Cadbury store criticised for gesture eggs rebrand

An exterior view of the Cadbury store — Image caption,

"Gesture" eggs were said to have been for sale at the Cadbury store in Springfields Outlet, Spalding

By Kevin Shoesmith and Harry Parkhill

BBC News

A Cadbury store has been criticised by a Christian campaign group for advertising chocolate Easter eggs as "gesture" eggs.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the shop in Springfields Outlet in Spalding, Lincolnshire, was offering a two for £10 deal on the "gesture" eggs.

Cadbury's owners said it had "no involvement" in the promotion. The BBC has approached the store for comment.

Christian Concern said people were "overly worried about offending".

Mondalez International, which owns Cadbury, said it had licensed the brand to Freshstores Limited, which runs the Cadbury discount store "completely independently".

In a statement, Mondalez International said: "This promotion is not Cadbury led and we had no involvement in any way. All Cadbury Easter shell eggs sold in the UK reference Easter very clearly on the packaging – sometimes multiple times.

"Cadbury has used the word Easter in our marketing and communications for over 100 years and continue to do so with our new Easter product range. To claim anything otherwise is factually incorrect."

A display of eggs labelled as Easter eggs — Image caption,

References to Easter eggs had been restored by Wednesday morning

'Very odd'

Tim Dieppe, the head of public policy at Christian Concern, said Easter eggs were a "clear symbol of the Easter story".

He added: "It seems very odd that someone would want to try and separate Easter from eggs. Once you do that, you lose the meaning of the eggs."

Mr Dieppe accused the store of trying to "erase the connection between Easter and eggs".

Asked what he thought what behind the advertising, Mr Dieppe said: "People are overly worried about offending."

He insisted he was not offended, but added: "I am more surprised. Why would you not just say Easter egg?"

Nobody from the store would comment. The BBC has contacted representatives of Freshstores Limited for comment.

On Wednesday morning, a BBC reporter visited the store and saw a sign advertising two Easter eggs for £10, with no reference to "gesture" eggs.

It is not the first time Cadbury has been criticised for omitting the word "Easter" in its marketing.In 2017, a row erupted after a National Trust Easter egg trail, sponsored by Cadbury, was renamed the Great British Egg Hunt.At the time, it prompted the Church of England to accuse the National Trust and Cadbury of "airbrushing faith".