Candylicious

What Candylicious does

Candylicious is a South African specialty retail concept founded in 2012 that aggregates international confectionery, novelty candy, and beverage brands from the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe into a single "store within a store" offering. The company operates as the first confectionery concept of its kind in South Africa, serving general consumers seeking imported and novelty treats, as well as tourists and leisure visitors at the casino and entertainment complexes where its retail locations are sited. Headquartered in Midrand, Johannesburg, Candylicious is a privately held company with 51–100 employees and no disclosed external funding.

The company's product offering is a curated, ever-rotating portfolio of third-party international brands rather than proprietary goods, including chocolate and candy lines (M&M's, Hershey's, Reese's, Jelly Belly, Cadbury, Nestlé, Warheads, Toxic Waste, Nerds), mints and gum (Icebreakers), toaster pastries (Pop-Tarts), and beverages (Gatorade, Calypso Lemonades, Canada Dry, 7UP, Fanta, Smarties). No proprietary technology, platform, or AI capability is disclosed; the operating model is conventional brick-and-mortar retail with a supplemental e-commerce presence redirected to sweetieshop.co.za. Distribution relies on high-foot-traffic casino and entertainment venues across three South African provinces (Gauteng, North West, and Western Cape), with eight to nine physical storefronts, including Monte Casino, Times Square Casino, Carnival City, Gold Reef City, Silverstar Casino, Sun City, Grand West Casino, and V&A Waterfront.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through direct-to-consumer in-store candy sales at premium retail locations, with a minor secondary stream from online orders. The company markets to consumers through organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) and email newsletters. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and there is no enterprise, wholesale, or B2B revenue channel described; the customer base is exclusively retail consumers. No franchise model, licensing arrangement, or revenue diversification beyond retail candy and beverage sales is indicated in the source materials.

Name

Candylicious

Legal name

Candylicious

Website

https://candylicious.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Candylicious is a South African retail concept store founded in 2012 operating casino-based locations across Gauteng, North West, and Western Cape. It retails international confectionery brands from the US, UK, and Europe to general consumers and entertainment venue visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery retail

NAICS

Confectionery and Nut Retailers (445292)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Candy & Specialty Sweets Stores (THAFAGAH)

Keywords

• Confectionery retail
• Candy stores
• International sweets
• Novelty confectionery
• Casino retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Candy Sales: Candylicious generates revenue through in-store sales of confectionery and novelty products at their physical retail locations across South Africa.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Candylicious is a South African specialty retailer that consolidates international confectionery, novelty candy, and beverage brands from the US, UK, and Europe under a single 'store within a store' concept. The company operates physical retail outlets inside major casinos and entertainment complexes across Gauteng, North West, and Western Cape provinces, complemented by an online shop at sweetieshop.co.za for nationwide delivery.

Product overview

Candylicious is a South African retail concept combining global confectionery, novelty brands, and merchandise from the US, UK, and Europe within world-class concept stores. The company operates as a single unified retail offering with multiple physical store locations across South Africa (Gauteng, Western Cape, and North West provinces) and an online shopping platform. The portfolio includes internationally recognized candy and beverage brands such as M&M's, Hershey's, Reese's, Jelly Belly, Cadbury, Nestle, Warheads, Icebreakers, Gatorade, Toxic Waste, Nerds, Pop-Tarts, Calypso Lemonades, Smarties, Fanta, Canada Dry, and 7UP. The retail locations are situated within major casinos and entertainment complexes including Monte Casino, Times Square Casino, Carnival City, Gold Reef City, Silverstar Casino, Grand West Casino, V&A Waterfront, and Sun City Resort.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Candylicious Retail Stores
• Sweetieshop Online Store

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• M&M'sminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• HersheysminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• ReesesminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• Jelly BellyminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• CadburyminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• NestleminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• WarheadsminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• IcebreakersminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• GatorademinorOthersInternational beverage brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their product range.
• Toxic WasteminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• NerdsminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.
• Pop TartsminorOthersInternational food brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their product range.
• Calypso LemonadesminorOthersInternational beverage brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their product range.
• Canada DryminorOthersInternational beverage brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their product range.
• SnickersminorOthersInternational confectionery brand featured in Candylicious stores as part of their global brand portfolio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sugarfina: Premium candy and confectionery retailer selling curated assortments (including international brands) online and through boutique stores. Comparable in its focus on adult- and gift-oriented candy retail, premium pricing, and curated brand mix, though Sugarfina skews higher-end and more private-label-driven.
• Sweeties: South African online confectionery retailer (operator of the sweetieshop.co.za platform to which Candylicious redirects online orders). Directly comparable in product range (international candy brands) and customer base, and may share operational or ownership ties with Candylicious given the redirect.
• Lolli & Pops: US specialty candy boutique chain offering curated premium and international confectionery in high-footfall retail and entertainment venues. Closest direct conceptual peer to Candylicious — same "destination candy store" model, same gifting/impulse customer, same dependence on premium imported brands.

Broad incumbents

• M&M's World: Flagship retail stores operated by Mars for the M&M's brand, located in major global tourist destinations (Times Square, London, Las Vegas). Comparable in "destination candy store at entertainment/tourist hubs" positioning; serves as an aspirational template and competitive anchor for the concept Candylicious operates.
• IT'SUGAR: Large US-based specialty candy and novelty retail chain operating in malls, resorts and entertainment destinations. Highly comparable to Candylicious in concept (curated international brand assortment, destination-style stores) and customer (leisure/gifting shoppers), but at significantly larger scale and US-only footprint.
• Pick n Pay (confectionery category): Major South African grocery retailer carrying overlapping international candy brands in mainstream aisles. Indirect competitor for the same wallet share, but competes on convenience and price rather than the destination/experience proposition.
• Checkers (Shoprite Holdings): Largest South African supermarket chain with growing premium and imported confectionery assortment. Competes with Candylicious for everyday candy and gifting purchases, especially via its Sixty60 online delivery platform.

Emerging players

• Disney Springs Candy Stores (Various): Cluster of specialty candy shops at Disney resort destinations. Comparable in "candy retail inside entertainment venues" model, but operating within a single corporate parent (Disney) and US-only.

Regional players

• The Sweet Shop UK: UK-based online and physical sweets retailer selling international American and British confectionery brands. Comparable in its curated import-driven brand portfolio and online channel, but operates only in the UK rather than South Africa.
• Candy Bar (UK): UK-based novelty candy and party supplier offering international and American sweets. Comparable in product mix and gifting/event orientation, but regional to the UK and B2B-leaning, not a destination retail concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CandyliciousSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/candylicious_sa/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@candylicious.sa
• Xx.com/candylicioussa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/candylicious-retail

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Candylicious