HallPass Says Half of First-Month Buyers Hadn't Bought Candy in a Year

Yahoo Finance··US·Read original
2▲0 ▼1Impact / 5
Summary · why it matters

HallPass, the low-calorie, low-sugar confectionery brand co-founded by Michael Tierney, says 50% of customers buying it in its first month had not shopped the candy category in the last 52 weeks, a sign that lapsed shoppers are returning to the aisle. Tierney, who previously built Stuffed Puffs, which launched at Walmart and was acquired in 2024, told Yahoo Finance's Brooke DiPalma that the brand targets broadline candy giants such as The Hershey Company rather than better-for-you peers, and that it keeps prices at mainstream, accessible levels to remove the friction on a first purchase. He said repeat business depends on taste, and that early data shows lapsed shoppers coming back to the category because HallPass exists. Over the next five years, Tierney said the company aims to build a portfolio across sweets, with possible adjacencies in cookies and ice cream under the same halo, offering classic-tasting products at a fraction of the calories while competing on price.

Impact on assets 2

Consumer Staples▼
Hershey Co
HSY
▼ NegativeCompetitionrelevance

HallPass explicitly targets broadline candy giants like Hershey and aims to win back lapsed candy shoppers, posing a competitive threat.

Off-coverage companies 2

HallPassi
Private▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Half of first-month HallPass buyers had not bought candy in a year, signaling lapsed shoppers returning to the category for its products.

Stuffed Puffsi
Private± Mixedrelevance