Coles confirms Little Shop collectables will return for Christmas

COLES has confirmed there will be five new mini collectables available next week. The campaign that sent Aussies crazy is back.

COLES has confirmed the Little Shop craze that took the country by storm is set to return with five new festive collectables in time for Christmas.

A spokesman for the supermarket giant told news.com.au the Christmas-themed collection includes mince pies, a pavlova slab, bon bons, a gingerbread biscuit and a limited-edition gingerbread ice-cream.

“Customers will receive one free Christmas mini collectable for every $30 they spend in store from December 7,” the spokesman said.

“There will also be a limited number of special-edition Christmas stocking collector cases available for purchase for $4.”

The confirmation followed an email that was shared on social media that revealed the insanely popular campaign was back again.

Coles’ Little Shop Christmas collectables.

The note, which has been shared on Little Shop swap groups on Facebook, said the collectables craze is set to return for a special “Christmas edition” next week.

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“We have some BIG news, team! Little Shop is back for Christmas!” the memo begins.

“From Friday 7 December, for every $30 spent at Coles supermarkets and Coles Online, customers can collect a FREE mini collectable — with a total of 5 minis to collect.

“Little Shop Christmas Edition will delight customers this festive season!”

This memo, which appears to be an internal staff note, has been circulating on social media. Picture: Facebook

A picture of new Little Shop stock sent to news.com.au shows an updated festive Little Shop logo, featuring a gingerbread man and Christmas tree.

A photo of Little Shop stock shows a new festive logo featuring a gingerbread man and Christmas tree.

Coles released 30 mini toy versions of popular grocery staples including Weet Bix, Vegemite and Nutella during the original Little Shop campaign, which launched in July this year.

Shoppers scored one free toy with every $30 spent in-store, and before long, it had become a popular trend, with some items reportedly being sold online for astronomical prices as parents attempted to amass the entire collection for their kids.

It was so popular Facebook groups dedicated to swapping the toys began popping up on social media and swap days were held in some Coles stores.

Audrey Henderson 9, Annalise Henderson, 7, and Abi Campbell, 8, were fans of the original campaign. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Last month, Coles also reported comparable sales growth of 5.1 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year off the back of the highly successful Little Shop campaign.

Headline supermarket sales for the 13 weeks from June 25 to September 23 were up 5.8 per cent to $7.66 billion. Including liquor and convenience, Coles’ total sales were up 5 per cent to $9.84 billion.

However, it also sparked some controversy at the time regarding the environmental impact of the toys — especially given Coles and Woolies had banned free single-use plastic bags just before the campaign was launched.

And earlier this month, an Aussie woman claimed to have found a Coles Mini Shop toy washed up on a Bali beach, although it could not be proven whether it had travelled to Indonesia via the ocean or simply lost by a visiting tourist.

The leaked email also comes hot on the heels of rival Woolworths’ Christmas Pop-Outs campaign that features 12 buildable cardboard characters.

Coles previously indicated the Little Shop campaign would return in 2019.

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