Non-chocolate candy, gum and mints are expected to continue to see strong sales in 2024, powered by old favorites, novelty candy and seasonal items.
Non-chocolate candy saw dollar sales of $3.34 billion, up 13.4%, for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 31, 2023, per Circana. Unit volume dipped 3.1% to 1.41 billion. Novelty candy stood out with a 67.6% rise in dollar sales and a 32.6% rise in unit sales, despite a 26.4% price jump, which shows customers are gravitating toward fun, new and adventurous options.
Gum dollar sales hit $1.18 billion, up 20.5%. Unit volume rang in at 470 million, a gain of 6.5%, despite a 13.1% price-per-unit increase. Sugarless gum saw big gains, up 23% in dollar sales and 15.6% in unit sales.
Hungry for Innovation
“Sales on non-chocolate candy, gum and mints have been very consistent year over year,” said Ryan Fasel, director of marketing for Valparaiso, Ind.-based Family Express, which operates more than 80 convenience stores. “It is basically flat in units and slightly up in revenue. There has not been a lot of innovation in terms of flavors compared to chocolate candy items. There has also been a shift from smaller to larger packages as consumers look to get more bang for their buck.”
Increased flavor innovation from manufacturers would help drive sales, Fasel suggested.
“Any time there is an influx of new flavors it draws interest to a category,” he said. “For gum and mints, purchasing is trending towards ‘bottle packs’ or ‘car cups,’ so focusing on proper merchandising and assortment of those package sizes helps grow revenue and profits.”
Nissan Koroghli, a 7-Eleven franchisee in Las Vegas, agreed with Fasel about the category’s lack of innovation, but considers it a strength. Established, familiar brands like SweeTarts, Starburst, Mentos, Ice Breakers, Ice Breakers Sugar Free Mints, TicTacs, Polar Ice, Breath Savers, Mamba Fruit Chews and others continue to be his top sellers.
“We just redid our categories for the year, so this is what it will be for 2024,” Koroghli said.
Seasonal candy could offer some novelty and impulse buys for c-stores.
Lottie Watts, senior manager, media relations for the National Retail Federation (NRF), said NRF’s latest consumer survey found candy sales explode during the lead-up to Valentine’s Day. Total spending on significant others for the holiday expected to reach a record $14.2 billion this year. Within that total, candy remains the single most popular gift.
