With the winter holidays just a few weeks away, it’s hard not to think back to childhood memories when it felt impossible to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, and you can’t wait to come down the stairs the next morning to see what Santa left behind.
While the presents were always the highlight, the Christmas stocking check was a cherished tradition and almost always involved candy.
Since 1894 The famous chocolate and candy company Hershey has long thrived during the winter holidays, making it the most profitable time of the year.
It would seem almost inevitable that Hershey’s holiday candy sales would dominate the market. However, in 2025 an unexpected event caught the company off guard.
During 2025 in October earnings Hershey CEO Kirk Tanner revealed that Halloween candy sales got off to a slower-than-usual start. He said the timing of Halloween falling on a Friday this year may have delayed the final sales of the season.
In response, Hershey said it plans to invest more in consumer insights to improve its product lineup, pricing and packaging beyond the holiday season.
The company is also looking to accelerate its digital marketing efforts and continue to support creative product collaborations, such as the popular Reese’s Oreo partnership.
This slight downturn may have prompted Hershey to take its holiday offerings to the next level and introduce more new candy innovations than before.
This year, Hershey ( HSY ) introduced an all-new line of holiday candy among its iconic brands, including Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat and Reese’s, while also bringing back seasonal fan favorites.
Hershey’s Kisses Snickerdoodle Cookie Candy: Snickerdoodle-flavored Hershey’s Kisses with white cream and crunchy cookie pieces, wrapped in festive foil
Kit Kat Peppermint Stick: A Kit Kat covered in peppermint flavored cream with crunchy red candy pieces
Reese’s Mini Trees: Bite-sized, mini-tree-shaped Reese’s
Hershey’s Grinch Milk Chocolate Bar: ClassicHershey’s Milk Chocolate with three new wrappers inspired by The Grinch movie franchise: Grinch, Max the Dog and Cindy-Lou Who
Hershey’s Kisses Celebration: Classic Hershey’s Kisses wrapped in red, green and silver foil.
Hershey’s Kisses Candy Cane: Mint-flavored Hershey’s Kisses with white chocolate and crunchy red candy pieces
Hershey’s Kisses with Almond: Hershey’s Kisses are filled with almond pieces
Hershey’s Kisses Hot Cocoa: Hot cocoa-flavored Hershey Kisses with a marshmallow cream center
Kit Kat Santa: Santa-shaped Kit Kat introduced in 2024
Reese’s Trees: Tree-shaped Reese’s
The Hershey Company presents new 2025 holiday candy innovations.Shutterstock” loading=”lazy” height=”540″ width=”960″ class=”yf-1gfnohs loader”/>
Hershey Company presents new 2025 holiday candy innovations.Shutterstock
Hershey remains the largest chocolate maker in the US and has announced that by 2025 North American confectionery sales rose 5.6% year-over-year in the third quarter.
Interestingly, the company’s fastest-growing segment is now salty snacks, including SkinnyPop, Dot’s Pretzels and Pirate’s Booty, which saw net sales increase 10% in the quarter.
Snacks are consumed more frequently than candy, making them a powerful driver of Hershey’s long-term growth.
More innovations from The Hershey Company:
Global Candy Market Size 2025 has been estimated at approximately US$73.4 billion and is expected to grow by 2030. its annual growth will reach 4.6% and reach 97.6 billion dollars, according to Mordor Intelligence.
Meanwhile, the global cheese snacks market size in 2021 was estimated at approximately 250.5 billion.
Growth in this segment is largely driven by consumers looking for healthier snacks.
Hershey’s evolution reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior. As changing attitudes are often difficult to predict, the company invests heavily in trend forecasting to stay ahead of demand and competition.
“Through thoughtful packaging and product innovation based on consumer trends and insights, we help retailers offer more options and help drive sales,” 2025. Tiffany Menyhart, CCO of The Hershey Company, said at the NACS show.
Tanner said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call that the dynamic business environment has encouraged the team to work diligently through challenges and develop new strategies to continue to drive growth.
“Innovation is definitely such an important lever, but I think being consistent with innovation is also important to your core business,” Tanner said.
These efforts are paying off. Hershey’s chocolate retail sales rebounded to 4% after a 1% decline in 2024, and confectionery penetration increased 65 basis points on innovation and brand development.
Market experts are cautiously optimistic about Hershey’s prospects.
“Hershey has struggled over the past two and a half years,” noted stock analyst Jim Cramer. “Now I think it’s mostly because of the GLP-1 weight loss drugs that have rocked the whole packaged food industry. But I have to say that it could be the worst.”
Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs equities analyst Leah Jordan wrote in September: “We expect the latest pricing announcements to lead to excessive earnings growth in FY26 and a better-than-expected consumer backdrop, noting Hershey’s historically strong pricing power tied to its iconic portfolio of brands.”
Hershey’s latest earnings results show that even a beloved brand must adapt to changing consumer habits to stay relevant and prevent its business from stagnating.
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This story was originally reported by TheStreet in 2025. on November 9, where it first appeared in the retail section. Add TheStreet as a preferred source by clicking here.
