Wrigley Expansion Mirrors Growth Of Confectionary Food Brand

Last week, confectionary company Wrigley, a subsidiary of Mars Incorporated, opened a new addition to its manufacturing facility in Yorkville, Illinois, USA. The 145,000 square foot addition is the result of a $50 million investment by its parent company, Mars.

The new factory space will include a production line for the company’s Skittles product, and will increase the plant’s workforce by 25 percent. Skittles are now the number one non-chocolate confectionary brand in the US – a fact which was a key driver of the Yorkville expansion.

“Mars has a long-standing history of making our products in the markets where they’re sold,” said Casey Keller, President of Wrigley Americas. “With the expansion of our Skittles production footprint, we are proud to continue that tradition right here in the state that Wrigley has called home for 125 years.”

Wrigley attributes the growth of the Skittles brand to “best-in-class marketing, retail activity, innovation and passionate fans.” The newly-renovated Yorkville facility also manufactures other Mars products including Life Savers®, Doublemint® and Juicy Fruit®.

“We are grateful for the support of our state and local communities, which have been instrumental in helping to bring this project to life,” said Keller. “We’re fortunate to be able to further invest here in Yorkville, and provide the community with continued economic development.”

Over the past five years, Mars has been expanding rapidly, investing $1 billion in new and improved US manufacturing facilities and creating over 1,000 new jobs. The company plans to invest an additional $900 million in operations expansions and personnel training over the next 2 years.

“Wrigley is an iconic Illinois company, and we are proud it is continuing to grow in our state,” said Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. “Wrigley has invested nearly $200 million in Illinois over the past seven years, creating hundreds of jobs for Illinois residents. The State of Illinois is glad to be a partner in Wrigley’s further expansion.”