Candy Facts and Figures

Candy’s Ups and Downs
(U.S. per capita consumption, chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products, not including gum, in pounds)


Source: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service

The Top 25 Retailers
Retailer Headquarters 2004 Sales (in millions)
1. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Bentonville, Ark. $256,300.0
2. The Kroger Co. Cincinnati, Ohio $56,434.0
3. Costco Wholesale Corp. Issaquah, Wash. $47,150.0
4. Target Corp. Minneapolis, Minn. $46,839.0
5. Albertson’s Inc. Boise, Id. $39,897.0
6. Walgreen Co. Deerfield, Ill. $37,508.2
7. Safeway Inc. Pleasanton, Calif. $35,822.9
8. CVS Corp. Woonsocket, R.I. $30,594.3
9. Ahold USA Chantilly, Va. $22,590.0*
10. SuperValu Inc. Eden Prairie, Minn. $20,200.0
11. Kmart Corp. Troy, Mich. $19,710.0
12. Publix Super Markets Inc. Lakeland, Fla. $18,686.4
13. Rite Aid Corp. Camp Hill, Pa. $16,816.0
14. Delhaize America Inc. Salisbury, N.C. $15,839.9
15. Meijer Inc. Grand Rapids, Mich. $11,900.0*
16. The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. Montvale, N.J. $10,800.0
17. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. Jacksonville, Fla. $10,632.9
18. H.E. Butt Grocery Co. San Antonio, Texas $10,500.0
19. BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. Natick, Mass. $7,200.0
20. Dollar General Corp. Goodlettsville, Tenn. $6,900.0
21. Family Dollar Stores Inc. Matthews, N.C. $5,281.9
22. Giant Eagle Inc. Pittsburgh, Pa. $5,200.0
23. Longs Drug Stores Corp. Walnut Creek, Calif. $4,530.0
24. Hy-Vee Inc. West Des Moines, Iowa $4,500.0*
25. Pathmark Stores Inc. Carteret, N.J. $3,978.5
*Estimate
Note: PL Buyer’s Top 25 list is based on figures representing published sales for public companies, voluntarily disclosed sales, and estimates based on industry sources and publicly available business reporting sources, including Hoover’s Online.
Source: PL Buyer magazine

2005 U.S. Candy and Gum Distribution


Source: Confectioner 2005 Distribution Chart


Where U.S. Consumers do their shopping
Channel % Share of 2004 Shopping Trips Change vs. 2001
Grocery 41.1% -0.9%
Drug 7.9% 0.1%
Mass Traditional 12.4% -1.9%
Supercenter 9.2% 1.7%
Club 3.6% 0.5%
Convenience/Gas Mart 3.8% 0.1%
Dollar 4.5% 1.5%
All Other 17.5% -1.1%
Note: Comparison is between the 52-week period ending Oct. 17, 2004 vs. FY 2001.
Source: IRI Consumer Network Panel, National Confectioners Association State of the Industry Conference Presentation