Swedish brand CandyKing arrives in U.S.
The European company, now with a brick-and-mortar store in NYC, offers a pick and mix concept to consumers.
Swedish candy became a sensation in the U.S. last year, sparking a craze that was hard to miss. Because of this, more and more Swedish candy brands have been coming to America, and one of those is CandyKing, which just recently opened its first stateside brick and mortar location, at 306 Bleecker St. in New York City.
The brand, however, is not new to the market: it has been around for more than 40 years, and is just now expanding from Europe to the U.S.
European beginnings
Founded in 1984 in Stockholm by entrepreneur Christer Forsman, CandyKing began as Karamellgrossisten, a small candy wholesaler. Soon after, the name changed to Karamellkungen—Swedish for CandyKing—a name that would become iconic in the Nordic confectionery market.
In November 2016, CandyKing announced that its then-CEO, Dani Evanoff, would take ownership of the company from its current investment fund owner. Evanoff reportedly implemented concepts and strategies that focused on succeeding in a quick-paced consumer goods market. Evanoff had created Godisprinsen, another Swedish confectionery company—a competitor which was acquired by CandyKing eight years prior.
“It is with the greatest respect and due modesty that I now will take over the responsibility to build CandyKing into a company of excellence together with my team," he said at the time. "The company shall become a leading player within fast-moving consumer goods."
One year later, in 2017, Cloetta Group, a confectionery company in Northern Europe, acquired CandyKing. Upon the acquisition, Danko Maras, CFO and outgoing CEO of Cloetta, said, “The acquisition of CandyKing will significantly strengthen Cloetta’s position in Denmark, Norway, and the U.K. Cloetta will be able to develop the CandyKing brand and product offering, in order to offer an attractive customer and consumer experience.”
Since then, CandyKing has broadened its global reach and today has a strong foothold in Europe with bold ambitions for continued international growth, says Laura Rytkölä, global director, CandyKing.
“CandyKing pioneered the concept of Swedish pick and mix candy, transforming how people experience treats by letting them choose their favorites to suit their exact needs. Even though we bring novelty candies on an ongoing basis to the assortment, some of our products, like the toffee-filled chocolate center, have been top sellers for more than four decades,” Rytkölä notes.
Growth and shifts
Unsurprisingly, trends within the confectionery category change as consumer preferences change.
“For example, [during the past 10 years] sour candy and sour variants have been steadily growing in popularity. It is part of CandyKing’s brand experience that the assortment in each point of sale is continuously developed to match the local consumer taste,” Rytkölä explains.
Courtesy of CandyKing“Since Cloetta bought CandyKing, we developed the [pick and mix] concept, which today is industry-leading in Europe. This has been a very important driver for our growth. Today, we are one third of the Cloetta Group’s net sales and have grown our sales with double-digit numbers during the past two years,” she adds. “Buying confectionery as pick and mix is a strong consumer trend that we expect to continue in the foreseeable future.”
Standing out from the pack
Opened in December 2025, CandyKing’s first U.S. store, located in Manhattan’s West Village, offers an authentic Swedish pick and mix experience. For the NYC store, that means offering the widest assortment of pick and mix in the U.S., Rytkölä says.
The West Village shop features CandyKing’s signature 27-foot-wide, 6-foot-tall candy wall, filled with a wide assortment of Swedish candy. The store also includes art installations by celebrated artists AJ Lavilla and Michela Muserra, bringing their signature vibrant and playful styles to life throughout the CandyKing space.
Courtesy of CandyKingGuests can explore a curated selection of Swedish top-sellers including Kexchoklad, Big Cola Bottles, Foam Mushroom, and nostalgic favorites like “Lakrifun” (Licorice School Chalk), Chocolate Roman Arches, and “Sockerbitar” (Vanilla Marshmallow). The shop will also introduce brand-new trending sweets in Sweden, such as the Swedish Zoo Monkey Foam, which will be available exclusively at CandyKing, and it will offer vegan confections.
CandyKing’s products are not available for purchase online, but the company hopes to one day offer it as an option on its website—right now, it’s already available on multiple quick-commerce platforms across Europe. For now, the brand’s priority is creating an unforgettable in-store experience at its NY shop, where the authentic pick and mix concept truly comes to life, Rytkölä says.
Courtesy of CandyKing“For us, the authentic Swedish candy experience is not just the assortment and products—it’s an experience where picking and choosing is the core element of the whole brand experience,” she comments. “The visual consumer experience is the strongest in the physical store, but we of course continuously develop our business and [try] to test how we can enable this experience also online.”
Going forth, also, shoppers will be able to influence the assortment of confections that the store carries. A key part of the store’s experience is that its candy assortment is continuously developed to reflect local tastes and keep its offerings fresh and exciting.
Courtesy of CandyKingAdditionally, a core part of the CandyKing brand promise is offering a mix of favorites alongside new products that consumers may not have tried before. To deliver on that promise, the brand analyzes consumer data and trends, ensuring that consumer preferences in U.S. shape its assortment over time, just as it does in its European home markets.
“Consumer preferences in the U.S. will shape the CandyKing assortment,” Rytkölä explains. “Like in other markets, one of the main differentiating factors is that CandyKing offers consumers the possibility to influence their local assortment. We will continue to do this and will soon share some exciting news on how we plan to develop this part of our brand experience.”
What’s next
“The Swedish candy trend is a great opportunity for us to take our industry-leading concept to new countries and markets,” predicts Rytkölä.
“[Today, we have] two products that are unique to CandyKing, the Zoo Monkey Foam and the Zoo Monkey Foam Sour, which have been viral successes in Sweden. We will continuously introduce new candies and will share more on the coming ones shortly, as that is a crucial part of the CandyKing brand,” she notes. “For example, sour candies have steadily grown in popularity over the past decade. Today, our top sellers are a mix of timeless classics that have been loved for decades and newer products capturing emerging trends.”
She anticipates that the brand will continue to grow in North America in the coming years, as the company’s ambition is to bring the industry-leading concept to more consumers globally.
“Opening our West Village shop is just the start of CandyKing’s journey in the U.S. We’re delighted to give New Yorkers and visitors to the city their first taste of the Swedish pick and mix experience that has brought joy to families across Sweden for generations,” Rytkölä shares.
“We will continue to grow, both in our established markets and in North America. The Swedish candy trend presents a fantastic opportunity for us to bring our industry-leading pick and mix concept to new countries and consumers,” she comments. “We look forward to introducing the CandyKing experience to new consumers and will share more on our plans during the year.”
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