Good News For Everyone, Candy Sales Are Up This Year

Global candy sales experienced yet another year of increased sales, even in the face of a global pandemic that has wreaked havoc on countless other industries. It just so turns out that everyone still loves candy! And that is great news for the candy industry.

According to a recent report by one of the largest candy trade groups, the National Confectioners Association, candy and chocolate sales have seen a significant level of growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Chocolate and candy sales have increased by 48% over 2020, and they are up nearly 60% compared to 2019. This is great news for manufacturers and candy store owners!

2021 candy sales saw a massive increase during the Halloween season.

Let’s take a look at the candy industry’s growth during the most recent 2021 Halloween candy season. According to Numerator’s new Candy Tracker feature, seasonal Halloween candy sales in the United States reached more households than ever before. Household penetration, (which is a metric of the total number of U.S. homes were reached by a product or service) was up by 5.9% since 2019. The same report shows projected sales of just seasonal candy is up 42.9% since 2019, with projected annual sales of more than $550 million dollars.

So, more people are buying more candy, more frequently, but can this trend continue? The data suggests that this trend shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Even through an unprecedented pandemic, large swaths of consumers turned to their favorite sweet treats for a moment of happiness during such uncertain times.

Why many people consider the candy industry to be “pandemic-proof”.

After over a year of pandemic restrictions, people are ready to start celebrating again. In the last 20 months, Americans had been spending most of their holidays with less people than they normally would have. As vaccines have started to help with controlling COVID case numbers, restrictions on businesses and travel have eased up a little bit. That means that people are starting to go out and attend social gatherings again.

Holiday celebrations seem to be at the top of everyone’s priorities right now but this time, it’s a little different.

Even though many of the typical American family holiday traditions have remained the same, people have adjusted some of their behaviors. One positive note for the food and beverage industry is that people seem to be celebrating with food, more than ever before.

While there certainly are more “at-home” events, people are adapting to preserve some of our most-cherished social traditions. It seems that nothing can keep people from enjoying their favorite chocolate candy bars, fruity gummy candies and other sweet snacks. That’s more good news for candy makers, distributors and store owners.

This “new normal” isn’t just true for seasonal holiday candy either. According to Numerator, non-seasonal or “everyday” candy sales are also up for 2021. From July to October, regular candy promotions have helped increase sales by 33% from 2020, and these sales numbers are up 21% compared to 2019 from the same period of time.

Chocolate sales are also on the rise in 2021.

Chocolate makers can rejoice in these numbers: according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, sales are up across the board in all three categories of products that include chocolates and chocolate bars. The numbers are all up compared to both 2020, and the pre-pandemic levels of chocolate sales of 2019.

Some have theorized that these increases in sales were the result of some conflicting national trends. These trends ranged from a shift to health-conscious eating habits, to the impulsivity of self-indulgence to cope with the disappointment and uncertainty of a global pandemic. The latter, led people turn to comfort foods and extended seasonal celebrations to keep themselves happy. Lucky for us, chocolate makes people happy and that leads to more sales.

According to Packaged Facts, “chocolate sales grew faster than average (12%) in 2020 due to the pandemic, as more consumers were snacking on chocolate at home. This trend seems to have continued into 2021, as the National Confectioners Association data shows: Halloween chocolate sales generated $199 million for the industry at an increase of 55.5% compared to Halloween of 2020.

Another noteworthy piece of data shows that 83% of parents believe that chocolate and candy can be a fun part of holiday traditions and special celebrations like Halloween or Christmas. That’s great news, because these seasonal and holiday sales are a substantial factor in the overall success of the candy industry as a whole.

What makes the candy industry so special?

Consumer sentiment has, and always will be fond of products from the candy industry. Almost everyone we’ve ever talked to has a fond memory of a certain type of candy relating to a special someone.

For me, every time I see a Baby Ruth, I’ll always remember it being our grandfather’s favorite chocolate bar. He would buy at least one at every baseball game we attended. Sometimes he’d even buy one for us too!

We’ll also remember that every Christmas Eve, our mother would have a tray of Sweet’s Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks on the snack table before dinner. And every year, we’d get in trouble for eating too many of them. We couldn’t help ourselves!

For all of us at Redstone Foods, it’s fond memories such as these, that sets the candy business apart from other areas of retail sales. We appreciate not just the retail value of the products we carry, but the sentimental value of them as well.

We know that the each and every product we sell will bring a smile to someone’s face every day of the year, and for that we couldn’t be more thankful.

We are proud to offer a wide variety of seasonal and everyday chocolate, candy and snack products to our customers. Our diverse offerings also include a huge variety of craft, glass bottle sodas. With a holiday offering that is second-to-none you can be assured that we can meet your store’s needs. We also carry an extensive selection of novelty products that cater to just about any niche market.

We recently made a report on the 2022 state of the candy industry. Read our latest update here.

We have a large team of dedicated sales representatives to help you with all of your ordering needs. If you ever need help deciding what to order, how much, or even when you should order, we are always happy to help you.

Create an account with us online, or give us a call today!

1-800-444-3520