Candy Stores

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Alpha8472
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Candy Stores

Post by Alpha8472 »

The Disney Store in Chicago closed and was replaced by a huge candy "department store."

It'Sugar opened up a 14,000 square foot store featuring oversized replicas of candy mascots such as Toucan Sam.

There are 100 stores in the U.S.

These are the kind of stores that are fun to visit. Shopping online just does not compare.

https://chainstoreage.com/first-look-it ... ig-chicago
storewanderer
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: April 6th, 2022, 6:02 pm The Disney Store in Chicago closed and was replaced by a huge candy "department store."

It'Sugar opened up a 14,000 square foot store featuring oversized replicas of candy mascots such as Toucan Sam.

There are 100 stores in the U.S.

These are the kind of stores that are fun to visit. Shopping online just does not compare.

https://chainstoreage.com/first-look-it ... ig-chicago
ItSugar was bankrupt in 2020 so it is interesting they recovered.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by buckguy »

It seems too large for low margin items like candy. Places like this usually are much smaller. Michigan Avenue probably can't support this the way that Times Square supports the M&M store.

B.a.Sweetie in Cleveland seems like a better model for a candy superstore--an old light industrial space in an industrial/wholesaling strip parallel to an outerbelt expressway and near a high volume exit. The store has a soda fountain, old fashioned games, and a huge parking lot. Its an adjunct to a wholesale business and sells lots of regional brands from the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South, as well as regular national brands and specialty items. It's a regional draw and the nostalgia factor gets people to buy stuff like Mallo Cups and Bun bars.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by Brian Lutz »

For many years, the candy stores in the malls here were Sweet Factory stores, which are generally small (under 1,000 SF) and which sell mostly "mix and match" bulk candies at a price which currently seems to be around $15 per pound. They have around 30 locations currently, mostly in California. Most of the major malls in the Seattle area used to have these, but Bellevue Square has the only one that's still operating in Washington. It seems like if you have the audience for a store like that you can do reasonably well on selling bulk products at high margin with relatively low overhead, but grocery stores with large selections of bulk products (such as WinCo or Haggen) generally have most of the stuff they sell for significantly cheaper prices.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by storewanderer »

Brian Lutz wrote: April 7th, 2022, 9:30 am For many years, the candy stores in the malls here were Sweet Factory stores, which are generally small (under 1,000 SF) and which sell mostly "mix and match" bulk candies at a price which currently seems to be around $15 per pound. They have around 30 locations currently, mostly in California. Most of the major malls in the Seattle area used to have these, but Bellevue Square has the only one that's still operating in Washington. It seems like if you have the audience for a store like that you can do reasonably well on selling bulk products at high margin with relatively low overhead, but grocery stores with large selections of bulk products (such as WinCo or Haggen) generally have most of the stuff they sell for significantly cheaper prices.
Sweet Factory was franchise based and the store count used to be much higher. I think COVID dealt them quite a blow; first they had to close entirely (probably lost most inventory while being closed too), then even after reopening the mall there were issues with the self serve bulk bin set up.

There used to be a chain in Nevada/Utah called Candy Barrel. Exactly as it sounded. Old wood floors, wrapped bulk candy in barrels all over the place. They had a ton of salt water taffy. They had some bulk candy too but it was employee serve/behind the counter (Jelly Belly and some chocolate, maybe fudge too). They were some kind of a chain because they gave out plastic bags that had their name on them and some 1-800 number to call to do phone orders. But I can't find any evidence they still exist. The Reno one closed in 2013.

World Market has an impressive selection of bagged/sealed candy, in the case of gummy stuff, that easily rivals these mall stores.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by J-Man »

Alpha8472 wrote: April 6th, 2022, 6:02 pm
It'Sugar opened up a 14,000 square foot store featuring oversized replicas of candy mascots such as Toucan Sam.
Isn't Toucan Sam a CEREAL mascot?
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by pseudo3d »

storewanderer wrote: April 7th, 2022, 10:20 pm
Brian Lutz wrote: April 7th, 2022, 9:30 am For many years, the candy stores in the malls here were Sweet Factory stores, which are generally small (under 1,000 SF) and which sell mostly "mix and match" bulk candies at a price which currently seems to be around $15 per pound. They have around 30 locations currently, mostly in California. Most of the major malls in the Seattle area used to have these, but Bellevue Square has the only one that's still operating in Washington. It seems like if you have the audience for a store like that you can do reasonably well on selling bulk products at high margin with relatively low overhead, but grocery stores with large selections of bulk products (such as WinCo or Haggen) generally have most of the stuff they sell for significantly cheaper prices.
Sweet Factory was franchise based and the store count used to be much higher. I think COVID dealt them quite a blow; first they had to close entirely (probably lost most inventory while being closed too), then even after reopening the mall there were issues with the self serve bulk bin set up.

There used to be a chain in Nevada/Utah called Candy Barrel. Exactly as it sounded. Old wood floors, wrapped bulk candy in barrels all over the place. They had a ton of salt water taffy. They had some bulk candy too but it was employee serve/behind the counter (Jelly Belly and some chocolate, maybe fudge too). They were some kind of a chain because they gave out plastic bags that had their name on them and some 1-800 number to call to do phone orders. But I can't find any evidence they still exist. The Reno one closed in 2013.

World Market has an impressive selection of bagged/sealed candy, in the case of gummy stuff, that easily rivals these mall stores.
There appears to be one still in Fort Worth though I can't tell if it was connected to the chain.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by Alpha8472 »

That's right. Toucan Sam is a cereal mascot. Toucan Sam is kind of out of place. The cereal is not as sugary as candy.

Wasn't there a restaurant that only sold cereal and milk? What will people pay for next?

The Candy Barrel is still open in Old Town Sacramento. The San Francisco one closed years ago.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by storewanderer »

Also looks like Powell's Sweet Shoppe has gone into a strange state. Multiple locations listed on the website that seem to have either closed or debranded from Powell's.
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Re: Candy Stores

Post by Alpha8472 »

The owners of these shops probably realized that they don't need to pay for the Powell's brand name.

Independent candy stores can do fine on their own.

BurgerIm lost many of the franchises when they went independent. The BurgerIm brand name was not worth the cost.
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