As a top 10 in-store category for the channel—and one with strong margins—candy continues to enjoy support from retailers and marketers alike.

In the NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data, the NACS research team unveiled that in 2024 candy dollar sales per store, per month were $8,816, a 3.6% increase year over year, and margins were 50.58%, generating a 3.7% increase in gross profits. The category contributed 3.6% to in-store sales.

“Convenience stores play an integral role among today’s [candy] consumers because they’re accessible and fast,” remarked Jim Dodge, vice president of convenience at Mars Wrigley, in the June 2025 issue of NACS Magazine feature “Sweets Stay Steady.”

The candy category has always been influenced by overall consumer, culinary and even pop-culture trends. Flavors like apricot, pistachio, yuzu, cotton candy, ginger and pear are trendy of late, while “combos, such as sweet and spicy, sweet and sour and sour and spicy” are also the rage.

“For the category, it’s a place for brands to meet consumers where they are, especially with the rise of snacking on the go,” Dodge said. Indeed, according to Dodge, when it comes to treating themselves, one in three shoppers seek a snack as part of their convenience trip.

However, with soaring ingredient costs, candy prices at retail have been on the rise. “The days of entering a c-store or travel plaza and mindlessly filling your arms with items, not caring of the price, has become a thing of the past with the rise in inflation and the consumer being more budget conscious,” remarked Maria Ottone, category manager at Onvo, with locations in Pennsylvania and New York.

Want to know more or are interested in how other categories performed in 2024? The NACS State of the Industry Report of 2024 Data is available for purchase.