Swedish confectionery brand BUBS, a unit of Orkla Snacks, has reached distribution across more than 60,000 U.S. retail doors in the twelve months since its domestic launch in September 2025 — a pace that positions it among the faster retail rollouts in the imported candy segment in recent years. To mark the milestone, the brand is extending its product line with two new flavors, incremental bag sizes for existing SKUs, and its first Halloween-themed limited edition.
The New SKUs
Two berry-flavored additions land on shelves this month. Sour Forest Berries Ovals — a blueberry-raspberry combination in a 5.5-ounce bag priced at $3.00 — will be sold exclusively at Five Below. Sweet Wild Berry Pomegranate Ovals, described as a foamy-textured candy combining strawberry and pomegranate, will debut at Target in two sizes: an 8-ounce bag at $4.99 and a 5.5-ounce bag at $3.19. The channel-exclusive placement strategy mirrors a common approach among emerging confectionery brands seeking to drive trial through value and specialty retailers before broadening distribution.
The brand is also extending two existing lines — Strawberry Vanilla and Tutti Frutti — into 2.5-ounce and 8-ounce bag formats at major retailers nationwide later this year, adding impulse and sharing-occasion price points to a range that had previously been concentrated in mid-size bags.
Seasonal and Positioning Moves
For Halloween, BUBS will release its Lemon Raspberry Skalle — named for its distinctive skull shape — in limited-edition seasonal packaging, available exclusively at Five Below at a $3.00 suggested retail price. Seasonal packaging is increasingly standard in confectionery retail: holiday editions can lift category velocity by double-digit percentages during the October window, according to industry data tracked by confectionery market analysts.
All BUBS products are positioned as vegan-friendly and free from gluten, palm oil, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, and Red 40 — attributes that carry growing commercial weight as better-for-you candy continues to take share within the broader snack and confectionery aisle. The clean-label profile has become a standard differentiator for imported European candy brands seeking premium shelf positioning against domestic incumbents.
"It's been incredible to watch BUBS go from a viral sensation to a staple on the U.S. candy aisles," said Åsa Gisel, head of marketing at BUBS. "We've been so inspired by the love from our U.S. fans, and these new flavors, sizes and seasonal designs are our way of giving fans even more of what they love."
The brand's initial U.S. momentum was driven in part by social media discovery — a playbook that has worked for several European candy imports in recent years and that continues to compress the timeline between brand awareness and retail listings. BUBS is distributed at Target, Five Below, Walgreens, and additional national chains. The company indicated it plans further product introductions heading into 2027, though no specific SKU count or retailer targets were disclosed.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
