Hershey’s online gifts service is going dark
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The Internet just got a little less sweet.
Hershey Co. announced today that it was closing its Hershey’s Gifts online service at the end of the month. If customers want the nation’s second-largest candy maker’s products, they’ll have to visit local stores.
‘Hershey’s is making the strategic decision to exit the online retail business,’ said Kirk Saville, a Hershey spokesman. ‘The current business model is not sustainable.’
Saville said that the company was looking into other e-commerce options, including strategic partnerships and licensing agreements. He declined to say how much revenue the online service was bringing in or if it was losing money.
The website sells a wide assortment of Hershey’s products including chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts. It features packaging for special occasions, such as graduations, birthdays and weddings. Prices are as low as $10 and as high as $150, depending on the item.
Because of the site’s closure, Hershey is offering a customer appreciation promotion: 25% off of every item.
Saville said about 12 Hershey’s Gifts employees would lose their jobs because of the decision. Hershey hopes to find them jobs with the Hershey, Pa.-based company, he said.
-- W.J. Hennigan
