German gummy bear maker Haribo says it achieved a record sales volume last year, driven in part by new product launches and shifting consumer preferences.
“Our worldwide sales increased by 4.5 per cent,” Herwig Vennekens, chief commercial officer of the Haribo Group, told the German business daily Handelsblatt in an interview published on Monday.
The confectionary company, headquartered in the western town of Grafschaft, said new products accounted for about a quarter of that growth.
“By 2025, we succeeded in further expanding our market share and attracting new customers across all age groups – particularly among 20- to 39-year-olds,” a company spokesman said in a follow-up statement.
Recent sour-flavoured launches, including Haribo Pico-Balla Sauer and the worm-shaped Haribo Super Wummis, contributed to the gains, he said.
Vennekens said gummies are increasingly replacing chocolate in seasonal purchases such as Christmas and Easter.
“Fruit gummies are increasingly finding their way into Christmas stockings and Easter baskets instead of chocolate,” Vennekens told the Handelsblatt, pointing to a shift in consumer behaviour as chocolate has become significantly more expensive due to high cocoa prices.
Haribo products are sold in nearly 200 countries worldwide, according to the company.
They are produced at 16 sites across 11 countries, and the company employs about 8500 people.
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