Smarties to lose tube-shaped packet

21/02/05 The maker of Smarties has announced it is to ditch the colourful chocolates' tube-shaped packet.

Nestle Rowntree is to replace the beloved 68-year-old cylindrical design with a hexagonal or six-sided pack.

The removable plastic lid on the current design will also go in favour of a cardboard flip-top. Nestle Rowntree said the revamp was needed to ensure the brand remained "fresh and interesting" to youngsters.

Smarties have been sold in a cylinder-shaped packet since the sweets were first launched by Rowntree's of York in 1937.

They were originally called Chocolate Beans but were renamed a year later.

Since then empty tubes have been used by creative children to make everything from space rockets to castles, while the removable plastic lids were collected for the letters of the alphabet that were imprinted underneath.

The new so-called Hexatube packet will go into stores during the summer.

Swiss-based Nestle, which bought Rowntree back in 1988, denied suggestions that the redesign was to save costs.

The sugar-coated chocolate sweets will also retain the same eight colours - red, orange, yellow, green, mauve, pink, brown and blue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4276553.stm