Chewing gum, the United States gives way to the European Union

Mondelez gum becomes Italian. The US agri-food giant, known for its brands Lu, Oreo, Milka, Prince, Mikado and Toblerone, will sell some of its most popular brands and a large portion of its chewing gum business to Italian-Dutch conglomerate Perfetti van Melle. The deal, valued at $1.35 billion, includes Trident, Dentine, Hollywood, and others. The latter, along with Les Cachous Lajaunie, born in Toulouse more than 140 years ago and La Vosgienne desserts, are particularly strong on the French market. Last April, Mondelez announced its intention to sell its chewing gum business in Western countries, a sector it has struggled with for about 15 years. Then this trend accelerated during the pandemic: Chewing gum is actually an impulse purchase made most often while waiting in line at the supermarket checkout. Moreover, young people are less fond of chewing gum than previous generations. This is why, in 2020, chewing gum sales collapsed by 21% in France, one of the main markets in Europe. While in other regions of the world, chewing gum, which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2021, retains a certain appeal: for this reason, Mondelez, which now intends to focus on biscuits and chocolate-based products, will keep its activities outside North America and Europe.

The sweets market is a very lively market. In recent days, the Italian company Ferrero has acquired the American ice cream company Wells Enterprises. And again in the States, Barilla went shopping and bought Back to Nature, which specializes in the production of healthy snacks.