Swot Analysis Of Hershey

INTRODUCTION

Hershey Foods Corporation is engaged, with its subsidiaries, in the manufacture, distribution and sale of confectionery and grocery products. The Company's principal product groups include confectionery products sold in the form of bar goods, bagged items and boxed items, as well as grocery products in the form of baking ingredients, chocolate drink mixes, peanut butter, dessert toppings and beverages. Hershey Foods manufactures confectionery products in a variety of packaged forms and markets them under more than 50 brands. The different packaged forms include various arrangements of the same bar products, such as boxes, trays and bags, as well as a variety of different sizes and weights of the same bar products, such as snack

Principal products in the United States include Hershey's, Reese's and Heath baking pieces, Hershey's chocolate milk mix, Hershey's cocoa, Hershey's Chocolate Shoppe ice cream toppings, Hershey's Hot Cocoa Collection hot cocoa mix, Hershey's syrup and Reese's peanut butter. Hershey's chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milks are produced and sold under license by various dairies throughout the United States, using milk mixes manufactured by the Company.

The Company's products are sold primarily to grocery wholesalers, chain grocery stores, candy distributors, mass merchandisers, chain drug stores, vending companies, wholesale clubs, convenience stores, concessionaires and food distributors by full-time sales representatives, food brokers and part-time retail sales merchandisers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2002, sales to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and subsidiaries amounted to approximately 21% of Hershey Foods' total net sales.

Hershey Foods manufactures, imports, markets, sells and distributes chocolate products in Brazil under the Hershey's brand name. Additional products in Brazil include IO-IO hazelnut creme items and chocolate and confectionery products sold under the Visconti brand

The increase in cash and cash equivalents reflected strong cash flows from operations during the year, offset by contributions of $308.1 million to the Corporation's pension plans. Prepaid expenses and other current assets reflected higher prepaid pension expense associated with the funding of pension plans during the year and increased original margin balances for commodity futures. The elimination of current deferred income taxes resulted primarily from the significant liability related to the tax effect on other comprehensive income associated with the gains on commodity futures contracts during the year. Property, plant and equipment was lower than the prior year primarily due to depreciation expense of $155.4 million and the retirement of property, plant and equipment of $19.0 million, partially offset by capital additions of $132.7 million. The decrease in goodwill primarily reflected the impact of the sale of certain confectionery brands to Farley's & Sather's and foreign currency translation. The increase in other non-current assets primarily resulted from the pension plan funding during the