HERSHEY, Pa. (Oct. 3, 2024)—The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is set to showcase new product innovations and category management insights at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show Expo in Las Vegas from October 8-10, 2024. As consumer preferences evolve, Hershey continues to expand its sweet, salty and better-for-you snacks portfolio while offering valuable retailer insights for category management and queuing strategies.

Visitors to the company’s booth (#C3804) will experience new products from iconic Hershey brands, including Reese’s, Hershey’s, Kit Kat®, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers, One Brands, Fulfil and Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels.

Innovative highlights include:

• Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies
• Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup
• Reese’s Filled Pretzels
• Jolly Rancher Ropes, Jolly Rancher Chewy Poppers and Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried­
• Ice Breakers Flavor Shifters Gum
• One Brands Reese's Peanut Butter Lovers and Hershey's Cookies 'n' Crème flavor inspired protein bars
• Fulfil protein bar with Reese’s Peanut Butter and Fulfil Bites
• Kit Kat® Vanilla and Kit Kat® Super King 
• Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels in Parmesan Garlic and BBQ flavors

Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies: A Giant Leap in Candy Innovation

One of the standout additions to Hershey's sweets lineup is Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies, a collaboration with basketball legend and entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal. Available in both original and sour varieties, the gummies feature playful shapes inspired by O’Neal himself and have quickly become a hit in the gummies segment. This celebrity-driven partnership showcases Hershey's approach to merging cultural icons with consumer trends in the fastest-growing category in the sweets market.

Reese’s: A Billion Dollar Brand in C-Store

Hershey’s latest innovations spotlight Reese’s brand as a powerhouse known for its unmatched name recognition and ability to drive sales across multiple snacking categories and packtypes. Reese’s brand consistently ranks as the top-performer in convenience stores, where its presence boosts sales by attracting loyal customers and generating impulse buys. From chocolate to protein bars, filled pretzels, and the number one innovation in confection - Reese’s Caramel Big Cup - Reese’s name power remains a key asset, helping retailers maximize success in the competitive convenience channel.

New Sweets Innovations

Alongside Shaq-A-Licious XL gummies, Hershey will showcase additional new sweets innovations, including:

• Jolly Rancher Ropes (available now) – These ropes are packed with dual fruit flavors, offering a bold taste experience from the chewy outer layer to the flavorful inner filling.
• Jolly Rancher Chewy Poppers (available November 2024) – This triple-layered innovation, with a candy shell, chewy core and fruity center, gives consumers a textured experience in a new chew form.
• Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried (available February 2025) – Fans of Jolly Rancher hard candy will be able to experience the impossibly fruity flavors in a delightfully airy, crunchy and snackable form.

“As a leader in snacking innovation, we are committed to understanding and responding to the needs of our consumers and retailers to elevate shoppers’ experience and fuel growth across every category," said Nick Hansen, Vice President, C-Store, Drug, Dollar & Emerging/Specialty Retailers, The Hershey Company. “Through new innovations and offering key shopper insights, we’re providing our consumers with more options catered to their preferences and helping our retail partners drive sales.”

Convenience Channel Insights

Hershey will share strategies with retailers at NACS 2024, focusing on boosting sales and enhancing shopper engagement. Insights include:

• Chocolate in C-store: Chocolate continues to be a growth driver within instant consumables. Standard size serves as a key entry point for first-time buyers, while king size has the highest household penetration in convenience stores. Both formats are essential to the category's success.
• Sweets Packaging Trends: Take-home peg packs continue to be the entry point for new consumers seeking sweets, providing them the best visibility and value.
• Value and Convenience: Value means different things to different consumers. Foodservice remains a key area with a strong value proposition, enhanced by meal deals and promotions. Hershey works with retailers on achieving excellence in-store to enhance overall customer experience and engagement.

For nearly 15 years, The Hershey Company’s tailored planograms have helped retailers optimize their shelves and drive confection sales. Now, Hershey is applying insights from new research to better understand the salty snack shopper and grow sales in this expanding category. Our findings delve into areas such as:

• Organizing salty snacks by segment and product type helps align with shoppers' decision-making processes.
• Using strategic vertical placement of products within shelving displays to boost shopper engagement by 20% compared to other display methods.
• Enhancing category flow and adjacencies leads to higher shopper spending.

For more information about The Hershey Company, visit thehersheycompany.com or stop by booth #C3804 at the NACS Show Expo.

Pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to doing the right thing for its people, planet, and communities. Hershey has more than 20,000 employees in the U.S. and worldwide who work daily to deliver delicious, high-quality products. The company has more than 90 brand names in approximately 80 countries that drive more than $11.2 billion in annual revenues, including Hershey's, Reese's, Kisses, Kit Kat®, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers and Ice Breakers, and salty snacks including SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels.  

For over 130 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. The candy and snack maker's founder, Milton Hershey, created Milton Hershey School in 1909, and since then, the company has focused on helping children succeed through equitable access to education. 

To learn more, visit http://www.thehersheycompany.com/.  

Follow:
http://www.twitter.com/hersheycompany
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hershey-company
http://www.facebook.com/hersheycompany
http://www.youtube.com/hersheycompany
http://www.instagram.com/hersheycompany

Media Contact:
Lindsay McCabe/The Hershey Company
(717) 237-8309
Lmccabe1@hersheys.com

Tristin Schifferdecker/PriceWeber
(502) 599-6142
tschifferdecker@priceweber.com