A Sweet Year For Candy

Overall, sales held steady or increased in most of the category's segments

Candy proved its resilience last year, even in challenging economic times, by increasing sales across the board by 5.8 percent industrywide. Average sales per store rose 4.5 percent to $40,786.

Novelty and seasonal items had an especially good year, increasing sales by more than 10 percent to $42 million across the convenience industry.

Chewing gum, however, continued its downward slide. While it tied with non-chocolate bars/packs to be the second top-selling candy subcategory, industry gum sales dropped by nearly 4 percent. Additionally, gum was the only candy item to have a negative change in share of the category.

Overall, sales held steady or increased in most of the category's segments. Convenience stores remain the No. 2 confectionery source for consumers, ranking only behind supermarkets.