Haribo of America: growth driver in the US non-chocolate confectionery market

 

Chewy candy, novelties and mints were standout performers in the non-chocolate confectionery category. Haribo of America, Inc. is gaining market share (+ 1.3%) in chewy candy, the largest non-chocolate segment by dollar sales. Its non-chocolate chewy candy sales in the US climbed 32.5% to USD 113.8 m in the first half of 2017. Haribo`s Gold Bear brand has been its US growth driver: sales grew 30.8% to USD 74.6 m. Haribo of America is still the fifth in the category behind Wrigley, Mondelez International, Ferrara Candy and private label. All its main rivals lost market share, except Ferrara.

Haribo entered the US in 1982 when it opened a sales office in Baltimore, Maryland. Haribo of America is today headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois with a workforce of 114 full-time employees. The company imports products to the US from its European factories, but it plans to open its first factory in the US by 2020 in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. According to Haribo of America, the 500,000 square metres facility will be one of the world`s largest confectionery factories. The company expects that the workforce will be almost doubled by 2021.