U.S.-based confectionery producer The Hershey Company is prioritizing the travel retail channel and aims to double its airport business by 2030, says Melissa Benner, Commercial Lead Americas, during an interview with TMI during the Summit of the Americas.
Benner says that the company will focus on three strategic pillars to meet this goal. First, by elevating execution in 10 selected airports across the Americas. Hershey will be working with Shelftrak, an AI-driven auditing tool to monitor KPIs in the selected airports, quarter by quarter.
“Shelftrak will provide us with instore auditing services, monitoring stock levels, selected SKUs, personalized spaces, shared linear space, and so on. Shelftrak helps FMCG brands, maximize retail performance,” she says.
Hershey’s second pillar is a portfolio revamp.
“We will be revamping our entire portfolio by 2027. The rebranding includes a unified visual identity under the ‘Take The Taste With You’ platform. We will be rolling out this new visual brand identity at the point of sale,” says Benner.
“We want to have one unified brand identity that could be globally scalable and adapted to different airport environments regardless of where they are in the world. This will place all our different brands under one umbrella. Under this ‘Take The Taste With You’ umbrella, we can add travel visuals adapted per brand.”
Benner notes that the rebranding aims to modernize the image as well as appeal to younger generations.
“Beyond unifying all the brands under one umbrella, we have these elements that are part of the travel experience. We’re connecting with that travel moment for passengers. This is part of modernizing our image and being more relevant to a younger audience. We wanted to ensure that we stay visually relevant,” she continues.
The third pillar involves building capability and strengthening the commercial team.
“We will be strengthening our capabilities from a marketing perspective, trade marketing perspective and sales perspective. Iris Mejia, Business Development Manager WTR for Travel Retail Americas, came on board six months ago and more positions will be opening up in the coming months that will enable us to reach that growth ambition.”
The travel retail expansion began last year, with the rebranding installed at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport in December.
“The plan is to roll out in all ten airports by the end of the year and gain more visibility with our personalized spaces,” says Benner.
Portfolio revamp
Hershey is also revamping its portfolio with some very exciting new products, as well as aligning launches with holidays and cultural events.
Among the new products on display at the Summit of the Americas were the new Reese’s Oreo and Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Kisses, both of which were enthusiastically accepted.
“Hershey’s travel retail revamp also includes aligning campaigns with peak travel seasons,” says Benner. “For example, we have introduced a ‘Bring home the Cup’ Reese’s campaign for the summer months.
And the ‘Fly with Us’ campaign creates an in-flight first-class experience for passengers featuring elements of local destinations.”
Tapping more into gifting, Hershey has also created a six-pack gift box for Kit Kat in the U.S. showcasing different landmarks for five cities: New York, Miami, LA, San Francisco and Atlanta.
“Our aim with the revamp is to expand into new segments. We are under indexed in in the gifting sector, so this launch supports that ambition,” says Benner.
“The industry will be seeing a lot more of these exclusive travel packs and personalization from Hershey. Up until now, we have historically been very dependent on domestic U.S. limited editions. But differentiation is very important, so we will be creating more of these in the future.
“Travel retail is now a priority channel, and to reach our ambition of doubling the business, we are still establishing the fundamentals: the right visual identity, the right portfolio, the right tools and resources, the right people. We are setting up the base to enable that growth.”
Milton Hershey’s life story in film
Just in time to align with the revamp of Hershey’s business in travel retail, a movie about the life of company founder Milton Hershey is set to release in the fourth quarter of 2026.
“The film is going to play in movie theaters across the nation. “It brings our founder’s story and the values that shaped this company to the big screen in a powerful, emotional way,” noted Benner. The portfolio revamp is expected to be in place by the time the movie is released.
