Bulk confectionery, pick and mix candy,candy walls, or simply loose candy is a retailing strategy where various types of confectionery are sold together in a large container or in separate bins, allowing customers to select the assortment and quantity they prefer. Typically used in vending machines or confectionery retailers, this method involves dispensing candy by weight or piece count. This method has a global presence, with variations in practice and terminology across regions.
Bulk confectionery (Swedish: Lösgodis) originates back to the 1930s, when Swedish agriculture began to supply the country with refined sugar and made it possible to sell bulk confectionery in smaller shops. In 1984, the Swedish National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) approved selling it in ordinary larger stores, given that the candy varieties were kept in separate containers and picked with a scoop or a smaller bucket. [1]
Self-serve loose candy walls were introduced by two Finnish students educated in Stockholm, Sweden. They developed the idea in Helsinki, Finland, in the early 1980's. [2] [3] Since then it has started to spread all around the world, mostly in Europe and Asia. Even some IKEA stores in North America have started to sell mostly Swedish varieties but also American classics. [4]
Swedes ate the most pick and mix candy in the world in 2009. [5] Maundy Thursday is the biggest selling day in grocery stores. In Sweden, about 18 kilograms of candy are consumed per person per year (as of 2014). [6]
The first penny candy to be sold in the United States was the Tootsie Roll, in 1907, followed by Necco Wafers and Hershey's Kisses in subsequent decades. Bulk-sale of candy in the 20th century US was mainly through the F.W. Woolworth Company’s five and dime store chain, which closed in the 1980s, marking an end in popularity of the phenomenon. [7]
Swedish cuisine is the traditional food of Sweden. Due to Sweden's large north-to-south expanse, there are regional differences between the cuisine of North and South Sweden.
Candy corn is a small, pyramid-shaped candy, typically divided into three sections of different colors, with a waxy texture and a flavor based on honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla. It is a staple candy of the fall season and Halloween in North America.
Dagens Nyheter, abbreviated DN, is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record.
The Heath bar is a candy bar made of toffee, almonds, and milk chocolate, first manufactured by the Heath Brothers Confectionery in 1928. The Heath bar has been manufactured and distributed by Hershey since its acquisition of the Leaf International North American confectionery operations late in 1996.
Alko Inc is the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly in Finland. It is the only store in the country which retails beer over 5.5% ABV, wine and spirits. Alcoholic beverages are also sold in licensed restaurants and bars but only for consumption on the premises.
Brach's is a candy and sweets brand of Ferrara Candy Company.
Orkla ASA is a Norwegian conglomerate operating in Europe, Asia and the US. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions and financial investment sectors. Orkla ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and its head office is in Oslo, Norway. As of 31 December 2021, Orkla had 21,423 employees. The Group's turnover in 2021 totalled NOK 50.4 billion.
Swedish Fish is a fish-shaped, chewy candy originally developed by Swedish candy producer Malaco in the late 1950s for the U.S. market. They come in a variety of colors and flavors.
Bulk vending is the sale of unsorted confections, nuts, gumballs, toys and novelties selected at random and dispensed generally through non-electrically operated vending machines. Bulk vending is a separate segment of the vending industry from full-line vending — i.e., the snack and soda vending industries — and involves different products and strategies. Bulk vending represents less than 1% of the total vending industry.
Trocadero, also known as Troca, is an apple and orange flavoured Swedish soda containing caffeine. It was launched in Sweden in the summer of 1953 by Saturnus AB in Malmö, Sweden. Trocadero has been especially popular in Norrland, the northern part of Sweden, and has therefore been called the "national beverage of Norrland".
Sixlets are small round candy-coated, chocolate-flavored candy made by Oak Leaf Confections, a Chocolat Frey company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are often sold in thin cellophane packages that hold them in a tube-like formation. The United States Food and Drug Administration recognized that Sixlets are safe for human consumption during a 1961 study. The ball-shaped candies come in colors that include red, brown, yellow, green, blue and orange. Each color is purported to add a slightly different taste than the others to the candy. An Easter variation of the candy adds white, pink, and blue pieces while removing red and brown ones from the mix. A Christmas variation has only red, green and white; and the Valentine's Day variation has red, pink, and white. Halloween versions are also sold, having orange, teal, purple, green, and black candies. At some specialty candy stores, Sixlets can be found sold loose by weight in individually sorted colors not found in the typical variety- lime green, black, pink, etc.- in the same way that M&M's are popularizing designer color selection. They are also packaged for sale as decoration for baked goods.
Leaf International BV was a confectionery company founded in the 1940s. Leaf had sales of approximately €527m (2010) and 2,400 employees. It had 11 factories in seven countries. Leaf was owned by CVC Capital Partners, Nordic Capital, and management. Bengt Baron was the CEO of Leaf.
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose Arena in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football matches, hosting home matches of Allsvenskan teams Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby IF. The arena has a capacity of 30,000 to 35,000 spectators for football matches, depending on the number of people standing, and its facilities fulfill the requirements of FIFA and UEFA for hosting international games and tournaments. When configured for concerts, the arena has a capacity of 45,000 spectators.
Cloetta is a Swedish confectionery and nuts company. The company manufactures and sells local confectionery brands on its main markets Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and the UK.
Twist is a bite-sized confectionery produced by Freia, primarily for the Scandinavian market. Twist is sold in bags, and each bag contains a variety of pieces, mostly consisting of chocolates with some sort of filling in the center. New pieces are added and old ones discontinued frequently. Only two pieces, Lakris (licorice) and Cocos, have existed since the product was launched. The name Twist refers to the way each piece is wrapped.
Stick candy is a long, cylindrical variety of hard candy, usually four to seven inches in length and 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, but in some extraordinary cases up to 14 inches in length and two inches in diameter. Like candy canes, they usually have at least two different colors swirled together in a spiral pattern, resembling a barber's pole.
Candy making or candymaking is the preparation and cookery of candies and sugar confections. Candy making includes the preparation of many various candies, such as hard candies, jelly beans, gumdrops, taffy, liquorice, cotton candy, chocolates and chocolate truffles, dragées, fudge, caramel candy, and toffee.
Cinnamon Roll Day or Cinnamon Bun Day falls on 4 October each year. It is an annual theme day created for marketing purposes in Sweden and Finland that was instituted in 1999 by Kaeth Gardestedt. At the time, she was a project manager for Home Baking Council (Hembakningsrådet) which was historically a trade group supported by yeast, flour, sugar, and margarine manufacturers and is now supported by the Dansukker brand of sugar.
Ramune candy is a kind of Japanese tablet candy. It is generally made from sugar, mixed with a small amount of a binder and other ingredients, and compressed in a tableting machine.