A Look at 2004 Numbers;
Commerce Data Reported
U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau numbers released in late July confirm a strong business climate for the U.S. confectionery market, the National Confectioners Association reports.
2004 Confectionery Industry Performance | ||||
Apparent Consumption $ (in billions) | % Change | Manufacturers Shipment Pounds (in billions) | % Change | |
Total Confections | $17.8 | +6.1% | 6.2 | -0.8% |
Chocolate Candy | $10.0 | +5.6% | 3.3 | -1.3% |
Non-Chocolate Candy | $5.4 | +7.5 | 2.3 | +0.5% |
Gum | $1.9 | +4.9% | 0.4 | -4.3% |
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce/National Confectioners Association |
According to the annual 311D Report for 2004,
confectionery manufacturer dollar sales (shipments plus imports less
exports, termed apparent consumption) climbed 6.1 percent in 2004, reaching
$17.8 billion. Apparent consumption pound sales increased by 1.7 percent to
7.3 billion pounds.
Domestic manufacturers’ shipments grew 5.9
percent in dollar sales, but were off slightly in pounds at -0.8%. Pound
sales of imported candy and gum increased by 10.7 percent in 2004.
Apparent consumption chocolate candy dollar sales
increased 5.6 percent in 2004, while non-chocolate candy sales, measured
the same way, grew a strong 7.5 percent. Apparent consumption dollar sales
for gum were up 4.9 percent. Pound shipments, based on apparent
consumption, were respectively: chocolate candy, -0.1%; non-chocolate
candy, + 4.6%; and gum, -1.5 percent.
Another Very Upscale Addition for Hershey
On the heels of its acquisition of premium chocolate
maker Scharffen Berger, The Hershey Co. has acquired the assets of Joseph
Schmidt Confections Inc., a chocolate maker noted for its artistic and
innovative offerings.
According to Hershey, the combined purchase price for
Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt will be between between $46.6 million
and $61.1 million.