The Hershey Company (HSY) Investor Day 2026 summary

Strategic vision and growth priorities

• Focus on leading next-generation snacking by expanding core confectionery leadership, accelerating growth in salty snacks, and targeting international markets with high potential.

• Strategic pillars include expanding North American confectionery leadership, achieving number two share in salty snacks, driving international growth, and building a differentiated functional snacking portfolio.

• Emphasis on consumer obsession, customer partnerships, and colleague investment as foundational strengths.

• ONE Hershey commercial model integrates sweet, salty, and functional portfolios for unified retail execution and investment efficiency.

• Investments in technology, AI, and supply chain modernization to enable agility, efficiency, and productivity.

Portfolio development and innovation

• Core brands like Reese's and Hershey's are outperforming, with innovation such as Reese's Oreo and expansion into permissible snacking categories.

• Growth driven by premiumization, functional, better-for-you, and sweets segments, with targeted M&A to fill portfolio gaps and recent acquisitions in salty and functional snacking.

• International focus on anchor markets: Mexico, Europe/UK, and Brazil, leveraging localized marketing and innovation.

• Next billion-dollar brands targeted include Dot's, Kit Kat, Ice Breakers, and Jolly Rancher, with aggressive investment in innovation and consumer engagement.

• Velocity Labs and AI-driven content generation accelerate innovation cycles and market responsiveness.

Commercial execution and retail strategy

• ONE Hershey model enables unified go-to-market, maximizing availability, affordability, and activation at retail.

• Stand-up packaging and price pack architecture drive category growth and improve consumer navigation.

• Expansion of top-performing SKUs from 60% to 90% ACV, with focus on category expansion in zero sugar, better-for-you, and premium segments.

• Technology and AI optimize retail execution, dynamic routing, and promotional effectiveness.

• Seasonal and cultural tentpoles, such as Super Valentine's Day and March Madness, leverage the full portfolio for year-round engagement.