Candy category research details challenges, opportunities.(NCA State-of-the-Industry Conference Report)

Intermittent rain showers in normally sunny Scottsdale didn't dampen the enthusiasm among more than 450 members of the candy industry who assembled there for the National Confectioners Association's State of the Industry Conference last month.

Attendees from the manufacturing, distributor, broker, supplier and retail communities engaged in frequently animated exchanges with more than two dozen speakers who addressed topics including consumer behavior, retail best practices and strategies for candy category development, among others.

Ray Jones, managing director of Northbrook, Ill.-based Dechert-Hampe & Co., kicked off the conference with a report on …