While KitKat—launched 80 years ago by Yorkshire-based firm Rowntree—has seen a decline in UK sales over the past two years, business in Japan has been rising steadily since 2011, The Telegraph reported on 12 December.
The success has been attributed to the similarity of the name and the Japanese phrase kitto katsu (meaning will surely win). This has resulted in a surge in sales of the biscuit as a good luck present.
Since 1973, when KitKat was first sold in Japan, more than 300 flavours have been created. These include green tea, fruit parfait, cappuccino and red bean sandwich.