Hershey reported sales ofmints andgum were down over 20%.- Overall sales were up for Hershey, thanks to baking products and snacks.
- The company launched an ad campaign to try to boost sales.
Mint and gum sales are another loser of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Hershey's fourth quarter earnings released Thursday.
Net sales for the company actually increased by about 5% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, but Hershey said that growth was offset in part by a 20.4% decline in refreshment products, or mints and gum. People apparently aren't throwing mints in their carts at the last minute during grocery trips, and constant mask-wearing has made these products feel less necessary. "The functional need for breath freshening continues to be impacted by social distancing," as Hershey politely put it.
Read more: $4
Among its dozens of brands, Hershey lists three products in the $4: breathsavers, Bubble Yum bubblegum, and Ice Breakers. The company has launched campaigns to combat these poor sales, like the "$4 campaign that pitches mints as the solution to bad breath after hours earing a mask.
Other products in Hershey's portfolio did better this year, though, including salty snacks and $4 like peanut butter and cocoa.