New Leadership, New Channel
HARIBO of America opened its first U.S. retail store at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York on August 7, simultaneously announcing that Jon Hughes has assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. A second location at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Massachusetts is expected to open in early August. The dual announcements mark the German confectionery group's most visible direct-to-consumer push in the United States since it opened its Rosemont, Illinois, headquarters.
Hughes joins the U.S. business from HARIBO U.K. & Ireland, where he served as Managing Director. The internal promotion follows a model the company has used to transfer retail-format expertise built across Europe — where branded HARIBO shops have operated for several years — into the American market. No financial terms of the leadership transition or the retail buildout were disclosed.
The Store Format
Both locations center on a customizable Pick-and-Mix wall, allowing shoppers to assemble their own gummi blends from the brand's full range of SKUs. The stores also carry exclusive merchandise, seasonal and limited-time products, and what HARIBO describes as immersive brand moments. The outlet-center format is a deliberate channel choice: premium outlet properties attract high foot traffic from domestic and international tourists, providing brand-building exposure beyond the candy aisle at mass and grocery retailers.
The move fits a broader pattern in confectionery and snack retail where manufacturers are layering experiential flagship formats on top of conventional wholesale distribution. For HARIBO — which distributes Goldbears and its wider gummi portfolio across major U.S. grocery, drug, and convenience channels — the stores are additive rather than competitive with its existing retail partners.
What It Means for the Category
"HARIBO has an extraordinary legacy, unmatched brand love and tremendous opportunity ahead," Hughes said in a statement. "We're investing in new ways for fans to experience the Happy World of HARIBO, from innovative new treats to immersive retail destinations that bring the brand to life."
The gummi and soft-candy segment has seen sustained volume growth in the U.S. as better-for-you positioning, novel formats, and flavor innovation attract both core candy buyers and younger consumers. HARIBO, which employs nearly 8,500 people globally across 15 production facilities in 11 countries, is the segment's largest player worldwide. The U.S. has historically been an underpenetrated market relative to its European strongholds, making the retail investment a signal that management views the domestic opportunity as meaningful enough to warrant capital allocation beyond traditional trade spending.
Trade buyers and foodservice and specialty retail operators will be watching whether the outlet-store results prompt HARIBO to extend the format to additional U.S. markets — and whether the Pick-and-Mix concept migrates into wholesale accounts as a shop-in-shop execution. The company did not provide a store-count target or revenue guidance tied to the retail initiative.
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.
