People are upset about new slimmer Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

By Rina Raphael

Have you ever bitten into a delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and thought: Wow, I wish there was just less of this?

Unlikely, and yet Hershey’s has decided to create a new product for those of us who are seemingly unhappy with perfection. On Thursday, the brand announced a new cup that will be a whopping 40% thinner than its traditional predecessor, reports Business Insider.

Called Reese’s Thins, the product is meant to appeal to candy lovers who want “more permissibility,” said Hershey North America president Michele G. Buck in a company call. The newly redesigned cups will be available in milk chocolate and dark chocolate varieties in March 2019.

While changes to iconic candies are rarely heralded, this seems hardly unexpected. The parent company reported lower than expected quarterly revenue on Thursday, as sales of checkout chocolate continue to decline. As Reuters reports, net income attributable to The Hershey Company fell to $263.71 million, or $1.25 per share, in the third quarter, from $273.30 million, or $1.28 per share, a year earlier. The candy maker has made efforts in the last few years to expand its offerings, thus becoming a broader snacking company.

Hershey’s isn’t the only one suffering from lackluster sales. Consumers increasingly gravitate to more health-aligned snacks, which means legacy brands keep looking to cut corners. In 2016, Toblerone announced it was skimming its distinctive triangular shape to cut down on rising ingredient costs. (Following a national outcry, it has since reverted back to its original design.) Then there was the travesty that was the NECCO affair, in which the rainbow-colored wafers asked for the public’s help in staying afloat.

This isn’t the first Hershey’s “innovation” of the beloved cups. In the past year, the company revealed Reese’s Outrageous, which is a bar stuffed with peanut butter, caramel, and Reese’s Pieces. And in December, it will debut a Hershey’s bar studded with Reese’s Pieces.

Two years ago, it found success by combining Peanut Butter Cups with Reese’s Pieces for the hybrid that was Reese’s Pieces Cups. The Turducken of a cup increased brand sales by about 8% in the quarter.

Regardless of the financial or “permissibility” reasons given, it’s unlikely the Hershey’s announcement will go over well with fans. Many are already voicing their disdain:

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