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page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_May Sources: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-nutella-maker-buys-fannie-may-0318-biz-20170317-story.html https://www.dailyherald.com/business/20171019/owner-of-fannie-may-buys-oakbrook-terrace-candy-company https://www.fanniemay.com/our-story/ https://www.ferrero.com/group-news/FERRERO-INTERNATIONAL-SA-TO-ACQUIRE-US-CHOCOLATE-CONFECTIONERY-MANUFACTURER-FANNIE-MAY https://abc7chicago.com/archive/7812400/ https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2018/06/11/1-800-Flowers.com-exec-reflects-on-Ferrero-s-acquisition-of-Fannie-May Possible things to add: -history of business -Who owns the company now (Ferrero) -information on the purchase of the company, as well as why they were sold

1. Store data Fannie May has 80 stores and continues to operate a production facility in Ohio, with distribution centers in Ohio and Chicago. It has 750 full-time employees, with additional seasonal hires, the company said.

Edited: With over 80 stores and 150 employees, Fannie may continues to operate production facilities in Ohio, as well as distribution centers in Chicago and Ohio.

The candy company launched in 1920 was in bankruptcy. More than 200 of its retail stores were closed. Customers who worried they would never be able to buy the chocolates again stripped display cases and emptied shelves of the confections. But six years after its 2004 near-meltdown, Fannie May has seen a turnaround and is thriving again thanks to what its executives say has been a mix of the old and the new: a strict adherence to decades-old chocolate recipes and growth and expansion in online and retail sales.

Edited: After the candy company filed for bankruptcy, more than 200 of it's retail stores were closed. After six years of debt, Fannie May finally saw a turnaround and thrives because of both old and new business techniques, staying true to decades-old chocolate recipes while also expanding online and retail sales.

2. Ferrero buys from 1800Flowers

Ferrero SpA will continue to operate a network of Fannie May retail stores, with plans to grow the network over time. Ferrero intends to work with the existing Fannie May management team on a go-forward basis.

Edited: Ferrero will continue to operate a network of Fannie May retail stores, and intends to work with the existing Fannie May management team on a go-forward basis.

The e-commerce retailer 1-800-FLOWERS has since been busy building a new business division, Simply Chocolate, to fill it's white space in the chocolate category, and it has "already met our expectations," said Druckman. Simply chocolate is different from Fannie May because it's more of an online platform where shoppers can select from a wide range of chocolate products and put them in gift baskets, whereas Fannie May has a major presence in brick-and mortar stores

Edit: The e-commerce retailer has since built a new business division, Simply Chocolate, to replace their chocolate category. The new business is more of an online platform that allows shoppers to select from their wide selection of candy, meeting their expectations.

3. Candy timeline (from their website directly) 1920, when the store first opened, introduced the buttercream 1946 introduced the Pixie - they're a blend of caramel, lightly roasted pecans, and chocolate. 1963 brought mint meltaways, which are a center of rich mint chocolate coated with chocolate or a green pastel confection. 1972 was when Trinidad's were born, and gave customers a dark truffle center surrounded in white confection and tasted coconut