Fanny Farmer

Last updated

Fanny Farmer was an American candy manufacturer and retailer. [1]

Contents

Fanny Farmer was started in Rochester, New York, by Canadian politician and businessman Frank O'Connor in 1919, and grew to over 400 stores before being bought and consolidated. [1] [2]

History

20th century

O'Connor had previously started the Laura Secord Candy Shops in Toronto, Ontario, in 1913. The company was named "Fanny Farmer" to exploit the exemplary reputation [3] of one of America's foremost culinary experts, Fannie Farmer, who had died four years earlier, had nothing to do with the candy stores, and her recipes weren't used. The spelling of the first name was altered simply to "avoid confusion". [2]

Fanny Farmer stores shared a look that was similar to that of Chicago candy maker Fannie May.[ when? ] [4] [5]

John D. Hayes was president of the company for many years, from its earliest years through the 1950s. He was a shrewd businessman, and guided the company through some difficult times. During the Depression, candy sales were dropping until he slashed retail prices, and kept the company in business. During World War II, he self-imposed rationing on company stores in the US, to ensure adequate supplies of candy for the armed forces overseas. He was named 1955 "Candy Man of the Year" by the candy industry. He was also blind. [6]

In 1962, a proxy fight allowed a group of stock market investors from New York City & New England, without experience in the candy industry, to gain control of the Fanny Farmer company. They pushed for continuous expansion of the company, spending heavily to open more retail stores, despite facing increasing retail competition. This rapid expansion financially stressed the company.

In 1992, the Archibald Candy Company acquired Fanny Farmer [3] and its 200 retail stores in the Northeastern United States as a sister brand to its own Fannie May candies sold primarily in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic United States. [7]

21st century

An errant path of merger and acquisitions, whereby Archibald became the largest chain of candy retailers in the country but without adequate financing and a viable corporate strategy, resulted in two bankruptcies, in 2002 and 2004. [8] [9]

In 2004, Alpine Confections purchased Archibald out of receivership, merged Fanny Farmer into Fannie May, and moved production to its own Green, Ohio-based Harry London Candies, which had been acquired a year earlier. Fanny Mae was reopened in October 2004 [10] with 45 retail outlets.

In April 2006, Fannie May was sold for $85 million plus an earnout to publicly traded Internet retailer 1-800-Flowers.com. [11] The chocolates and candy continued to be manufactured Ohio under the name Fannie May Confections Brands Inc, while the Fanny May corporate headquarters remained in Chicago.

In March 2017, Fannie May and Harry London were sold by 1-800-Flowers to Ferrero SpA for $115 million. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sears</span> Department store chain in the United States

Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began as a mail ordering catalog company migrating to opening retail locations in 1925, the first in Chicago. In 2005, the company was bought by the management of the American big box discount chain Kmart, which upon completion of the merger, formed Sears Holdings. Through the 1980s, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States. In 2018, it was the 31st-largest. After several years of declining sales, Sears's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 15, 2018. It announced on January 16, 2019, that it had won its bankruptcy auction, and that a reduced number of 425 stores would remain open, including 223 Sears stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heath bar</span> Toffee candy bar from The Hershey Company

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery Ward</span> Retailer in the United States

Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a mail-order business and later a department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The current Montgomery Ward Inc. is an online shopping and mail-order catalog retailer that started several years after the original Montgomery Ward shut down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kohl's</span> American department store chain

Kohl's is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. It currently has 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawaii. The company was founded by Polish immigrant Maxwell Kohl, who opened a corner grocery store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1927. It went on to become a successful chain in the local area, and in 1962 the company branched out by opening its first department store. British American Tobacco Company took a controlling interest in the company in 1972 while still managed by the Kohl Family, and in 1979, the corporation was sold to BATUS Inc. A group of investors purchased the company in 1986 from British American Tobacco and took it public in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrero SpA</span> Italian multinational food corporation

Ferrero International SpA, more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba. Ferrero is a manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world. Ferrero SpA is a private company owned by the Ferrero family and has been described as "one of the world's most secretive firms".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Ruth</span> American candy bar

Baby Ruth is an American candy bar made of peanuts, caramel, and milk chocolate-flavored nougat, covered in compound chocolate. Created in 1920, and named after American professional baseball player George Herman "Babe" Ruth, it is distributed by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero.

Wonka was a confectionery brand owned and licensed by the Swiss corporation Nestlé. In 2018, the branding and production rights were sold to the Ferrero Group, and as a result, the brand was discontinued. The brand later got revived as promotion for Wonka (film).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southdale Center</span> Regional mall in Edina, Minnesota, U.S.

Southdale Center is a shopping mall located in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities. It opened in 1956 and is the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the United States. Southdale Center has 1,297,608 square feet of leasable retail space, and contains 106 retail tenants. The mall is owned by Simon Property Group and the anchor stores are Macy's, Dave & Buster's, AMC Theatres, Hennepin Service Center, and Life Time Athletic.

The Nash Finch Company, formerly a Fortune 500 company based in Edina, Minnesota, United States, was involved in food distribution to private companies, primarily independent supermarkets, and military commissaries and retail operations stores operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tootsie Roll Industries</span> U.S. candy company

Tootsie Roll Industries is an American manufacturer of confectionery based in Chicago, Illinois. Its best-known products include the namesake Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. Tootsie Roll Industries currently markets its brands internationally in Canada, Mexico, and over 75 other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.</span> American flowers and gifts retailer

1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. is a floral and foods gift retailer and distribution company in the United States. The company's focus, except for Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, is on gift baskets. They also use the name 1-800-Baskets.com. Their use of "coyly self-descriptive telephone numbers" is part of founder James McCann's business model.

Fannie May Confection Brands, Inc. is an American chocolate manufacturer headquartered in Chicago and currently owned by multinational company Ferrero SpA. Fannie May manufactures a broad variety of products including enrobed, barks, caramels, squares, berries, twist wrapped, molded, flow wrapped, and boxed chocolates. Fannie May produces various candies without gluten, milk, honey, oil(s), wheat, and/or eggs for those with the relevant allergies. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America certified many of Fannie May's products to be kosher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Secord Chocolates</span> Canadian chocolate and candy company

Laura Secord s.e.c is a Canadian chocolatier, confectionery, and ice cream company. It is owned by Jean Leclerc of Quebec City, who owns Nutriart, a company devoted to chocolate production. Nutriart is a former division of Biscuits Leclerc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farley's & Sathers Candy Company</span> Umbrella candy company

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company was created as an umbrella company to roll up many small companies, brands and products under a common management team. The confectionery business segment is made up of many small companies, often with intertwined relationships and histories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Johnson (businessman)</span> American businessman

Ron Johnson is the CEO and founder of Enjoy Technology. Previously, he was CEO of JCPenney, where he led a failed effort to fundamentally reshape the retailer; senior vice president of retail operations at Apple Inc., where he developed the concept of the Apple Retail Stores and the Genius Bar; and the vice president of merchandising for Target Corporation, where he was credited for making the store appeal to a younger and trendier crowd. Johnson is on the Board of Directors of Globality Inc, a start-up based in Menlo Park, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrs. Fields</span> American food company specializing in cookies

Mrs. Fields' Original Cookies Inc. is an American franchisor in the snack food industry, with Mrs. Fields and TCBY as its core brands. Through its franchisees' retail stores, it is one of the largest retailers of freshly-baked-on-premises specialty cookies and brownies in the United States and the largest retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt in the country. In addition, it operates a gifts and branded retail business, entering into many licensing arrangements. Its franchise systems include over 300 franchised and licensed locations throughout the United States and in 22 other countries. It also offers retail grocery products and a gifting catalog under the name of Mrs. Fields Gifts. It is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Confectioners Association</span> American trade organization

The National Confectioners Association is an American trade organization that promotes chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and the companies that make these treats. NCA lobbies the American government in favor of the confectionery industry, evaluated at US$35 billion. Confections are produced in all 50 states. The association "annually hosts the National Candy Show in Chicago, as well as the Candy Hall of Fame". As of 2024, the Sweets and Snacks Expo will take place in Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgedale Center</span> Shopping mall in Minnesota, United States

Ridgedale Center, colloquially known as Ridgedale, is an enclosed shopping mall in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a western suburb of the Twin Cities. It is directly located off I-394/US 12 between Ridgedale Drive and Plymouth Road. Ridgedale Center comprises 1,105,337 square feet (100,000 m2) of leaseable retail space, and contains approximately 140 retail tenants. It is currently jointly owned by Brookfield Properties and CBRE Group, and managed by Brookfield. The anchor stores are JCPenney, Nordstrom, Macy's, and Dick's House of Sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Elephant Popcorn</span>

Lucky Elephant Pink Candy Popcorn is a Canadian confection that has been on the snack food market since the 1950s. It is commonly found retailed at mom and pop grocery stores, carnivals, concession stands, arenas and neighbourhood food outlets, and more recently is being launched in major grocery outlets across Canada.

Paradies Lagardère operates stores in airports, hotels, and other locations throughout the United States and Canada. Locations include specialty stores, restaurants and bookstores. The company was founded in 1960 in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

  1. 1 2 Marton, Renee (May 1, 2007). Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (Hardcover) (1st ed.). Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press. p. 213. ISBN   978-0195307962 . Retrieved August 4, 2014.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. 1 2 Morrell, Alan (April 19, 2014). "Whatever Happened To ... Fanny Farmer Candy?". Democrat & Chronicle . Rochester, New York: Gannett . Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Poirier, Leon; Poirier, Rose. "Fanny Farmer: The Sweet Collectibles". Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ Goddard, Leslie (August 27, 2012). Chicago's Sweet Candy History (Paperback). Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Publishing. p. 115. ISBN   978-0738593821 . Retrieved August 4, 2014.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ↑ Compare, Matson, Marci (October 21, 2011) [May 23, 1959]. "Photo Friday: Fanny Farmer, 50th and France" (photo). Edina County Historical Society. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ Morrell, Alan. "Whatever Happened To ... Fanny Farmer Candy?". USA TODAY.
  7. ↑ "Fanny Farmer Parent Will Sell the Candy-Store Chain". The New York Times . August 5, 1992. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Fannie May parent files Chapter 11". Chicago Tribune. June 13, 2002. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Schmeltzer, John (February 26, 2004). "Series of mistakes doomed candymaker: Some blame owner, strategy, but other causes listed too". Chicago Tribune . Articles.chicagotribune.com/. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Alpine Confections Awarded Fannie May and Fanny Farmer Brands". Gourmetretailer.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  11. ↑ "Paragon Capital Partners Completes Sale of Fannie May Confections Brands, Inc. to... - re> NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire/". New York: Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  12. ↑ Ferrero, Razorfish for. "FERRERO INTERNATIONAL S.A. HAS ACQUIRED U.S. CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONERY MANUFACTURER FANNIE MAY". www.ferrero.com. Retrieved 2022-07-06.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.