American candy is often associated with popular American culture, such as movies, TV shows, and iconic brands, which can make it appealing to customers who are influenced by these. Social Media allows us to see brands and iconic candy that is only available overseas and these “rare” products have novelty factor for people who are unfamiliar with the brands.
All regions perform well in sales of American Candy – with stores in the North East slightly ahead of Scotland and the North West.
There were 397 American Candy barcodes with sales in the latest 3 months. We looked at sales of the top brands to see which was the most popular – Bazooka and Reeses make up the highest spend. The 10 biggest selling brands account for 91.1% of the total American Candy spend.
Rank | Brand | % Share of Spend | |
1 | Bazooka | 22.23% | |
2 | Reeses | 21.8% | |
3 | Jolly Rancher | 9.4% | |
4 | Sour Patch | 8.3% | |
5 | Millions | 8.0% | |
6 | Nerds | 6.3% | |
7 | Hersheys | 5.5% | |
8 | Mike & Ike | 3.9% | |
9 | Warheads | 3.6% | |
10 | Ice Breakers | 2.1% |
There are more stores stocking American Candy now than ever before – if your store doesn’t have a range, it might be time to look into it.
Sales are improving, the share of total confectionery spend is still a small percentage– but there are clear signs that consumers are seeking out the brands they have heard about. This diversification can attract new customers who are specifically looking for American candy or who enjoy trying different types of sweets.
American Candy is not always available at main UK wholesalers – so stores may have to find a specialist supplier. Stores do need to be vigilant that their supplier has ensured the labelling and ingredients meet UK standards – some suppliers have UK labels to cover elements like imperial measured ingredients. Incorrectly labelled products can be seized by Trading Standards.
You can display your candy in a separate location from the rest of your confectionery. Make it clear that this is a special range – ideally have some POS to highlight it. Let your customers know that you have new stock in – this is an ideal category to promote of social media as the word is sure to spread!