Greetings! A web site titled Gourmet News
(http://www.gourmetnews.com/august2002/depts/editorial/marketwatch1.htm)
offers an article mentioning the novelty candy market that reads in
part "Novelty candies sales reached $382 million in 2001, an increase
of 8.7 percent."
The article also mentions the National Confectioners Association
(http://www.candyusa.org/) which may be the organization for which you
are searching. They offer statistics on 2001 candy sales at
http://www.candyusa.org/Stats/2001.shtml and the statistics index is
located at http://www.candyusa.org/Stats/statsindex.shtml
Another link on their site titled "PLENTY OF NEW GOODIES SWEETEN THE
CANDY INDUSTRY" (http://www.candyusa.org/Press/New/ace2002.shtml)
mentions up-and-coming candies to be introduced on the market and some
mentioned are in the novelty candy market. A couple are:
"...Nibble Notes Candy, edible candy paper on a miniature clip board
that comes with a pen filled with food coloring. Also Lunar Bubble
Dust Bubble Gum that when sprinkled on the tongue transforms into a
tutti-frutti wad of gum. (CAP Candy)"
and
"Slinky Candy – Play time just got tastier by combining the classic
Slinky toy brand with candy. A mini-slinky ring is topped with a
tasty Chupa Pop lollipop and the Slinky Friendship Pop offers two
lollipops linked together with a fun, colorful Slinky that becomes a
bracelet when the candy is gone. Also an adorable Slinky Pal combines
the fun of the Slinky dog with the wonder of a rain stick and
delicious tiny hard candies. (CandyRific)"
Wired Magazine printed an article stating some statistics at their
site http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.06/candy.html . From that
article:
"Kids consume upwards of $200 million worth of interactive candies -
confections that are part toy - each year, making this one of the
fastest-growing segments of the $23 billion US candy market. Last
year, the sales of novelty candy increased by 11.5 percent, a
hyperactive surge."
Some clear market study charts are available at
http://www.retailmerchandising.net/candy/archives/1095/1095PATC.ASP
which mention novelty candy as well as purchasing and demographics of
the candy market, and a sector breakdown with percentages is available
at http://www.stagnito.com/fbr84_chart1.asp. The latter is a very
comprehensive looks at different types of candy in supermarket, drug
store and mass merchandiser sales. I believe you will find it very
informative.
Regarding manufacturs of novelty candies, CandyDetective
(http://candydetective.com/) has a search tool for type of candy.
Searching "novelty" at that location, I discovered a long list at
http://candydetective.com/novelty.html . All the links of the novelty
candy manufacturers were live on that page but the links I checked
just led to a blank page with the company name, and I would reproduce
the list here for you but it is very long and the format does not
reproduce here the way it is shown on the web page.
As to revenues and major manufacturers, I searched a variety of terms
including "best seller," "best selling," "top selling" and "top
revenue" combined with the term "novelty candy". "Top revenue"
returned the Topps Company (which makes novelty candy among other
items) with a reference to Forbes which showed their total revenue but
no breakdown.
A site offering the "Professional Candy Buyer Product of the Year
Awards 1998" presented a ballot for voting for the most popular novely
candy (http://www.retailmerchandising.net/candy/archives/0199/ballot98.asp)
and the choices were:
Cyberspeak by NECCO
Wizbangers by Sconza Candy Co
Sound Bites by Sound Bites LLC
Testamints by Testamints, Inc
Gummi Mini Burgers by Trolli, Inc
However, that was in 1998 and I found no ballot for later years.
I did locate a subscription for a magazine called "Candy Industry" at
http://www.candyindustry.com/ and subscribing to it may be the way to
find revenues and such. In the same search I located an article
(http://www.stagnito.com/fbr84.asp) that referenced some candy
companies that have formed a business alliance
(http://www.candyalliance.com/):
"Spangler and a handful of other venerable confectionery manufacturers
— American Licorice Co., Alsip, Ill., Ferrara Pan Candy Co., Forest
Park, Ill., Goetze Candy Co., Baltimore, and New England Confectionery
Co. (Necco), Cambridge, Mass. — formed the Candy Alliance LLC in
November 1999. The Alliance, also based in Forest Park, works on
purchasing initiatives, marketing and distribution programs, cross
licensing and joint products. It helps its members remain competitive
in the face of consolidation and “serves retailers and consumers by
offering greater choices and better value.”
The companies Necco (http://www.necco.com) and Topps () popped up
frequently in my searches so I am guessing they are major novelty
candy sellers. Searching "Necco candy revenue report" I located at
I found the statement "Necco's annual revenue -- $100 million or so --
doesn't even amount to $1 million for every year of the company's
history." But no breakdown for novelty sales. Necoo makes
SweetHearts, a popular novelty candy for valentine's day (and year
round)
For Topps I found a report at
http://www.thomsoninvest.net/cgi-bin/tipsheet?ticker=topp which showed
the following:
YEAR Revenue EPS
2002 302.8 0.64
2001 439.2 1.91
2000 374.2 1.25
1999 229.3 0.33
1998 241.3 ( 0.10)
Growth Rate 7.27 NC
Industry Growth Rate 1.32 NC (12.93)
and it was stated there about the company "The Company markets
premium-branded confectionery products including lollipops such as
Ring Pop, Push Pop and Baby Bottle Pop, Bazooka brand bubble gum and
certain novelty candy products." A full financial report may be found
at http://www.irconnect.com/topp/pages/news_releases.shtml?d=25740
Because it appears that no actual list of top novelty candy
manufacturers is available online, I would like to request a
clarification at this point in my answer. If you could peruse the
links I have provided, perhaps you would choose four or five companies
you think have very recognizable brands and submit those names for me
to research further, as well as providing you with the company contact
information.
SEARCH TERMS:
novelty candy market
National Confectioners Association
National Confectioners Association novelty candy
novelty candy manufacturers
novelty candy supermarket sales
novelty candy corporation
novelty candy product award
interactive candy product award
major manufacturers novelty candy
novelty candy market study
candy industry
candy industry novelty candy
novelty candy sales 2001
Necco candy revenue report
novelty candy revenue 2001
Necco contact
Yahoo white pages [I had to go here to find a Necco phone number]
Topps Company Inc |
Request for Answer Clarification by
skyone-ga
on
27 Oct 2002 04:26 PST
Thanks for your quick response.
The real motivation for the question was to identify the five or six
novelty candy companies with the most revenue. Can this be done over
the internet?
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Clarification of Answer by
journalist-ga
on
27 Oct 2002 08:35 PST
I believe what is making me so careful in my searches is this
distinction: Do you seek companies that make only novelty candy and
nothing else, or will you accept companies that include novelty candy
in their product line? For instance, Hershey is a king among candy
companies and they make novelty candy. The same with Necco - and
their SweetHearts is one of the best-selling novelty candies of all
time.
Also, when I think of novelty candy, I think of anything besides a
plain box of chocolates or simple pack of chewing gum. Is your
definition of novelty meant to include interactive candy? Some
companies make a distinction between it and novelty products, even
though I think both novelty and interactive are the same category.
Your clarification is appreciated as I want to meet your exact needs
on this matter.
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Request for Answer Clarification by
skyone-ga
on
27 Oct 2002 09:59 PST
Good question. Perhaps "interactive candy" is a more precise
description. I'm not really interested in the more traditional
candies such as "Sweethearts", but rather the newer candies, which
tend to be sold along with toys (although they are also sold
supermarkets and drug stores), e.g., Spin Pops by Cap Candy, Monster
Mouth, Glow Pops.
I'm also most interested in finding the five or six companies with the
largest shares in this market, i.e., so the revenue for a comapany's
novelty candy products is really the issue here. I realize that you
probably can't get precise data in this regard. So I guess the bottom
line is that any information you can give me that would help me
identify who the big players are in the market would be helpful.
Thanks.
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Clarification of Answer by
journalist-ga
on
27 Oct 2002 13:17 PST
I had the interactive question in the back of my mind as I researched
but kept my first searches to general novelty candies. That said, I
have not found an actual list of top five but have found certain
companies mentioned in more than one news article. Researchers don't
like to "guess" about things like this but in using our resources,
lists are many times determined with accuracy. In that regard, I
decided to pursue your request for top five based on repetetive
mentions of those companies in the news. Below are those I would
suggest as the top interactive candy companies, followed by the
information I could find on each.
TAPPER CANDIES (a division of Hallmark)
Tapper Candies, acquired by Hallmark in 1998, was/is a large supplier
of interactive candy (see
http://pressroom.hallmark.com/timeline_key_dates.html for Hallmark
timeline).
"Innovations from Tapper Candies include the Original Goody Bag, a
plastic bag with toys, candy and activities, and the Candy Cam, a toy
videocamera that dispenses candy." From
http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_SegArticle/0,4621,229018----5-,00.html
I could find no interactive financial breakdown.
Contact info:
Tapper Candies Inc.
15551 NEO Pkwy.
Cleveland, OH 44128
Phone: (888) GOODY-90
PEZ CANDY INC.
Pez - billed as "the pioneer of interactive candy," Pez has been a
bestselling interactive candy for 50 years. A press release on the
site http://www.licensingworld.com/news/html/032702-1.html (the PR
appears about 2/3 of the way down the page) reads in part:
"As the exclusive licensing agency for PEZ Candy Inc., Bradford
Licensing Associates is pleased to announce that a host of new deals
have been signed to expand the PEZ Candy licensing program. Details of
the new PEZ licensed products hitting the retail shelves this spring
and summer are also announced..."
Regarding the Pez product, the release also offers some market data on
Pez:
"An integral part of the American scene for 50 years, PEZ Candy
continues to be enjoyed by generations of Americans. PEZ was first
marketed as a compressed peppermint candy over 70 years ago in Vienna,
Austria. Today, over 3 billion PEZ Candies are consumed annually in
the U.S.A. alone. With great tasting flavors and collectable
dispensers, PEZ is more than just a candy...it's the pioneer of
"interactive candy" that is both enjoyable to eat and fun to play
with. PEZ Dispensers are a hot collectable for adults and children
alike as well as being a staple and part of American pop culture. New
character dispensers are introduced regularly to capitalize on current
trends. PEZ Candy is manufactured in Orange, Connecticut by PEZ CANDY,
INC. and marketed along with other unique confectionery products
through supermarkets, mass merchandisers, variety stores, drug stores,
convenience stores, toy chains and gift stores throughout the U.S.A..
Available around the world in more than 60 countries, PEZ Candy and
Dispensers truly have universal appeal."
I have yet to locate any revenues for Pez but their contact
information is:
Pez Candy Inc.
35 Prindle Hill Rd.
Orange, CT 06477-3616
Phone: 203-795-0531
Fax: 203-799-1679
CAP CANDY (a division of Hasbro)
I found a great report regarding the growth of the interactive candy
market from http://www.beloitdailynews.com/698/4ill25.htm and another
at http://www.petroretail.net/npn/archives/1299/1299yc.asp. Both
articles mentioned Cap Candy, creator of the Spin Pop (and marketer of
Glow Pop, laser Pop, etc),another bestseller and a product that really
widened the candy market. I had seen Cap Candy mentioned in many of
the searches I executed in the original answer, so I believe they are
in the top five. Also, please read the Wired Magazine article about
"extreme candy" at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.06/candy_pr.html
Hasbro's annual report is viewable at
http://ccbn5.mobular.net/ccbn/7/50/54/ (a link from
http://www.hasbro.com) with the financial link at
http://ccbn5.mobular.net/ccbn/7/50/54/ but no breakdown in product
line revenues that I could locate.
Contact info:
Hasbro Inc
PO.Box 200
Pawtucket, RI 02862-0200.
1-800-327-8264
NECCO
"1998 - Holopops become the first hologram lollipops introduced by
Light Vision Confections. The design on their etched surface appears
to change as you move the pop. 1999 - Sound Bites Lollipops from Cap
Candies is the first radio-lollipop combination in the growing
interactive candy segment."
And the Sweethearts, of cousre, apprearing first in 1902. They markey
many lines of thier product in interactive containers, too, and that
may involve licensing companies as opposed to candy companies. That's
a whole new ballgame on those because some candy companies license
their candy to other firms for unique packaging.
Timeline from their website is located at
http://www.candyusa.org/History/timeline.shtml which shows their many
products.
UIS claims ownership of Necco and you can view their info at Hoover's
Online (http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/7/0,2163,40477,00.html).
Again, I found no financial breakdown.
Contact info:
New England Confectionery Co (NECCO)
275 Wildwood Ave
Woburn, MA 01801
781) 938-8242
and
Necco
8320 Old Courthouse Road
Suite 300
Vienna, VA 22182
Phone: (703) 790-5750
Fax: (703) 790-5752
email: info@candyusa.org <mailto:info@candyusa.org>
CHUPA CHUP
This company offers what I would term "prize with candy" but they term
as interactive.
Contact info:
Avda. Diagonal, 662
08034 Barcelona, Spain
Phone: +34-93-495-27-27
Fax: +34-93-495-27-07
site: http://www.hoovers.com/cgi-bin/offsite?site=HBN&url=http://www.chupachups.com
I also conducted an internal search at Professional Candy Buyer for
novelty and found a huge list at
http://data.aip.com/net/candy/go.lasso? and Hoover's Online had a list
of returns for an "interactive candy" search at
http://search.hoovers.com/cgi-bin/site_search?query_string=interactive+candy
The revenue information has proved difficult to locate, and please ask
for further clarification if you need it. I've attempted numerous
search strings and I hope this additional information proves of
assistance.
SEARCH TERMS:
"interactive candy" bestseller
"interactive candy" revenues
Pez Candy Inc
"Pez Candy Inc" contact
"Pez Candy Inc" revenues
"Pez Candy Inc" stock market
"Pez Candy Inc" annual sales
"Pez Candy Inc" annual report
("Tapper Candies" repeated with above extenstions as was Hasbro,
Necco, Cap Candy and Chupa Chup)
"interactive candy" top seller
contact hasbro inc
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