Analysis | Why Nestle sold its U.S. candy business — and bought a vitamin company (2024)

Analysts are calling it a $2.8 billion testament to Americans’ changing tastes in food: On Tuesday, Nestle — the maker of Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and Raisinets — agreed to sell its U.S. candy brands to Nutella-maker Ferrero.

The deal is the latest in a torrent of food company mergers and acquisitions — the result, analysts say, of anemic growth in traditional packaged foods as a result of consumers’ ever-healthier preferences. That changing landscape is causing many large companies, such as Nestle and Ferrero, to reorient their strategies.

Analysis | Why Nestle sold its U.S. candy business — and bought a vitamin company (2024)

FAQs

Why did Nestlé sell candy? ›

That changing landscape is causing many large companies, such as Nestle and Ferrero, to reorient their strategies. Nestle, the country's fourth-largest candy company, has said it put its U.S. candy business on the market to focus on healthy foods.

What does Nestlé make for candy? ›

NESTLÉ® BUTTERFINGER® BITES; NESTLÉ® BABY RUTH®; NESTLÉ® RAISINETS®; NESTLÉ® GOOBERS®; NESTLÉ® OH HENRY! ®; NESTLÉ® 100 GRAND®; NESTLÉ® SNO-CAPS®; NIPS®; SUGAR FREE NIPS®; NESTLÉ® CHUNKY®; the NESTLÉ MILK CHOCOLATE BAR; and NEW! SKINNY COW™ CANDY in DREAMY CLUSTERS and HEAVENLY CRISPS.

Did Nestlé sell Butterfinger to Ferrero? ›

NORTH AMERICA–The Ferrero Group has entered into an agreement to purchase Nestlé's U.S. confectionery business for $2.8 billion in cash.

Does Nestlé own any candy? ›

You'll find Nestlé chocolates, biscuits, and confectionery all over the world.

Who bought Nestle candy? ›

Acquisition by Ferrero

On January 18, 2018, Ferrero announced that it would be purchasing the Nestlé US candy business and all of its US products, office locations, and manufacturing plants. The deal gave Nestlé a value of approximately $2.8 billion.

What did Nestle originally sell? ›

Henri's product was a carefully formulated mixture of cow's milk, flour and sugar. Nestlé's first product was called Farine Lactée (“cornflour gruel” in French) Henri Nestlé. The product was first used on a premature baby who could not tolerate his mother's milk or other alternative products of that time.

Is Hershey owned by Nestlé? ›

No, Nestlé does not own Hershey. Hershey is its own company, and it's one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. However, Nestlé is a major player in the food and beverage industry, with a diverse portfolio that includes chocolate products among many others.

Is Nestlé the same as Hershey? ›

Even products that look similar are each made differently. Nestle is a food and drink company that makes chocolate and Hershey is a top chocolate manufacturer. Some top chocolate bars from Nestle include Kit Kat and Butterfinger while Hershey is known for Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Does Nestlé own Skittles? ›

Skittles are multicolored fruit-flavored lentil-shaped candies produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars Inc. Vitamin A equiv. Amounts converted and rounded to be relative to 100 g serving.

Does Nestlé make candy anymore? ›

Nestlé today announced that it agreed to sell its U.S. confectionery business to Ferrero for USD 2.8 billion in cash.

Do Nestlé make Snickers? ›

The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is over $380 million, and it is widely considered the bestselling candy bar in the world. Mars Inc.

Is Butterfinger still made? ›

In January 2018, Nestlé announced plans to sell over twenty of its US confectionery brands (including Butterfinger) to Italian chocolatier Ferrero SpA, for $2.8 billion. The deal was finalized in March 2018, and the newly acquired brands were folded into the operations of the Ferrero Candy Company.

Does Nestlé own M&Ms? ›

M&M's are the flagship product of the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars, Incorporated.

Does Nestlé still exist? ›

Nestlé S.A. (/ˈnɛsleɪ, -li, -əl/ NESS-lay, -⁠lee, -⁠əl, French: [nɛsle], German: [ˈnɛstlə]) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 2014.

Does Nestlé own Twizzlers? ›

TWIZZLERS Twists were first produced in 1929 by Young and Smylie in Lancaster Pennsylvania. The company changed its name in 1968 to Y&S Candies before being acquired by The Hershey Company in 1977.

Why is everyone boycotting Nestlé? ›

Advocacy groups and charities have accused Nestlé of unethical methods of promoting infant formula over breast milk to poor mothers in developing countries.

What is the biggest controversy with Nestlé? ›

Nestle's Sugar Scandal Sends a Troubling Message to Black and Brown Parents. The multinational food company is under fire for adding sugar to baby formula sold in the Global South. In 1977, Nestlé was at the heart of a scandal that led to mass outrage and an international boycott.

Why did people boycott Nestlé? ›

In the 1970s, declining rates of breastfeeding led a number of organisations to raise concerns about the marketing practices of breast milk substitute manufacturers - including Nestlé - in developing countries.

Why is Nestlé discontinued chocolates? ›

A Nestle spokeswoman said: “We know fans will be disappointed to see it go, but it's time for us to say goodbye to Breakaway. “We have seen a decline in the sales of Breakaway over the past few years and, unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it.

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