Overview

  • Population: 333 million
  • Market size: Total U.S. confectionery sales are $36.8 billion.**
  • Marketplace: 91.6% of total North American confectionery sales and 20.8% of global sales*
  • How much confectionery does the average Canadian eat annually? Above average at 8.77 kilograms*
  • How much does the average Canadian spend on confectionery annually? $119, well above the global ($28) and North American ($117) averages*

Chocolate**

2021 Top 3 Most Popular Chocolate Segments

(Anticipated annual growth rate)

Novelty Chocolate
(Chocolate with Toys)

8.7%

Pouches
and Bags

5.3%

Countlines
(Chocolate Candy)

3.2%

  • Chocolate represents nearly 60% of all confectionery sales, reaching $21 billion in 2021.
  • Store-based retailing generates the bulk of sales, reaching $19.2 billion in 2021, and is led by supermarkets, convenience stores and mass.
  • Non-store retailing, including vending and e-commerce, represent 1.9 billion, which is about 7% of total chocolate sales.
  • Chocolate sales experienced robust growth in 2021, up 8.5%.
  • Some of the highest growth areas were sugar-free, premium, large pack sizes and gift boxes.
  • Chocolate sales are expected to grow to $25.5 billion by 2026.  
  • Countlines are today’s largest sellers, at $6.9 billion, followed by chocolate pouches and bags at $5.3 billion.
  • Hershey has the largest market share at 39.3%, followed by Mars Wrigley Confectionery at 25.3%.
  • Premium, better-for-you, vegan and sustainable chocolate confectionery also continued to grow in popularity and capture consumer interest, speaking to those who seek to indulge while still adhering to certain lifestyle trends or diets. 

Non-Chocolate**

Where Are Consumers Shopping for Non-Chocolate?

Store-based retailing makes up the majority of sales.
91.6%
E-commerce sales have been ramping up fast.

1.6%

of total sales in 2016

7.5%

of total sales in 2021

  • Non-chocolate candy is the second-largest seller with value sales of $12.7 billion in 2021.
  • Non-chocolate sales had a strong 2021 with sales up 12.7% over 2020.
  • Chewy is by far the largest segment, accounting for half of all sales.
  • Continued growth is in the forecast with non-chocolate sales expected to reach $15.2 billion by 2026.  
  • Increased consumer mobility is expected to fuel mint sales, while the comeback of convenience stores is driving chewy sales.
  • A high five-year annual growth rate is expected for functional/medicated sugar confectionery at +5.8%

* = Global Data
** = Euromonitor