NECCO’s Sky Bar Candy Bar brand has been purchased by the owner of Duck Soup, a gourmet food store in Sudbury, Massachusetts. New England Confectionery Company (NECCO), a candy company with roots going back to 1847, went out of business last year, and its assets were split up and sold, some of them at auction. […]
Tag: candy
Mars Wrigley: Lead With Chocolate & Gum To Increase Confectionery Shopability
At Mars Wrigley, the fundamental belief is that by growing the confectionery category, everyone wins. Shaf Lalani, VP of customer experience, said the company did an extensive survey over the last year and a half, looking at consumers’ behaviors, usage and attitude toward the category as well as their shopping behaviors. “It’s been a rich […]
Spangler Candy Co. Expanding Its Campus Following NECCO Purchase
Spangler Candy Co. has purchased and plans to renovate an adjacent, 20-acre campus owned by New Era Ohio LLC (NEO) to provide additional room for warehouse space, future expansion and growth. This growth comes on the heels of Spangler’s purchase of two iconic candy brands—Sweethearts and NECCO Wafers. The brands and equipment only were obtained […]
Black Forest Gummy Bears Are Getting A New Look
Confectionary brand Black Forest is giving its gummy bears a makeover. Reaching stores July 15, the new gummy bears will be “richer and brighter in color,” the company says. They also will feature a signature Black Forest tree on their bellies. “This vibrant, yet subtle design is a physical emblem that further differentiates a product […]
NECCO Assets Sold At Auction As FDA Warns Of Unsanitary Conditions
This month, the FDA notified the New England Confectionery Co., better known as NECCO, of serious violations of “Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventative Controls for Human Food” regulations at its manufacturing plant in Revere, Massachusetts. The violations included significant evidence of rodent activity and “insanitary conditions” throughout the facility collected during an […]
Mars Wrigley’s Front-End Plan Can Bring ‘Instant’ Double‑Digit Growth
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest & Southwest As food retailers know very well, the majority of consumers no longer eat three sit-down meals every day. They are snacking instead. It is no surprise, then, that the fastest-growing category in the check lane is snacks. Yet snacks only get about 8 percent of the space there, Rimsha Baig, […]
Ferrero To Acquire U.S. Confectionery Company Ferrara
The Ferrero Group, a global confectionary group, has entered into a definitive agreement for a Ferrero-affiliated company to acquire Ferrara Candy Co., the third-largest U.S. non-chocolate confectionary company, with strong positions in the gummy and seasonal candies categories. Ferrero is acquiring Ferrara from L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm. Terms of the transaction were not […]
Clean Labels, Clean Snacking: The $41B Future Of Candy
From consumers’ growing knowledge about product ingredients, the “clean snacking” mindset has emerged. Clean snacking is a balanced approach to nutrition that explores realistic options rather than a more dogmatic philosophy that forbids snacks or sweets altogether, according to market research firm Packaged Facts in last year’s “Chocolate Candy in the U.S., 11th Edition” report. […]
Hershey Moves Forward With New Nutrition Facts Panel
The Hershey Co. announced plans to move forward with rolling out a new Nutrition Facts panel, despite the Food and Drug Administration’s recent delay of the original July 2018 deadline. Products with the new label will begin hitting shelves this fall. This latest action taken by Hershey is part of its greater commitment to choice and […]
Nestlé May Sell Its U.S. Confectionery Business
Nestlé is exploring strategic options for its U.S. confectionery business, including a potential sale. The review covers the U.S. market only and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Nestlé’s U.S. confectionery business had sales of more than $900 million in 2016. It primarily includes chocolate brands like Butterfinger, BabyRuth, 100Grand, SkinnyCow, Raisinets, Chunky, OhHenry! and SnoCaps, […]
McLane Co. Becomes Walmart’s Primary Candy, Tobacco Products Provider
Walmart has renewed its service agreement with McLane Co., a provider of grocery and foodservice supply chain solutions. As part of the extended agreement, McLane will continue to deliver to Walmart stores across the U.S., in addition to becoming the sole provider of candy and tobacco products to the majority of Walmart’s retail locations. In […]
Confectionery Chiefs From Kroger, Walgreens To Receive Leadership Awards
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) will recognize Christina Groth of The Kroger Co. and Brian Rinker from The Walgreen Co. as recipients of the 2017 Confectionery Leadership Awards. The award celebrates the honorees’ contributions to the category through their effective business collaboration, category management best practices and innovations in merchandising confectionery products in-store. Groth, VP, […]
Hershey Rejects Mondelez Takeover Bid
The Hershey Co. Board of Directors on June 30 rejected an offer from Mondelēz International to buy the company. Hershey confirmed that it had received a preliminary, non-binding indication of interest from Mondelēz International to acquire the company for a mix of cash and stock consideration, totaling $107 a share of Hershey common stock. The […]
Maine Governor Threatens To Pull Out Of SNAP
Maine Gov. Paul LePage doesn’t want his state allowing the purchase of candy and sugary drinks with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The governor sent a June 17 letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) demanding that Maine be allowed to forbid using food stamps for certain foods or the state will stop […]
Wrigley Adds Skittles Line, Jobs To Factory In Illinois
On June 14, Wrigley’s Mars Inc. subsidiary opened a state-of-the-art addition to its Yorkville, Illinois, factory. The Yorkville expansion is the result of a $50 million investment by Mars that adds 145,000 s.f., a new Skittles line and 75 new jobs—a 25 percent increase in the workforce at the facility. “Mars has a long-standing history […]
Tic Tac Minion Mints Back By Popular Demand
Minion Mints, based on the comical characters from the “Despicable Me” movies, have returned after a highly successful run last summer. Tic Tac received an overwhelming response when it launched the mints for a limited time last year. Social media was buzzing with tips on where to purchase the mints, as stock flew off the […]
Hershey Acquires barkTHINS Snacking Chocolate, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… The Hershey Co. has purchased Ripple Brand Collective, a privately held company based in Congers, New York, that owns the barkTHINS snacking chocolate brand. Michele Buck, Hershey president, North America, said, “Since its launch in 2013, barkTHINS has quickly become a favorite snack brand due to its commitment to using […]
Anheuser-Busch Partners With Ibotta To Offer Cash Back On Beer Purchases, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Ibotta, a mobile shopping app that pays consumers cash back on their everyday purchases, has partnered with Anheuser-Busch to offer beer shoppers cash-back rebates on Anheuser-Busch products through the Ibotta app. The partnership, which runs through February 2018, will provide Ibotta shoppers over 21 years old with special offers on […]
Samuel Adams Introduces Three Nitro Project Beers, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Water. Malt. Hops. Yeast. These are the four traditional ingredients in beer. With the new Samuel Adams Nitro Project, a fifth ingredient—nitrogen—is added in place of carbonation. Samuel Adams is releasing the first of three brews from the Samuel Adams Nitro Project—Nitro White Ale, Nitro IPA and Nitro Coffee Stout. […]
NCA Honors Two For Outstanding Contributions To Category
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) has revealed the recipients of its 2016 Confectionery Leadership Awards. The awards celebrate the recipients’ contributions to the category through their effective business collaboration, category management best practices and innovations in merchandising confectionery products in stores. Selected for their knowledge, wisdom, expertise and commitment, the 2016 recipients are Julie Bierman, […]
