Candy giant Mars plans to invest $1.4 billion (€1.3 billion) in its US manufacturing and operations next year as it seeks to expand its brand portfolio, support innovation and local communities.
Mars noted that this is ‘the most’ it has invested in a single year, and builds on more than $9 billion (€8.05 billion) spent on its US operations since 2017.
Claus Aagaard, CFO of Mars, Incorporated, stated, “As Mars marks 115 years in business, our commitment to American manufacturing has never been stronger. Ninety-four percent of the Mars products sold in the US are made here, reflecting decades of investment in our people, operations and the communities in which we do business.
“Our continued investments build for the future – expanding our manufacturing capabilities, accelerating growth across our portfolio and services and ensuring we can meet the evolving needs of consumers for generations to come.”
In the past decade, Mars has focused its investments on manufacturing and innovation in America along with economic development in communities where it operates.
Mars scales production and innovation across its portfolio of snacking brands with ongoing capital investments and also modernises its manufacturing facilities.
It aims to strengthen its supply chain resilience, enhance operational excellence and geographic availability of services through these investments.
The latest investment will see the allocation of $34 million (€30.4 million) in four new state-of-the-art Mars Veterinary Health hospitals.
The planned pet hospitals will create up to 195 new jobs and provide access to advanced emergency and specialty veterinary care.
In 2026, Mars allocated $60 million (€53.7 million) to build two dedicated manufacturing lines for Trü Frü within its Salt Lake City factory, which opened last year with an investment of $240 million (€214.7 million) to produce Nature’s Bakery products.
It has also invested in enhancing operations and energy efficiency at its Mars Waco facility in Texas, which manufactures over 56 billion pieces of Snickers, Starburst, and Skittles candies each year.
The company invested $49 million in its wet pet food facility in Columbus this year as part of its efforts to commence production of Temptations Lickable Treats in the US.
