Confectioner articles from February 2004

Confectioner archives from February 2004

Not-so-sweet reflections on a Valentine's Day retail experience.(Upfront)(closing of Fannie May candy stores)
February 1, 2004... It was a sad day for many Chicago candy lovers last month when the news broke that the city's 228 Fannie May candy retail stores--and the plant where the candy is made--would be closing their doors. And it was an even bleaker day, of course,...

Candy Category glossary.(Glossary)
February 1, 2004... Explanations of some of the basic confectionery buzzwords. Antioxidant A substance that helps prevent or delay oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen and or reactive nitrogen species. Oxidative damage to the body, cells and...

Candy Category basics.(Illustration)
February 1, 2004... NEW PRODUCT ROLLOUT TRENDS (2001-2003) 2001 1216 2002 1030 2003 1189 Chocolate Candies Note: Table made from bar graph. 2001 1720 2002 1461 2003 1435 Non-Chocolate Candies Note: Table made from...

Hershey geared for growth: making confections more convenient and healthful and venturing outside its candy comfort zone into the snack segment figure prominently in Hershey's strategic plans for 2004 and beyond.(News)
February 1, 2004... Hershey, Pa. -- Marketers here in the nation's chocolate capital have some pretty healthy growth aspirations. Or one might say that they have aspirations for healthful products growth. Both statements are accurate. Hershey's 1 Gram...

Hershey's 1g Sugar Carb Bars.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Hershey Foods (717) 534-5465 An estimated 30 million Americans are restricting their carbohydrate intake. This strong interest in low-carb eating prompted Hershey Foods to introduce Hershey's 1g Sugar Carb Bars in three flavors:...

Monkey Business Candy.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... KoKo's Confectionery & Novelty (800) 638-6000 Modeled after the favorite classic toy monkeys that kids link together by their arms, Monkey Business Candy can also be linked into long chains. Like the toy, the candy comes in colorful...

Flash Pops.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Kidsmania Inc. (562) 946-8822 Flash Pops feature a generous stick of translucent hard candy mounted on top of a flashlight handle. Pushing the button on the handle illuminates the candy with a bright, color-coordinated glow. Each...

Classic gum line.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Farley's & Sathers Candy Company Inc. (800) 533-0330 Farley's & Sathers has acquired four classic gum brands that it introduces to its product line: Super Bubble, Fruit Stripe, Rain-Blo and Hot Dog! The brands were purchased...

Snerdles Fun Candy Fruit Bites.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Au'some Candies Inc. (732) 951-8818 Au-some Candies describes Snerdles as a "fruit snack with a candy kick." High in real fruit content and a source of Vitamin C, Snerdles Fun Candy Fruit Bites are suitable for school lunchboxes and...

BestSweet Lites.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BestSweet Inc. (888) 211-5530 BestSweet Lites sugar-free hard candy, sweetened with Splenda, is available in Peppermint, Butterscotch and Fruit Medley (orange, lemon, cherry and strawberry). The 3.25-ounce bags have a suggested...

Finger Lites.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Malibu Toys (818) 360-7521 Malibu Toys uses cutting-edge technology to light up its Finger Lites Light-up Candy Rings from within with flashing lights. Flavors are lemon, green apple, cherry and orange. Shapes are rockets, ducks,...

Spiderman 2 candies.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Taste of Nature Inc. (310) 396-4433 Two new candies linked to the upcoming Spiderman 2 movie sequel will be available for retail March 12, 2004, 16 weeks before the Sony Pictures movie release. Taste of Nature Inc. introduces...

Unicorn Pops count goods box.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Adams & Brooks Inc. (800) 999-9808 One-ounce Unicorn Pops are offered in a new 48-count goods box featuring playful, brightly colored graphics. The box is suitable for counter display or regular shelf placement. Unicorn hard candy...

Ultimints.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BH Foods (423) 843-0680 These bite-sized, dual action mints have a hard outer shell with a soft and chewy center that freshens breath in seconds while neutralizing mouth odors and keeping breath fresh for an extended period of time....

Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates Filled with Caramel.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Hershey Foods (717) 534-5465 Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates Filled with Caramel will be added to the company's permanent products collection in April 2004, when they are scheduled to begin appearing on supermarket, drugstore and...

Pop Rocks Bubble Gum.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Pop Rocks Inc. (866) 570-8800 Pop Rocks Bubble Gum combines original gum flavor Pop Rocks candy and soft gum pieces in the same package for added consumer value. Pop Rocks Bubble Gum has the same suggested retail price as Pop...

New momints flavors.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Yosha! Enterprises Inc. (908) 301-1971 This liquid-filled breath mint expands its flavor offerings with the addition of cinnamon and Winter Burst. They are also available in original peppermint. Momints have a suggested retail price...

New artisan chocolates.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (510) 981-4042 Scharffen Berger introduces two artisan chocolates--82 percent Extra Dark Chocolate and 41 percent Milk Chocolate--in 3-ounce bars and 5-gram squares. Dark Chocolate is made from a...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Flashin' Lix.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Malibu Toys (818) 360-7521 Following a 14-year hiatus, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is back on television, and Malibu Toys introduces light up lollipops modeled after each character. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Flashin'...

Popeye 75th Anniversary KLIK Dispenser.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Au'some Candies Inc. (732) 951-8818 KLIK enthusiasts can now add Popeye, Olive Oyl and Brutus to their collections, with Au'Some's introduction of Popeye 75th Anniversary KLIK Dispensers. Each refillable dispenser comes with one...

Chompers.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Impact Confections (877) 770-POPS These bite-sized balls of chocolate are filled with intensely flavored fruit filling that is light and airy. Each bag contains a flavor assortment of cherry, grape, strawberry, watermelon, orange and...

Back-To-School Bonus Bags.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Spangler Candy Company (419) 636-4221 Spangler offers extra value through its 2004 Back-To-School Bonus Bags program, which includes: Dum Dum Pops in three sizes, Super Dum Dum Pops, Saf-T-Pops in two sizes, Saf-T-Pop Swirl, Circus...

Jolt Caffeine Energy Gum.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Gum Runners LLC (201) 678-9300 Gum Runners LLC partners with Wet Planet Beverages, makers of Jolt Cola, to introduce mint-flavored, ginseng- and guaranaenhanced Jolt Caffeine Energy Gum. The gum, which packs the caffeine boost of a...

Party Bag.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Adams & Brooks (213) 749-3226 The new Adams & Brooks 36-ounce Fun Pops Party Bag is filled with Tweety Fruity and Taz Sour Fruit flavored lollipops. Party Bags are packed in everyday 12-count cases. For Halloween, this item is packed...

Sugar Free Sherbet Hard Candy.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BestSweet Inc. (704) 664-4300 BestSweet is introducing Baskin-Robbins Sugar Free Sherbet Hard Candy with two-color candy pieces. A line extension of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavored Smooth & Creamy Hard Candy, this will be the...

Sesame Street Dispensers.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Pez Candy (203) 795-0531 Pez is introducing its Sesame Street Classic Dispenser assortment, which includes six new well known characters: Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Elmo and Zoe. The assortment features a dispenser...

New interactive line.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BestSweet Inc. (704) 664-4300 BestSweeet Inc. is unveiling its new i.candy (Interactive Candy) brand, with the rollout of a series of fun and whimsical items including Sucker Punch Lollipops, Dippin' Dolphin Pops and Bubble Gum Spy...

Hershey moving into 'the Zone'.(Product Update)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... In keeping with its top executives' stated intention of moving Hershey into new product categories, the company has announced plans to roll out a line of nutrition bars formulated to match the requirements of the Zone Diet. Slated for a...

Fresh approaches: the arrival of unique, value-added product options may bring a breath of fresh air to the breath-freshening business in 2004.(Breath Fresheners)
February 1, 2004... Breath freshener sales (in food, drug and mass channels, minus Wal-Mart) peaked at nearly $328.1 million in 2000. Three years of sales down-turns brought that total to just $237.1 million in 2003. A variety of factors contributed,...

Bulk up: cleanliness has got to be bulk candy's middle name.(Bulk Candy)
February 1, 2004... As a $1.1 billion market with 40 to 45 percent margins, bulk candy still hasn't realized its full potential yet, according to category experts. Its two major sales inhibitors--lack of availability and consumers' hygiene concerns. A retailer's...

The golden boy of candy: caramels are charming the industry with their gilded hue and satisfying chew.(Caramel Candy)
February 1, 2004... The IRI numbers don't quite reflect the sunny climate of caramel lately. Perhaps that's because the research company defines the category as caramels/taffy apples/kits/dips--when in fact, it has expanded to so much more now. According to IRI...

The deepest affair: what's not to adore--the best-loved candy category moves up and upscale.(Chocolate Candy)
February 1, 2004... As in years past, the total chocolate candy category saw slight single-digit dollar sales gains for 2003, according to both ACNielsen and Information Resources Inc. data. Americans especially loved their chocolate breaks with chocolate candy...

The confection of a clown: put on a happy face with the newest addition in the candy plan-o-gram.(Cotton Candy)
February 1, 2004... If you don't have it incorporated into the kids' candy section yet, what are you waiting for? Some say packaged cotton candy is bringing the circus to town everyday--right in candy aisles. The Imperatives The retail channel that has...

A winning combination: fruit and chocolate represent a potentially powerful pairing for retailers and manufacturers.(Fruit-Filled Confections)
February 1, 2004... Developing new fruit-added line extensions is proving, well, fruitful in food and beverage categories such as cereal and granola bars. According to a June 16, 2003, article in Newsweek, for example, Berry Burst Cheerios was General Mills'...

Gummies on the go: these lovable, gelatin-mix treats have to keep moving and shaking.(Gummies)
February 1, 2004... Those bears and fish are fine for the older generation of gummi hounds, in fact, they prefer them, but the younger set is constantly sniffing out what's new, and therefore, keeping this category squiggling right along. Gummies saw its best...

Bring on the beans: ever-changing flavor assortments, new packaging formats and well maintained bulk displays can all contribute to jelly bean success stories.(Jelly Beans)
February 1, 2004... From sour to sugar-free, there's a jelly bean for just about every consumer taste preference. And speaking of sour, by the way, that remains one of the hot-button segments of the category, with interest in sour flavor profiles broadening...

The colorful side of candy: distribution advantages make it a great fit for summertime promotions--and year-round fun.(Non-Chocolate)
February 1, 2004... Sales of non-chocolate candy as tracked by Information Resources Inc. dipped a negligible 0.7 percent in 2003. According to ACNielsen Strategic Planner data, the percentage of non-chocolate candy receiving feature or display treatment was...

The wild child: novelty candy is not supposed to be proper or predictable--so go wacky with this one.(Novelty/Interactive Candy)
February 1, 2004... It should come as no surprise that non-chocolate candy makes up the core of the novelty confection section--the ratio of non-chocolate to chocolate items in the category is about 23 to 1. Obviously, the durability and flexibility of...

A clear value: as convenience angles play up in a variety of retail channels, this high value/highly impulsive candy category looks for growth beyond traditional convenience stores.(Peg Bags)
February 1, 2004... General line (or peg bag) was another candy category that didn't experience much growth in 2003--not until the fourth quarter when consumers regained some economic confidence and started to travel a bit more (and perhaps purchase more impulse...

The candy elite: they are of another class and they are rapidly multiplying--are you properly showcasing these quality confections?(Premium/Gourmet Candy)
February 1, 2004... Upscale candy is everywhere. It continues to be one high-end item that consumers don't want to cut back on--in fact, just the opposite--they are cutting back on bigger, expensive luxury items and splurging more on good quality chocolate and...

To every season: ignore the slight slump in sales; Here's how to make seasonal candy turn, turn, turn.(Seasonal Candy)
February 1, 2004... The IRI numbers reveal it's not the year 2000 any more for seasonal candy. Back then, the category showed healthy gains--some even double-digits--spanning both chocolate and non-chocolate, as well as across all the holidays--Easter,...

How sour it is! Apparently the sour candy consumer base likes to pucker up and tell.(Sour Candy)
February 1, 2004... The beauty of the sour business, from a marketer's perspective, is that it isn't best savored alone. Kids either dare other kids to see if they can handle the extreme sourness of a particular sour candy, or they're encouraging their parents...

A sugar-free rush: this is the fastest-growing candy category around, and it presents a sweet opportunity at retail because sugar-free candy appeals to several distinct consumer segments.(Sugar-Free Candy)
February 1, 2004... Sugar-free candy isn't just for diabetics and dieters any more. These two subsets of the population represent the core target market, of course, given that more than half of American adults are overweight. But market research suggests...