Wrigley Company
Mars, Incorporated | |
Website | Mars Wrigley Confectionery website |
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The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley Company, is an American multinational candy and chewing gum company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois.[1]
Wrigley's is wholly owned by
The company currently sells its products in over 180 countries and districts, operates in over 50 countries, and has 21 production facilities in 14 countries.[6]
History
The company was founded on April 1, 1891, in Chicago, Illinois by William Wrigley Jr. Wrigley's gum was traditionally made out of chicle, sourced largely from Central America. In 1952, in response to Decree 900, land reforms attempting to end feudal working conditions for peasant farmers in Guatemala, Wrigley's discontinued purchasing chicle from that country. In the 1960s, Wrigley's changed the composition of its chewing gum from using chicle to synthetic rubber, which was cheaper to manufacture.[citation needed]
Wrigley's announced the closure of its Santa Cruz, California manufacturing plant in April 1996. The plant had been built in 1955. The 385,000-square-foot manufacturing facility was put on the market in October 1996 for US$11.3 million, or about $30 a square foot.[7][8]
In 2005, Wrigley purchased
The Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue, one of Chicago's best-known landmarks on the Magnificent Mile, was originally the company's global headquarters until 2011, when it was sold to an investor group that included Zeller Realty Group as well as Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell.[13] The company has been headquartered in the GIC since 2012.
In 2016, Mars announced that Wrigley would be merged with its chocolate segment to form a new subsidiary, Mars Wrigley Confectionery. The new company will maintain global offices in Chicago, while moving its U.S. offices to New Jersey, in Hackettstown and Newark, respectively.
Corporate leadership
1891–1932: William Wrigley Jr.
In 1891, 29-year-old William Wrigley Jr. (1861–1932) came to Chicago from Philadelphia with $32 and the idea to start a business selling Wrigley's Scouring Soap.[14] Wrigley offered premiums as an incentive to buy his soap, such as baking powder. Later in his career, he switched to the baking powder business, in which he began offering two packages of chewing gum for each purchase of a can of baking powder. The popular premium, chewing gum, began to seem more promising, prompting another switch in product focus. Wrigley also became the majority owner of the Chicago Cubs in 1921.
1932–1961: Philip K. Wrigley
After William Wrigley Jr. died, his son Philip K. Wrigley (1894–1977) assumed his father's position as CEO of the Wrigley Company. Wrigley is most well known for his unusual move to support US troops and protect the reputation of the Wrigley brand during World War II, in which he dedicated the entire output of Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, and Juicy Fruit to the US Armed Forces. Wrigley launched the "Remember this Wrapper" ad campaign to keep the Wrigley brands on the minds of the customers during times of wartime rationing.[9] Wrigley's P.K. brand was named after P.K. Wrigley.[15]
1961–1999: William Wrigley III
In 1961, Philip K. Wrigley handed control to his son, William Wrigley III (1933–1999). Wrigley led a strategic global expansion by establishing Wrigley facilities in nine new countries.
1999–2006: William Wrigley IV
William "Beau" Wrigley IV (1963–), following the death of Wrigley III (his father), led the sugar-free gum campaign across Europe, Australia, Spain, India, and China.[9] In 2005, Kraft Foods sold the Life Savers and Altoids businesses to Wrigley in exchange for $1.5 billion as part of a reorganization plan.[17] Wrigley helped establish the Wrigley Science Institute (WSI) in 2006 to study the oral health benefits of gum chewing. The WSI investigates the effects of gum chewing on weight management, stress relief, concentration, and oral health.[9]
2006–2008: William Perez
On October 23, 2006, William D. Perez (1948–) succeeded Bill Wrigley as CEO, becoming the first person outside the Wrigley family to head the company. In 2007, the company debuted 5 Gum in the US. The 5 Gum brand was marketed using cinematic TV commercials portraying "How it feels to chew 5 Gum." Perez led the efforts of improving slimmer packaging (Slim Pack) with flavor improvements across both Extra and Wrigley brands.[9]
2008–2011: Dushan "Duke" Petrovich
Dushan Petrovich (1954–) succeeded Perez almost immediately after Mars, Incorporated's 2008 purchase of Wrigley. In 2009, Wrigley's Global Innovation Center received the
2011–2017: Martin Radvan
Martin Radvan became the president of the Wrigley Company after Petrovich. He is responsible for the company's worldwide strategy, operations, and business performance.[18]
2017 to present: Andrew Clarke
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Subsidiaries
- The Wrigley Company Limited
- Amurol Confections Company
- Northwestern Flavors, LLC
Brands
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2019) |
Gum
United States
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Canada
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The Wrigley Company Ltd., Estover, Plymouth, UK
Additional products and brands
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Alpine Gum
Alpine Gum was a gum made by
Alert Gum
In 2013, Wrigley temporarily halted production and sales of its new Alert energy gum after the US Food and Drug Administration said it would investigate the safety of added caffeine in food products.[23]
See also
- Wrigley Building
- Wrigley Field—Chicago
- Wrigley Field—Los Angeles
- Catalina Island
- Wrigley Rooftops
- Wrigley Square
- Wrigleyville
References
- ^ "Global Innovation Center". Wrigley Company. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ^ Elejalde-Ruiz, Alexia (January 31, 2019). "With zany Super Bowl stunts and innovative M&Ms, Mars Wrigley tries to stand out in a crowded candy aisle". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company". International Directory of Company Histories. Thomson Gale; republished online at Encyclopedia.com. 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ Channick, Robert (September 8, 2013). "With teens chewing less, gum manufacturers change ad strategies". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ Jargon, Julie (February 11, 2013). "An Orange Crème Pop Gum? Folks Just Aren't Chewing It". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ "Wrigley Worldwide Locations". Wrigley.com.
- ^ "Wrigley's Move Hard to Swallow". SFGate. May 1, 1996. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ "Wrigley Santa Cruz plant for sale". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Heritage Timeline", Wrigley Company. Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
- ^ Karnitschnig, Matthew; Berman, Dennis K. (April 27, 2008). "Mars, Buffett Team Up in Wrigley Bid". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ Kell, John (October 6, 2016). "Mars Inks Deal With Warren Buffett For Full Control of Wrigley". Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ Stempel, Jonathan; Ganesan, Gayathree (October 6, 2016). "Mars Inc buying out Buffett stake in Wrigley". Reuters.com. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ "Wrigley Building Sold, Groupon Cofounders Among Buyers". The Huffington Post. September 19, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- ISBN 9780313313349.
- ^ "FAQ". Wrigley. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018.
- ^ Bellis, Mary. "Bar Codes", Inventors, About.com Guide, September 26, 2012.
- ^ Warner, Melanie. "Kraft Foods Will Sell Altoids and Life Savers to Wrigley", The New York Times, November 16, 2004. accessed September 26, 2012.
- ^ "Leadership", Wrigley Company, September 26, 2012.
- ^ "Favourite Croatian Candies | Croatia Week". March 6, 2017.
- ^ The Advertising Red Books. LexisNexis. 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ "Mars shifts confectionery brands to Wrigley". www.campaignlive.co.uk.
- ^ Manufacturing Confectioner (in Spanish). 1999. p. 28. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ Jalonick, Mary Clare. "APNewsBreak: Wrigley halts caffeinated gum". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Company profile at Yahoo!
- Alpine Throat Relief Gum at the Wayback Machine (archived February 5, 2002)