SIC 5145 Confectionery

SIC 5145

This industry classification includes wholesale distributors of confectionery and related products such as candy, chewing gum, salted or roasted nuts, popcorn, soda fountain syrups and toppings, and potato and corn chips.

NAICS CODE(S)

422450

Confectionery Wholesalers

In 2001, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were a total of 2,381 confectionery wholesalers. That same year, the industry employed 46,929 workers and posted an annual payroll of $1.7 million. In 2003, there were approximately 4,130 confectionery wholesalers, and about 47,630 workers. The industry generated about $10.4 billion in sales. The average sales per establishment were $3.2 million. The states controlling most of the confectionery market were California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Combined, they represented more than 36 percent of the total market.

According to a market study on confectionery sales conducted in the mid-2000s, supermarkets generated 40 percent of total sales in this industry. Mass merchandisers and convenience stores accounted for 15 and 14 percent, respectively. Small retailers, drug stores, vending machines, wholesale clubs, fundraising, and the military accounted for the remaining sales, each generating less than ten percent. The trend continued into 2003, where supermarket sales for confectionery products increased by three percent. Mass merchandisers, not counting Wal-Mart, declined 3.1 percent.

Candy consumption continued to increase throughout the decade. Up from 16.0 pounds per capita in 1986, it stood at 20.7 pounds in 1990, and, according to the National Confectioners Association (NCA), reached 23.4 pounds by 1995. Candy trade products were classified in two categories: chocolate and non-chocolate. In 1995, chocolate, the top-selling category, accounted for more than 50 percent of the nation's candy sales. The U.S. Census Bureau reported candy consumption increased to 5.8 billion pounds by 2002. According to Direct magazine, the United States held the fifth position in the world for candy consumption.

Gum consumption and chewing gum sales also experienced tremendous growth in the U.S. market during the 1990s. According to statistics released by the National Association of Chewing Gum Manufacturers, total domestic factory sales increased from $716.0 million in 1980 to $1.3 billion in 1990, and sales passed $1.4 billion in 1994. A decade later, sugarless gum was gaining...