News
World's Best Selling Candies
By: yahoo.comPosted On: 06/29/2009 11:21 A
Despite the recession, global candy consumption is growing. In many countries, the industry giants must battle small players for market share
If you've ever tried to find a Snickers bar in Saigon or Hershey's Kisses in Paris, you were out of luck. While such American favorites as Coca-Cola, Big Macs, and Marlboros can be bought in just about every major city in the world, Americans looking to satisfy a sweet tooth overseas must choose from among such exotic brands as Flake, Freddo, and Curly Wurlys.
The global confectionery market accounted for $150 billion in retail sales in 2008, according to international market researcher Euromonitor. And it's a market that has grown steadily over the past five years at a 5% compound annual rate. The U.S. is the world's largest candy consumer, spending more than $8.8 billion on various sweets last year, a 2% increase over 2007. On average, Americans consume about 25 lb. of candy per capita annually, according to the Census Bureau.
The rest of the world likes its sweets, too. As industry experts will tell you, confectionery is broken up into three categories: chocolate, nonchocolate, and chewing gum. Chocolate is by far the largest, with a 55% of the total, while gum holds only a 14% stake but is the fastest-growing segment.
Switzerland is the reigning chocolate champ, where per capita consumption is 25 lb. a year. Britain comes in second, eating 19.4 lb., and Belgium third at 19.1. (The U.S., by comparison, seems positively abstemious with an average consumption of 11.6 lb., although we apparently like to load up on plenty of other sweets instead.)
Chewing Away Cravings
So what are the chocolates and candies that people like to eat most around the world? As June is national candy month, BusinessWeek in celebration collaborated with Euromonitor to compile a list of the world's top 25 best-selling candy brands by country. The results were fascinating. For example, did you think that truffes au chocolat were the most popular candy in France? If you did, you were wrong. The winner is Hollywood chewing gum.
One of the reasons behind the surge in gum sales is the tough anti-tobacco stances that many governments around the world are taking, especially in countries such as France and Italy where smoking remains widespread. Increasingly unable to smoke indoors or looking for a cigarette alternative, many smokers are taking up chewing gum.
The global economic downturn may have caused many consumers to cut discretionary spending, but candy proves to be an exception. Nielsen categorizes candy as among the top five recession-proof foodstuff categories, alongside seafood, dry pasta, beer, and pasta sauce. "People have a special relationship with candy, especially those who have grown up with it," says Michael Allured, publisher of Manufacturing Confectioner, a trade magazine. "It's comforting and relatively inexpensive."
Sweets Skirmishes
The candy business is dominated by global giants. For years Britain's Cadbury battled it out for the top spot with Nestl
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