Confectionery

The term “confectionery” typically encompasses products such as chocolate and non-chocolate candy; gum; ice cream and frozen desserts; cookies, cakes, and pastries; and other sweet goods such as jams, jellies, and preserves.

Non-chocolate candy can be a wide-ranging term classification, particularly at the international level. Marzipan, fruit-paste candies, jelly beans, marshmallows, nut brittles, toffees, and mints all are classified as non-chocolate candies.

Confectionery is sold through one of the broadest spectrums of retail channels of any food product. These channels include supermarkets, grocery stores, mass merchandisers, drugstores, convenience stores, gourmet/specialty stores (including chocolate stores, bulk candy stores, specialty food stores, kitchenware stores, and chains owned by companies that both manufacture and retail chocolate), department stores, health and natural food stores, warehouse clubs, bakeries, coffeehouses and cafés, ethnic markets, movie theaters, kiosks and tobacco stores, card and gift shops, toy stores, video stores, office supply stores, florists, transportation terminals, mail-order catalogs, online stores on the Internet, and many others, as well as vending machines and street vendors.

Packaged confectionery is boxed or bagged before reaching the retailer. Such products usually bear the label and/or logo of the marketer, and are marketed by brand name. Bulk candies are confections sent to the retailer in bulk. Retailers may sell these candies in individual units, such as a single chocolate truffle; by bulk weight; or they may package the candies under their own or the marketer's label.

Confectionary sales typically peak at holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Halloween, and confections are historically welcome as gifts and popular as self-indulgences.