United States candy sales rely on price increases as unit volume drops

United States candy sales increased by nearly 1.8 billion dollars over the past year while total unit sales fell by more than 770 million, Supermarket News reported. Household purchases dropped by an average of more than seven candy units during the same period, marking the largest annual decline for the category. [1]

Supermarket News said that the broader category has become increasingly reliant on price increases rather than consumer consumption to drive growth. Since 2019, overall category sales value grew 65 percent, while unit sales grew by only 4 percent. Within the category, unit sales for sugary candy increased 16 percent since 2019, while chocolate sales remained flat. [1]

Candy is a confectionery product predominantly made from sugar, prepared by boiling sugar dissolved in water or milk into syrup before shaping and flavoring. The word comes from Old French, derived from Arabic and Sanskrit terms referring to crystallized sugar fragments. [2]

Supermarket News reported that pricing will serve as a critical factor for confectionery companies as the Halloween holiday approaches, because unit volume continues to drop while sales values rise. [1]