Opinion | Chelsea candies are no more: Meiji confectionery line’s bittersweet end after 53 years shows nostalgia is not always good for business

Opinion | Chelsea candies are no more: Meiji confectionery line’s bittersweet end after 53 years shows nostalgia is not always good for business

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Japanese confectionery giant Meiji recently announced it would be discontinuing its Chelsea hard candy range after 53 years. Cue sad crying emojis (including from yours truly) across social media.

Never mind that I probably had not bought or eaten a Chelsea candy (my favourite was always the tart yogurt ones that came in the box with lime green flowers) in decades.

The iconic confectionery, packaged in a delightfully retro box with cheerful flowers spinning across its bold European lettering, has been on store shelves since 1971.

Despite the butterscotch treats being a reliable mainstay of confectionery stores, Meiji explained that it was pulling Chelsea candies from its line-up because of drastically dwindling sales.

Meiji Chelsea candies from 1971. Photo: Meiji

As Taylor Swift says, “It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.”

The company said sales of the core product peaked in 2002, raking in 2.5 billion yen; by 2004, it reported that “sales of core brand Chelsea were constrained by a challenging market”. By the 2022 financial year, sales had dropped to 500 million yen (US$3.3 million).

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I would hazard that most of the people feeling morose about the decline of Chelsea cannot remember the last time they bought a packet. I am also betting that although Meiji will continue to sell the confectionery until the end of March, you are not likely to see any 7-Eleven, Circle K or Don Don Donki with any stock left by the time you read this.
Look at what happened just a few months ago when Sara Lee in Australia went into administration – the freezer section in most Hong Kong grocery stores, which had faithfully stocked Sara Lee cakes that no one as much as blinked at, were suddenly flying out of checkouts.

Soon, people were selling them online on Carousell for several times the original price.

When Sara Lee in Australia went into administration in October, its cakes went flying out of supermarkets. Photo: Sara Lee

Sadly, this will never be the case for Chelsea candies, as production ceased in February.

Lo and behold, I have just seen a single box of yogurt Chelsea candies being put on Carousell for HK$45 (US$5.75) a pop, almost six times what it used to cost at the shops.

Production of Chelsea candies ended in February. Photo: Meiji

I think I will be putting my money towards propping up my other favourite Meiji product, its Poifull gummies. Who knows when these delicious, perfectly tart and fruity jelly beans – vastly superior to any other – will be shown the door?

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