Mars Wrigley Confectionery U.S. Reveals Insights and New Products at Sweets & Snacks Expo

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At the National Confectioners Association (NCA) Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago this week, Mars Wrigley Confectionery will debut dozens of new product and packaging launches across its most popular brands. In addition to announcing new innovations, Mars Wrigley Confectionery will share industry-leading insights in category management research and best practices.

"Consumers today are looking for a holistic shopping experience as lines between traditional retail and online shopping continue to blur," said Tiffany Menyhart, VP of U.S. Category Leadership at Mars Wrigley Confectionery. "Mars Wrigley Confectionery is investing in a variety of research to help develop tools and insights for retailers to maximize category growth. Numerous retailers have signed on to partner with us on customized merchandising recommendations based on our integrated approach, which features insights for the whole shopping journey, including in stores and online."

Mars Wrigley Confectionery will also debut new products that address changing consumer preferences, with a focus on seasonal moments throughout the year.

"At Mars Wrigley Confectionery we continuously have a pulse on the latest flavor trends driving growth and make it a priority to address evolving consumer preferences through product innovation," said Tim LeBel, President of Sales for Mars Wrigley Confectionery. "Not only are we delivering exciting new flavor profiles, packaging formats and functional products, but we are also addressing an increasing consumer and retailer desire for unique offerings around key seasonal moments throughout the year."

To learn more about Mars Wrigley Confectionery seasonal insights, attendees at the NCA Expo can attend the panel discussion "The Reason for the Seasons: Are You Maximizing Your Seasonal Sales?" featuring Mars Wrigley Confectionery VP of U.S. Category Leadership, Tiffany Menyhart, and NCA's Larry Wilson, VP of Industry Affairs. The panel will share information on how to optimize seasonal sales and gain incremental sales on new and untapped opportunities. The session will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Thurs., May 24, in the Discovery Theater of McCormick Place.  

The following are items that Mars Wrigley Confectionery is featuring at the show:

• New Items for Halloween 2018: M&M'S® FUN SIZE® Milk Chocolate & Peanut Chocolate Candies Glow in the Dark Packs, SKITTLES® Sweet Heat FUN SIZE®, DOVE® Promises® Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate & Caramel Pumpkins, DOVE® Promises Silky Smooth Chocolate Assortment, Singles Variety Box: M&M'S®, SNICKERS® and SKITTLES®, Chocolate Variety Mix Party Bowl, Variety Mix Haunted House Serve & Display and SKITTLES® & STARBURST® Sweet + Sour FUN SIZE® Mix.
• New Items for Christmas 2018: Holiday Minis Mix Tree Gift Box, SKITTLES® Holiday Mix Candy, CELEBRATIONS® Chocolates Magnum Gift Bottle, M&M'S® Milk Chocolate Candies Yard, SNICKERS® Bar Yard & TWIX® Bar Yard, M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies Holiday Cane and LIFESAVERS® BUTTER RUM Candy Canes.
• 5^® Gum is introducing $0.99 8-stick packs, available exclusively during the 2018 Truth or Dare program: For the fifth straight year, 5^® Gum Truth or Dare is back to help bring teens and young adults back to the gum category. For the first time, 5^® Gum is bringing a new $0.99 pack available exclusively as part of 2018 Truth or Dare prepacked displays. Available flavors include Cool Mint Vortex, Cool Berry Beta and Smooth Mint Nexus. (September 2018, $0.99)
• Alert™ Caffeine Gum gives adults an innovative, simple and portable alternative to energy drinks, coffee and soda. One piece of Alert™ Caffeine Gum provides 40mg of caffeine, about the same amount as half a cup of coffee. Alert™ is available in Fruit or Mint flavors and can be purchased at retailers nationwide. ($2.49)
• COMBOS® Honey Sriracha is a flavor combination that delivers a well-balanced, sweet honey with garlic and chili pepper Sriracha flavor taste buds will love. ($1.38)
• DOVE® Chocolate Covered Dusted Almonds and Cashews featuring three bold varieties: Cinnamon Dusted Dark Chocolate Almonds, Sea Salt Dusted Milk Chocolate Cashews and Cocoa Dusted Dark Chocolate Cashews. Each bite is perfectly balanced with the crunch and nutty flavor of cashews or almonds and the silky smooth texture of DOVE® Chocolate that fans know and love. (2018, $1.99 for a 1.6-oz. Slim Pack and $3.99 for 5-oz. and 5.5-oz. Stand Up Pouches)
• EXTRA® Chewy Mints are chewable sugar mints packed with all the flavor and freshening power of EXTRA®. Each mint has a thin crispy outer shell and a chewy freshening core to deliver an instant rush of flavor and freshness. EXTRA® Chewy Mints are available in two flavors—Peppermint and Polar Ice. (1.5-oz. Durable Plastic Pack $2.19 and 7.5-oz. Pegged Stand-Up Bag $6.99)
• JUICY FRUIT® Collisions is bringing the power of two-flavors-in-one to stick gum in 2018. With two flavors colliding in every stick, it will be an exciting taste explosion with every chew! Available in Strawberry Watermelon and Tropical Berry flavor collisions. (May 2018, $1.19 in 15-stick Single-Serve Pack, $2.69 in a Multipack with three 15-stick Single Serve Packs)
• JUICY FRUIT® Mixies debuted four fruity flavors in each bottle, containing a mix of Original, Strawberry, Watermelon and Grape flavors. (15-piece Single Serve bottle $1.49, 40-piece bottle $3.49 and 120-piece Stand-Up Bag)
• JUICY FRUIT^® Tropical is a sweet and tasty flavor being added to our gum assortment in May 2018. Blowing bubbles can now taste even sweeter with this new flavor that will take your taste buds on an island getaway! (May 2018, 5-Piece Pack $0.79)
• M&M'S® Snack Mix delivers just the right amount of "snack" and "sweet." For a chocolate treat or bite of savory, anytime! M&M'S® Milk Chocolate Mix contains: M&M'S® Milk Chocolate Candies, M&M'S® Crispy Chocolate Candies, Almonds and Pretzel Balls. M&M'S® Peanut Mix contains: M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies, M&M'S® Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies, Peanuts and Pretzel Balls. (April 2018, $1.69-$1.99 for 1.75-oz. Share Size, $2.00-$2.99 for 4.0-oz. Grab n Go, $2.99-$3.99 for 7.7-oz. Sharing Size)
• M&M'S® White Chocolate Peanut is made of peanuts surrounded by delicious white chocolate and a candy shell. Building off of the success of M&M'S White Chocolate, the product will launch in September 2018, in three pack types to fit everyone's needs: Singles, Share Size, and Sharing SUP. ($0.99-$3.39)
• MILKY WAY® Fudge in both share size and minis. MILKY WAY® Fudge is a new distractingly delicious bar made with rich chocolate, golden caramel and fudge nougat. (Spring 2018, $1.10)
• SNICKERS® Peanut Butter Crisper provides the perfect balance of sweet, salty, creamy and crispy. The satisfaction of real peanut butter with a crispy crunch comes in four portionable squares that fans are sure to love. (2017, $1.69 -$1.79 for Share Size)
• SNICKERS® Hunger Bars debuted three new flavors in 2018 for a limited time as part of the Hunger Bars promotion. When you're hungry, you lose your flavor—what makes you, you. Get your flavor back by trying a new SNICKERS® Espresso, Fiery, or Salty & Sweet. Each flavor has a hunger symptom on the outside of the packaging that relates to the flavor of the bar—Espresso: Irritable, Salty & Sweet: Indecisive, Fiery: Wimpy. (2018, $0.99-$1.29)
• SKITTLES® Sweet Heat features fruity flavors with a spicy kick including: Fiery Watermelon, Blazin' Mango, Flamin' Orange, Sizzlin' Strawberry and Lemon Spark. (Single pack $0.99, Share-Size Pack $1.79, Laydown Bag $3.19 and Medium Stand-Up Pouch $2.59)
• STARBURST® Minis Sours is building on the success of Starburst Minis Original with Starburst Minis Sours. Each pack includes a mouth-puckering mix of flavors including Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Watermelon and Strawberry. (Single pack $0.99, Peg Bag $2.09 and Medium Stand-Up Pouch $2.59)
• STARBURST® Gummies Sour Berries contain a variety of delicious sour-packed fruit flavors: Strawberry, Berry Punch, Wild Berry and Black Raspberry. (3.5-oz. Share-Size Bag, 5.8-oz. Peg Bag and 8-oz. Stand-Up Pouch; $1.79-$2.59)
• STARBURST® Sweet Heat just got a spicy new twist. Each pack includes a spicy mix of flavors including Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Watermelon and Strawberry. (Single Pack $0.99, Share Size Pack $1.79, Laydown Bag $3.19 and Medium Stand-Up Pouch $2.59)
• TWIX® White Chocolate Cookie Bars feature two crunchy cookie bars covered with smooth caramel and enrobed in creamy white chocolate. This item is sure to please, as white chocolate continues to grow in popularity. ($0.99-$1.09 for a 1.79-oz. Single, $1.69-$1.79 for 2.64-oz. 2 to Go, $3.49-$4.99 for FUN SIZE® Medium Bag)

For details, retailers can contact Mars Wrigley Confectionery representatives and visit www.marspresskit.com. If you are attending the Sweets & Snacks Expo, please stop by booth 907 and check out our new interactive, digital booth.

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire its more than 85,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day. For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated

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