Wrigley Company

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Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> also known as Wrigley Company or simply Wrigley's, is an American multinational candy and chewing gum company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Founded in 1891, it is currently the largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

For almost a century, the Wrigley Company continously marketed three brands of gum: Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, and Juicy Fruit. Since the late 20th century, it has expanded and created multiple more brands.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Wrigley's became a subsidiary of Mars Inc. in 2008,<ref name=foodm>Mars-Wrigley merger win-win for all parties on Food Bev, 28 Apr 2008</ref> and, along with Mars chocolate bars and other candy products, makes up "Mars Wrigley Confectionery".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

William Wrigley Jr., the founder of the Wrigley company

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.

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Wrigley Building, company's headquarters until 2011

In 2005, Wrigley purchased Life Savers and Altoids from Kraft Foods for US$1.5 billion.<ref name="heritage">"Heritage Timeline", Wrigley Company. Retrieved on September 25, 2012.</ref> On January 23, 2007, Wrigley signed a purchase agreement to acquire an 80% initial interest in Russian chocolatier A. Korkunov for $300 million with the remaining 20% to be acquired over time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On April 28, 2008, Mars, Incorporated announced that it would acquire Wrigley for approximately $23 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The sale price represented a significant premium to Wm. Wrigley Jr.’s market capitalization, which stood at $17.3 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Financing for the transaction was provided by Berkshire Hathaway, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan; Berkshire Hathaway held a minority equity investment in Wrigley until October 2016, when Mars took full control over the company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="d676">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="t262">Template:Cite web</ref>

The Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue, a landmark on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, was 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company has been headquartered in the GIC since 2012.

In 2016, Mars announced that Wrigley would be merged with its chocolate segment, Mars Chocolate North America, LLC, to form a new subsidiary, Mars Wrigley Confectionery. The new company would maintain global offices in Chicago, while moving its U.S. offices to Hackettstown and Newark, New Jersey.

In May 2021, the company filed a lawsuit against five companies for marketing cannabis-infused edibles that closely resembled its Skittles, Starburst, and Life Savers brands.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On October 16, 2023, Judge John W. Holcomb approved a final judgment by consent in the case between Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Green Rush Extracts LLC. The defendants agreed to a permanent injunction and significant monetary remedies for willful trademark infringement and counterfeiting.<ref>Template:Cite court</ref>

Corporate leadership

1891–1932: William Wrigley Jr.

Advertisement for three flavors of Wrigley's chewing gum (1920)

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name=heritage /> Wrigley's P.K. brand was named after P.K. Wrigley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name=heritage /> On June 26, 1974, a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio installed the first bar code scanning equipment. The first product to be scanned using a Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code was a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum.<ref>Bellis, Mary. "Bar Codes", Inventors, About.com Guide, September 26, 2012.</ref> (This pack of gum is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.) In 1984, Wrigley introduced a new gum, Extra, which followed the new trend of sugar-free gums in the US.<ref name=heritage /> Wrigley also assumed control of the Chicago Cubs after his father's death in 1977, and sold the team to the Chicago Tribune in 1981.

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.<ref name=heritage /> 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.<ref>Warner, Melanie. "Kraft Foods Will Sell Altoids and Life Savers to Wrigley", The New York Times, November 16, 2004. accessed September 26, 2012.</ref> 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.<ref name=heritage />

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 United States. 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.<ref name=heritage />

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 LEED Gold Certification through Wrigley's commitment to global sustainability. In the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wrigley was the Official Confectionery Supplier of the games, in which the company sported Olympic-themed packs and products.<ref name=heritage />

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.<ref>"Leadership", Wrigley Company, September 26, 2012.</ref>

2017 to present: Andrew Clarke

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Subsidiaries

  • The Wrigley Company Limited
  • Amurol Confections Company
  • Northwestern Flavors, LLC

Brands

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Gum

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The Wrigley Company Ltd., Estover, Plymouth, UK Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3

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Alpine Gum

Alpine Gum was a gum made by Wrigley's, and was only sold in Canada. It is an alternative to cough syrup. It cools the throat and relieves sore throat pain. Alpine was discontinued in 2005.Template:Citation needed

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Notes

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See also

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References

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