sales alone. Perfetti Van Melle brand’s value growth of 9.1% in the final month of 2024, driven by Mints and Sweets, contributed to a market value share of 4.85%.
Over the past 30 years, Lockley has worked with some of the UK’s largest grocery brands, including Kellogg’s, CCEP, Mars Wrigley and Muller.
He commented: “I am thrilled to be taking this next step in my career with Perfetti Van Melle. I’ve spent the last 18 months immersing myself back into the world of confectionery, which in the UK is now worth £1.6bn, the opportunities are endless!
“The retail environment is moving at a rapid pace, and we need to ensure we’re evolving alongside it, bringing fresh thinking and new shopper missions to the forefront. Our brands exude quality, which is half the battle given taste is the number one purchase driver. As challengers, we have a mischievous role to play; we can be fun, bold and disruptive to achieve our goals. In 2025, we will be agile, leveraging the skills and capabilities of our wonderful team in a market that is ripe for change.”
