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A sweet KKR connection gone sour
The cheering faithfuls have continued to pack the stands, but the string of losses have sent the sales of customised KKR-themed cookies, cakes and other sweet eatables sliding south. Sanya Panwar reports.
The cheering faithfuls have continued to pack the stands despite the indifferent run of their knights in purple and gold in the ongoing season of the Twenty-20 league, but the string of losses have sent the sales of customised KKR-themed cookies, cakes and other sweet eatables sliding south.
“Sensing the frenzied, celebratory mood of the fans after KKR’s victory last year and the hopes of an encore in the current edition, we brought out a bevy of sweet delicacies this year. Initial sales were robust and even exceeded our expectations,” Manju Sethia of Krazy for Chocolates, a popular city confectioner offering T20-themed cakes and muffins, told HT.
“The first two weeks of the current season of the tournament saw steady sales of the KKR-themed eatables, especially muffins topped with a KKR logo. But the sales registered a sharp dip over the last few days. While there haven’t been too many takers for the KKR-themed goodies this year, those topped with logos of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) have been selling big,” Sethia said.
She said her sweet joint would earlier sell no less than 180 muffins daily, but the number have since dropped to 80-90, with those themed on KKR accounting for less than half of the sales.
Harjot Singh, a student of class 11 at La Martiniere for Boys, had planned on getting a KKR-themed cake for his birthday, but had a change of heart after the Knights’ slump in form in the ongoing season of the league.
“I was rooting for KKR at the start, but now want the Mumbai Indians to win. I had planned on getting a KKR-themed cake for my birthday, but have since opted for a regular one,” said 16-year-old Harjot.
A senior employee of Kookie Jar said even as recently as last month, the confectioners’ had been cashing in on the T20 craze and brought out a series of cookies shaped after a cricket bat and ball. “Customers, especially the youth and children, couldn’t get enough of them,” he said.
But with the Knights’ suffering a string of losses, thereby making its road to the semi-finals more challenging, the sales have slumped. The sale of customised cookies at Kookie Jar has fallen from 120 a day to about a 100, he added.
“KKR fans love their team. Earlier many would come and buy our T20-themed cookies to show their support to the team. We often ran out of stock. But unless there is a turnaround in their fortunes this season, our sales won’t pick up,” said a senior employee of a city confectioner.
