Hershey: to Launch Innovative Brand in China

Hershey / PA. (thc) The Hershey Company announced it is launching an innovative new candy brand in China called «Lancaster». The new products will initially launch in three cities – Wuhan, Hangzhou and Chengdu – in June, followed by a wider distribution in 2014. The new brand marks a significant first for The Hershey Company: it´s the first time the company has launched a completely new brand outside the United States in its nearly 120-year history. It is also the company´s first new brand that is not a brand extension or acquisition in the past 30 years. Lancaster brand candies are crafted through a proprietary Nai Bei candy-making process that requires high-quality imported milk and slow cooking. Lancaster products will compete with traditional candies in China´s «milk candy» confection category that account for one quarter of the total candy market in China and about 7,5 billion CNY or 1,2 billion USD.