IT’SUGAR (pronounced "it's sugar") is an American candy store chain. They have over 100 locations in the United States and Canada, mostly located in shopping malls and tourist areas.

History

Jeff Rubin worked on Wall Street before returning home to the Midwest to help his family business in 1994. Rubin founded his store and opened its first location in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

in 2005. His inspiration came from FAO Schwarz and

Toys R Us A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and ...

stores. He included novelty items when the stores and brand expanded across the country. They adopted the "Absolutely No Nutritional Value" slogan and included large items in stock. In 2017 BBX Capital bought his brand for $57 million. In 2019, IT'SUGAR opened its largest store at

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

East Rutherford East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,022, an inc ...

, New Jersey. The store is three stories tall and has more than 10,000 types of candy, as well as having a candy replica of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

made from 1.5 million jellybeans. In 2020, the company filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

due to multiple factors including lack of ingredients from its providers and brands featured, low sales, and the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

but they shortly emerged. In 2022, another location was opened in Chicago on

Magnificent Mile The Magnificent Mile (sometimes locally abbreviated to the Mag Mile) is the approximately one-mile-long stretch of Michigan Avenue (Chicago), Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Oak Street (Chicago), Oak Street on the Near North Side ...

which is 2,000 square feet. Also, a 2-story, 20,335 square foot building in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

, the second largest in the United States, opened in August 2022. Later the first Canada location was opened, as a "candy department store" in the

West Edmonton Mall West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is a large shopping mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that is owned, managed, and operated by Triple Five Group. It is the second most visited mall in Canada, after the Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, followed by Met ...

. In 2023, they opened locations in Bellis Fair, The Centre at Salisbury, and another in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

in 2024.

Partnerships

With the company's largest location in the American Dream, IT'SUGAR partnered with

Mondelez International Mondelēz International, Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational confectionery, food industry, food, Holding company, holding, drink industry, beverage and snack food company based in Chicago. Mondelez has an annual rev ...

to open an in-store café on the third floor, named Oreo TWISTiD.

References

{{Reflist # Wilson, Marianne. "Q&A with It'Sugar's Jeff Rubin: The King of Sweets". ''Chain Store Age''. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # "IT'SUGAR CEO Jeff Rubin to transition from CEO to chairman". ''Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery''. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # BBX Capital acquires specialty candy retailer It's Sugar for $57m. ''Confectionery News''. June 21, 2017. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # Kudisch, Brianna. "IT'SUGAR officially opens at American Dream, and it's massively sweet". ''NJ.com''. December 14, 2019. Retrieved 2024-05-22. # Bloomberg News. "Candy Seller It'Sugar Files Bankruptcy After Pandemic Sales Drop". ''BNN Bloomberg''. September 23, 2020. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # Barack, Meredith. "Sweet treats at the new IT'SUGAR store on the Mag Mile". ''CBS Chicago''. April 7, 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # "IT'SUGAR opens candy department store on Chicago's Magnificent Mile". ''Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery''. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # Roman, Isabella. "IT'SUGAR opens new two-story flagship in Times Square". ''amNewYork''. August 11, 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-22. # Toneguzzi, Mario. "Candy Department Store Concept IT'SUGAR Expands into Canada with Plans for Multiple Locations nterview. ''Retail Insider''. August 24, 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # Petree, Rob. "IT'SUGAR candy store to open up shop at the Salisbury mall". ''47abc''. October 18, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-19. # Smith, Ashlye. "It'Sugar, a national candy store opens first Washington shop". ''The Bellingham Herald''. November 7, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-18. # Lee, Katie. "IT'SUGAR Opens Newly Expanded Flagship Store in Miami". ''Retail & Restaurant Facility Business''. April 16, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-19.

External links

Official Website
American companies established in 2005 Confectionery stores Companies based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Companies based in Broward County, Florida Confectionery companies of the United States