AUSTRALIANS will spend a fortune on chocolate this Easter — but shoppers have been warned to watch out for exorbitant mark-ups.
An analysis by comparison site Mozo.com.au has found shoppers could be paying more than four times the price for Easter novelty treats than block chocolate this year.
The site calculated the mark-ups on 18 Easter treats from popular chocolate brands by comparing the cost per 100g of the Easter branded item with 100g of the same brand’s block chocolate.
It found Australians were paying an average of 155 per cent more for Easter treats including eggs, chocolate bunnies and gift boxes.
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“The biggest mark-up we found this year is on a Cadbury Peter Rabbit Easter bunny coming
in at a whopping 320 per cent more per 100g than a large block of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. That works out to be a pricey $6 per 100g,” Mozo director Kirsty Lamont said.
“Most shoppers would expect to pay a little more for a beautifully packaged Easter gift, however it’s important to weigh up the convenience against the higher price.”
Easter gift sets had the biggest mark-ups across the board, costing 224 per cent more than block chocolate on average, followed by chocolate bunnies with an average mark-up of 166 per cent and hollow chocolate eggs at 149 per cent.
Cadbury’s Freddo Egg Gift Box charged a staggering mark-up of 308 per cent, while the price of a small egg tray from boutique retailer Haigh’s was 234 per cent more expensive than their standard chocolate offering.
Lindt’s Bunny Tractor set came in at 214 per cent more than a block of Lindt chocolate — but mini eggs were found to deliver the best value with the smallest average mark-up of 27 per cent.
Lindt’s Assorted Mini Eggs come in at just 5 per cent more than a standard chocolate block while Haigh’s mini eggs had a modest mark-up of 18 per cent.
For Cadbury lovers, solid milk eggs were also found to be the most budget friendly option.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by ME Bank found 88 per cent of Aussies will buy chocolate this Easter, with an average spend of $62 — up $14 from 2017 figures.
Families will spend even more — an average of $74, up $4 from last year.
And in 2018, 67 per cent of us will choose to buy smaller quantities of more expensive, higher-quality chocolate.
However, taste-testing research by comparison site finder.com.au has shown paying more doesn’t necessarily lead to the tastiest product, with all three of Aldi’s tested Easter chocolates being ranked the best on a scale of taste, sugar content and cost.
The research found the top all-round chocolate for the second year in a row was the cheapest on offer — the DairyFine Chocolate from Aldi, costing only $0.79 per 100g.
The most expensive chocolate, an About Life Carob Bunny retailing at $13.20 per 100g, was ranked the worst for taste, while the 125g Grand Ferrero Rocher ranked best for taste with a score of 8.26/10.
Money expert Bessie Hassan said price did not always equate with taste.
“If you’re looking for a chocolate alternative with half the amount of sugar and calories but the same delicious chocolatey taste, don’t get your hopes up with carob. Not only was it the least popular in regards to taste, but it was also the most expensive,” she said.
“Easter is the holiday for chocolate giving so of course there are going to be almost extortionary price mark-ups.
“You don’t have to go for a bunny or egg shaped chocolate though, and you’ll save up to 44 per cent just by picking a regular bar of chocolate over an Easter themed one.”
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