Greetings and welcome to The Hershey Company's First Quarter 2025 Question and Answer Session. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode and this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the call over to Anoori Naughton, Senior Director of Investor Relations for The Hershey Company. Thank you. You may begin.

Thank you, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today for The Hershey Company's first quarter 2025 earnings Q&A session. I hope everyone has had the chance to read our press release and listen to our pre-recorded management remarks, both of which are available on our website. In addition, we have posted a transcript of the pre-recorded remarks. At the conclusion of today's live Q&A session, we will also post a transcript and audio replay of this call. Please note that during today's Q&A session, we may make forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These statements, including expectations and assumptions regarding the company's future operations and financial performance, actual results could differ materially from those projected. The company undertakes no obligation to update these statements based on subsequent events. A detailed listing of such risks and uncertainties can be found in today's press release and the company's SEC filings. Finally, please note that we may refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures that we believe provide useful information for investors. The presentation of this information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations for the GAAP results are included in this morning's press release. Joining me today are Hershey's Chairman and CEO, Michele Buck; and Hershey's Senior Vice President and CFO, Steve Voskuil. With that, I will turn it over to the operator for the first question.

Thank you. Our first question comes from Ken Goldman with JPMorgan. Please proceed with your question.

Hi. Thank you. And I appreciate the help on your 2Q tariff expense. Just appreciating the fluidity of the situation and that you're taking some mitigating actions including trying to get an exemption. Is there a rough way for investors to think about the risk ahead if an exemption doesn't immediately come through? And I guess I'm trying to quantify what might not be currently quantifiable, but I guess any help in thinking about the level of risk in 3Q and 4Q might help to diminish some of the uncertainty on the stock?

Steve, do you want to take that one?

Yes. You bet. Thanks for the question, Ken. Yes. So for Q2, I'd say we have enough clarity this year that 15 to 20, as you'd expect, we've got a lot of inventories. So that mitigates some of the impact for Q2. As we look to the back half, as you said, I'll start by saying it changes constantly and that's part of the reason for not sharing it in the release. But if we look at the unmitigated impact for Q3 and Q4, and of course, we are going to mitigate, we'll talk more about that in a minute. But the unmitigated impact could be up to $100 million per quarter for quarter three and quarter four. If you break that down, two-thirds of it are either Cocoa or the Canadian retaliatory tariffs. And those are the two areas where, as you can imagine, we've got the most effort focused on influencing government action, using every lever at our disposal to get those tariffs changed, particularly with respect to Cocoa. But that's the impact of unmitigated. And as we've talked about in the past that we're going to use aside from the lobbying and the influencing and so forth, we're going to use every lever in the toolbox for whatever amount of tariffs remain as we go forward in the back half of the year. And we'll be in a position to share more specifics about those actions and kind of get to the mid-year mark. But as we've said before all of the levers are on the table as we look at mitigating both Cocoa and that incremental tariff component.

Yes. And Ken I just add in all that work is well underway, exploring every lever productivity, pricing, sourcing, manufacturing changes, all of that?

Got it. Okay. That's very clear. Thank you. And then a quick follow-up. You said to expect 2Q EPS to decline by less than 1Q, just on the Easter season timing and some ERP reversals. 1Q was down obviously pretty heavily over 30%, but the Streets modeling 2Q down less than 2%. Again, I know there's some uncertainty here, but how would you like us to think about the magnitude of that decline just in light of some of the tailwinds and headwinds you mentioned?

Yes. So I'll give you a couple of things. In total for the first half, we expect EPS to be down about 30%. So if you kind of take the full year guide at mid-30s, also implies the back half probably down about 40%. If we go a little bit deeper on the second quarter, as you mentioned, the net sales side will be very strong with the long Easter and the lap of the deload last year with the ERP change. For the second quarter, we expect gross margin to be down about 700 basis points and that includes that small tariff component that I mentioned earlier. And we also expect SG&A dollars will be up meaningfully. And part of that is last year, we didn't spend much on marketing and so on as we came out of the ERP transformation. So you can expect that this year, we'll have high teens year-over-year SG&A growth in the second quarter, just reflecting that bigger lap. So gross margin was probably the biggest change relative to the Q2 outlook. And as you mentioned, there's some noise there with the new ERP system and basically how we manage commodity cost to the P&L across the quarters. But on a full year basis, it has no impact.

Thanks so much. I appreciate it.

You bet.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Andrew Lazar with Barclays. Please proceed with your question.

Great. Thanks so much. Last quarter in the prepared remarks, you mentioned an outlook for balanced top and bottom-line growth in '26. And on the call last quarter, I think you mentioned an expectation for earnings growth next year even at current Cocoa levels. In today's prepared remarks, you mentioned some actions that you'll take next year, but don't go as far as to discuss earnings next year. And I'm just curious if your thinking on that front has changed.

Yes. I would say our thinking hasn't changed. We still see a path to earnings growth next year even with tariffs as we currently understand. And now I will say, the next breath that path is narrower. It's more challenging and it's going to point to the importance of the mitigation of the actions that we're going to take as we get further into this year, but we still see a path to earnings growth next year and that balanced growth formula for '26.

Got it. Okay. Thank you for that. And then I know your pricing actions this year have been a bit more nuanced, right, in an effort to sort of gain some incremental shelf placements, maybe especially in the instant consumable space. And I'm curious if you're seeing any benefits there as of yet? And if so, how do you I guess, or how should we think about the progress you expect on market share as a result of that specifically in CMG in the coming quarters? Thank you.

Sure. So Andrew, thanks for the question. I guess a couple of components of that. First of all, if we think about instant consumable. We have seen already some improvements in trips in C-Stores. So January and February were the worst months. Then we started to see a little bit of moderation. In April, we started to see some green shoots on our instant consumable business as we've started to see some signs of incremental merch placement that are having an impact and as we've said more of that to come as we approach the back half of the year. We have visibility to some incremental programming as we look forward into the summer and fall. And we also, of course, know that we have very strong robust innovation that will really help to drive the business. So while we haven't built into our numbers any other further potential upside. We do think as the consumer continues to be more pressured and air travel pulls back, we will likely see some increase in car travel, which could benefit C-Store, though we haven't built that in. As we look at market share, yes, we're very pleased with where we are on a year-to-date basis. We had anticipated all along that Q1 would be a little bit softer, Q2 stronger given the shift of Easter. We're really pleased that our year-to-date share is now positive as we've captured that positivity of the later Easter. And we continue to expect share to be neutral to up in the second half, driven by our continued outperformance in sweets where we're really pleased with the momentum we've got there. Our business was up 10%, up 100 basis points in share. And then we've seen continued strength in seasons and we anticipate continued improvement in the trends in chocolate and refreshment given the programming to come.

Thanks so much.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Max Gunport with BNP Paribas. Please proceed with your question.

Thanks for the question. There might be some rounding involved with this question. But at the midpoint, your guidance seems to apply that pre-considering tariffs. Your expectation for EBITDA has gone up modestly. So if that's correct, just any factors you're seeing that have made you a bit more optimistic on the base business or really is there just some rounding going on in terms of what we might be seeing in the guidance? Thanks very much.

Yes. Thanks for the question, Max. It is really rounding. Fundamentally, we're still aligned with the outlook for the significant change.

Great. And then on the US consumer and snacking pressure in particular. So the prepared remarks had comments about the softening consumer sentiment and value-seeking behaviors you're seeing. And it sounds like that's really what you would attribute the weakness in snacking that we're currently seeing. But I'm wondering if you're also seeing any impact from changing consumer preferences and healthier eating. I think those are the types of dynamics that have helped inform some of your recent M&A actions. I'd be curious to get more color on what you're seeing on that front. Thanks very much.

Yes. So let me start by saying, yes, overall, certainly, we're seeing a weak consumer, consumer confidence down. Fortunately, we aren't really seeing that impact show up in our categories. CMG has held up incredibly well. Part of that is, of course, chocolate in particular plays a very important emotional role in people's lives. The connectivity they have to the brands, especially in troubled times and especially in our seasons business. As we look at Salty, certainly the business has held up really well relative to it being premium and permissible. And we've also been really very pleased to see that elasticities have held up really well in the category. On a year-to-date basis, everyday chocolate pricing is up 8%, volume is down 4.5%. So we think that's really another good indicator of the category holding up incredibly well.

Great. Thanks very much. I'll pass it on.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of David Palmer with Evercore ISI. Please proceed with your question.

Thanks. Good morning. It looks like seasonal chocolates going to be strong in the first half as you had expected. I wonder, it looks like you have bigger plans for everyday chocolate heading into the second half. I think you mentioned that you expect improvement there. Do you think you can get to growth in your nonseasonal chocolate business in the second half?

Yes. We are feeling good based on the plans that we have that, that is going to come through. We've mentioned before, very strong innovation that we haven't yet announced in the back half of the year that we think is going to be certainly a key driver. We have and are expecting low-single-digit growth in everyday CMG.

That's great. And then on non-chocolate or sweets, you're doing really well there. I'm sure maybe now you wish you were bigger in that category at this very moment, but I wonder how you're thinking about that strategically. Is that category having a moment with perhaps some new forms out there really driving growth for you and you're gaining a lot of share or maybe do you think this is a platform that has legs like long-term? This isn't just a moment where you're getting some hits with forms, but rather this is a category that should outperform chocolate over the long-term? And I'll pass it on.

Yes. So I absolutely believe that this is not just a moment in time on sweets. It has long-term growth potential. Some of what we're seeing is a strong interest in consumers and in their palettes for these types of products. Some components of that are generational and demographic as we see younger consumers and also young diverse families being big consumers of this segment. And I think we've also seen in this segment the power of great innovation and really creating growth, whether it's the new brands that we've put in the marketplace like Shaq, new forms like J.R. Ropes or Freeze-Dried and we have further plans to continue to grow and innovate there.

Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Robert Moskow with TD Cowen. Please proceed with your question.

Hi. Thanks. I saw the news about the ribbon cutting at the Reese's chocolate processing facility and I know that you're now at the tail end of your billion-dollar expansion plan for chocolate expanding capacity. But Michele with Cocoa futures really stubbornly high and a weaker consumer environment, I would imagine the volume outlook for chocolate must be lower than what was originally expected a few years ago when the capacity expansion started. So forgive me if you've talked about this before, but if you and Steve could help square those two things, like if the plan was, say, to expand capacity on chocolate by 10%, but volume has got to be lower than what you thought. How do you still make that capacity expansion work for you financially?

Yes. So this new plant really allows us to be much more agile and gives us flexibility across the network. And, what we are producing at this plant is chocolate paste, which gives us stronger control over our supply chain and more vertical integration. So we came into COVID capacity constrained. And, as you know, we had several periods of time where we weren't able to meet demand, especially in seasons. And the billion-dollar investment really helped to get us caught up, and we're already seeing that benefit show up in seasons where our growth has been significantly higher because we've really been able to capture some of that, and that's what's been able to gain share every season for the last eight. And also on Reese, that's where we're most underdeveloped or under-leveraged on capacity. We're now able to invest for even bigger innovation.

Okay. Thank you.

Thanks.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Jim Salera with Stephens Inc. Please proceed with your question.

Hi, Michele. Hi, Steve. Thanks for taking our question. I wanted to maybe drill down on something that we've been hearing recently from HHS in talking about potentially putting some restrictions on what people can buy with SNAP dollars. Two part question. One, are you able to quantify what percentage of your sales are purchased with SNAP dollars? And then do you have a sense for how wide ranging some of those restrictions might be? Because it seems like the administration's focus is really around artificial ingredients or highly processed food. And if I just think about the ingredients in a Hershey's Kiss or a milk chocolate bar, there really aren't that many. And so while it might fall under candy, it might still be included given that it's basically natural. Just any thoughts on that and if you could quantify what the potential impact that might be? Thank you.

Yes, absolutely. We are currently observing how the implementation unfolds to gain complete clarity on its functioning. However, based on what we understand now, we do not expect any significant impact on our business. We do not heavily rely on SNAP purchases in the food category. Only around 2% of SNAP purchases are for candy, which is much lower than other categories like soda, salty snacks, and desserts. We notice similar buying patterns between SNAP and non-SNAP households, especially since our salty snacks portfolio is premium and permissible. Although the overall category may experience some effects, we do not believe it will affect us. Regarding your broader question about natural ingredients in relation to this, our top priority is always the safety and quality of our products. We proactively adapt to upcoming regulations and have already addressed changes such as the ban on propylparaben in California and the removal of Red Dye No. 3. We have been working on natural coloring for a long time. Chocolate is likely to be less affected since many of our products have simple, natural ingredients. The areas that may be more impacted are primarily within the sweets portfolio.

Okay. Great. And then maybe just as a follow-up to that. In your conversations with your retail partners, do you get a sense that when they're putting together the planograms that they kind of have an eye towards maybe favoring products that would broadly fall under kind of snack food but have less exposure to artificial ingredients or things like that and could that potentially be a benefit as we think about shelf resets as we move into the back half of the year?

I mean, I think it could be. I think they're always going to look at what is going to have the highest velocity and make their shelves as productive as possible. Perhaps some of it could be can every manufacturer move as quickly as needed to be on top of the changes but they will always focus on what consumers want and we know that the importance of focusing on health and wellness and functionality as well as the value of indulgence will continue.

Great. I'll hop back in queue. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Peter Galbo with Bank of America. Please proceed with your question.

Hey, good morning, Michele and Steve. Thanks for the questions. I just wanted to circle back actually on Ken Goldman's initial question around kind of the tariff thinking. And Michele, maybe just even from reading in the prepared remarks it reads to me like maybe there was a big internal debate as to whether to include the impact of tariff for full year in the guidance versus just for 2Q. So just maybe help us understand the thinking a bit more around what the internal discussion was on just 2Q versus the full year and kind of how you came to this conclusion relative maybe to some of your peers who have put it in for the full year.

I wouldn't say we had a massive internal debate, but we certainly had discussions. Steve, do you want to elaborate a bit more?

Yes. No big debate. And peers have done a lot of different things, so there isn't one formula for how this has been handled. I think the challenge is in discussing A) we always want to be transparent and so that goes to the answer to Ken's question around visibility to everything we know at the moment knowing that it's subject to still a lot of change, particularly on this front. And the second piece was the mitigation activity. It's one thing to talk about an unmitigated tariff impact, it's another to talk about fully mitigate work with our mitigation actions in-year and contributing. And so without those two pieces matched up, it's sort of part of the story. And so we want to give you the pieces as best as we know them. And as we get to the mid-year mark, we'll talk more about that mitigation and probably have a better view of the net impact as we go forward. And then in the meantime, hopefully, some legislative action will make that unmitigated impact fall lower anyway.

Got it. Okay. No, thanks for that. That's helpful. And Steve, I think in your prepared remarks there's some moving pieces just as we try and think about revenue phasing maybe more so in the back half of the year. But I think if I read it correctly, snacks kind of on an impacted basis exited at a pretty healthy rate. I know there's some wonkiness in the comps on confectionery in 2Q, but maybe you can just help us on the revenue phasing in the back half of the year? Thanks very much.

I don't think there's anything surprising in the back half of the year relative to the profile on the top line.

Should be in line with the long-term of 2% to 4% across the quarters in the third and fourth quarter and in line relatively across the segment as well.

Okay. Thanks very much.

Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Alexia Howard with Bernstein. Please proceed with your question.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Hi. So can I ask, first of all, about the more precise timing of this big innovation in Reese's in the fall? When is that due to happen? And you mentioned that you expect it to be the biggest innovation ever on the brand. I mean, that's a pretty big statement. You probably can't tell us what the innovation is, but what is it that gives you confidence that it might be the biggest innovation ever for that brand?

Well, we are consistently innovating and investing in our iconic brands, specifically to give consumers what they're asking for. And sometimes they know what they want. Other times, we're trying to provide some things that we think they will want. But this innovation is something that they've been asking more for quite a long time. So and based on all of our early planning around that, all of the research that we've done, that gives us a pretty good feel for size of innovation. That's what gives us the confidence relative to the size. Relative to timing stay tuned. It will be hitting in the fall and we're really anxious for all about it and try it.

Great. Thank you. And then just a follow-up on the additives question. I know, for example, you have Red No. 40 in Twizzlers still. Can you quantify what proportion of your overall sales still have additives in them that would be on the list that's going to be, I guess, banned in 2027?

Yes, it's largely going to be our sweets portfolio, some refreshments. And then anything else that's coated chocolate. So if you think about Cadbury Eggs, for example, will fall into that bucket. So that should give you a feel for the size. And then relative to the ingredients, obviously, it's a relatively small total percent of our ingredient costs. But we feel good about our ability to be compliant based on all of the work that we have under already.

Great. Thank you very much. I'll pass it on.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Michael Lavery with Piper Sandler. Please proceed with your question.

Thank you. Good morning.

Good morning.

As you talk about readying some of the options, just you know, at least contingency or hypothetical planning for 2026. You called out pricing, price pack architecture, demand shaping and sourcing strategies. The price pack architecture and pricing are fairly straightforward. Can you just maybe give a sense of what some of the demand shaping and sourcing strategy changes might look like?

Yes, of course. As we consider various mix opportunities, we are looking at demand shaping alongside the rising costs of Cocoa. We have alternatives within our portfolio, including sweets and salty items, as well as parts that rely less on Cocoa. These are key areas of focus for us. On the sourcing side, we are actively working to enhance our strategies for competitive advantages. While we prefer not to delve too deeply into specifics, we do have strategies that allow us to improve sourcing, which can help us manage pricing and ultimately boost sales.

Okay, that's helpful. And just on Salty Snacks, you've announced the LesserEvil deal that would add a little bit to your scale. In the commentary after the Mars Kellanova deal was announced, the Mars CEO pointed to one of the benefits being diluting their exposure to Cocoa by adding a large Salty Snacks portfolio. That's from a company that also already has a pet food business. It would seem like some of that logic could apply to your case as well. Do you have sort of any scale ambitions, maybe almost for their own stake in salty or I know you laid out some of your M&A criteria at CAGNY that touched at least a little bit on that, but how do you think about just how that business might evolve?

This goes back to 2017 when we outlined our vision to become a leader in the snacking industry. Our goal is to leverage our core strengths to attract more consumers and create more snacking opportunities. We do this by focusing on trends that resonate with consumers. We have a strong chocolate business that we want to expand, but we also recognize the potential in areas like sweets, healthier options, and salty snacks, which can attract additional consumers and occasions. Within this framework, we are always seeking strong brands that are sustainable, have high margins, and can grow over time. We're confident in our ability to identify such brands, as demonstrated by our success with SkinnyPop and Dot's. We're particularly excited about LesserEvil, as it targets health-conscious consumers and extends our reach to younger, more diverse demographics, especially young families, which presents new opportunities for us. We envision it as a platform for healthier options that can be expanded and scaled across various categories and forms.

Okay. Great. Thanks so much.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Megan Klapp with Morgan Stanley. Please proceed with your question.

Good morning. Thank you for accommodating me. I wanted to follow up on Andrew's question regarding 2026. Specifically, if we were to disregard tariffs, would you feel more optimistic about the potential to grow EPS next year? I bring this up because in your prepared remarks, Cocoa remains high but has decreased, and your outlook on Cocoa prices seems unchanged. Also, Michelle, you mentioned that elasticities have been better than the minus one you initially projected in the guidance. So, if we set tariffs aside, I understand it's a complex situation and unpredictable, but do you feel more confident about earnings growth in the core business without the impact of tariffs?

It definitely feels better without tariffs. So I say that unequivocally. Do we still see a path though and feel a level of confidence about a path to earnings growth. If you take tariffs to the side with the base business, I think, yes, based on where Cocoa prices are today. And again, that's going to require some aggressive action that as Michelle said earlier, those actions are teed up. We'll talk more about that as we get further into the year. But from a base business standpoint, our view hasn't changed for '26 headwind.

Okay. That's helpful. Thanks. And then maybe just a quick follow-up, as it relates to tariffs, does the $100 million you mentioned unmitigated assume that we stay at the 10% paused tariff rate for Cocoa in particular? Some of the countries were a bit higher initially. Can you clarify whether that assumes we stay at the 10% rate?

Yes, it does.

Okay. Great. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Tom Palmer with Citi. Please proceed with your question.

Good morning, and thanks for the question. Steve, if I heard right, I think when you're answering Ken's question about tariffs, you noted that two-thirds of the exposure is Cocoa in Canada. And maybe just some color on the other areas where you would see impact and to what extent you think there could be, I guess, exemptions or whatnot for those types of items, because it sounded like the exemption discussion was more around Cocoa and perhaps Canada. Thanks.

Yes, we have other imported raw materials besides Cocoa. While China isn't a major factor for us, it is included in the overall calculations. These other materials are significant compared to Cocoa in Canada, but they are much smaller in scale. We're exploring exemptions wherever possible, prioritizing those that have the most substantial impact. However, we do have raw materials sourced from other countries that are also affected by tariffs, and we're not ignoring those in our mitigation efforts; we're just focusing on the most impactful ones first.

Great. Thanks for that. In Salty Snacks, there was a, in the prepared remarks, a note about a 5% to 6% volume headwind from fewer shipper days, excuse me, fewer shipping days and also a planned reduction in private label. I don't think that private label commentary had been in previous. So is this a new headwind to think about in 2025? And just any framing of the impact, just given the shipping date timing, it seems like this could be maybe approaching a mid-single-digit headwind at least in 1Q. Thanks.

We do some private label manufacturing in the popcorn space, but it's sort of subject to what we're doing in SkinnyPop and the brand business. And so to the extent that business and it did for the first quarter, it continues to grow strongly. Then by design, we do less private label and redirect that manufacturing towards our branded products. So salty is part of the longer-term strategy as that business grows. So it's a headwind of a sort, but it's also a reflection of the core salty business growing.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Leah Jordan with Goldman Sachs. Please proceed with your question.

Good morning. Thank you for fitting me in. I just wanted to ask about international as it came in ahead of your expectations. When we talked last quarter, it seemed like that competition was increasing in several regions and we had heard recently that not all players were passing along costs. So just seeing if you could provide an update on the competitive environment there and has anything notably changed?

Yes, we've experienced strong growth with Reese's, particularly as we've invested in international markets. We are seeing positive results from media activation and distribution improvements. Additionally, we achieved strong organic sales growth in Brazil, where we saw double-digit increases driven by a successful Easter and our innovations. The competitive landscape there has stabilized; while it's still very competitive, it hasn't worsened, which I believe contributed to our success in various markets. We've also gained market share in India, Brazil, and our spicy business in Mexico.

Great. Thank you. And just one follow-up. In the prepared remarks, you also noted that you're not planning any buybacks for this year. I know it's very dynamic. We've talked about a number of things around tariffs and your mitigation efforts. But should the year play out better-than-expected and the tariff headwind goes away, what's your appetite for reengaging on buybacks versus other investments in the business as you think about capital allocation this year?

Sure. I mean buybacks remains in our capital allocation philosophy. I'd say it's good because it puts tension on all of the other choices. So from a long-term capital allocation strategy, no change in terms of the role it plays. In the near-term, M&A is episodic. We have opportunities when they come up. It's not always that frequent. And so this year, we've put the focus on that. But going forward, as we look more broadly, long-term share repurchase will continue to play a role. And if I can go back just to mention Tom's question on private label, I said SkinnyPop capacity, but it's actually Dot's capacity in pretzels that we were talking about there. So my apologies.

Yes, that's enabling a private label of deprioritization.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Chris Carey with Wells Fargo Securities. Please proceed with your question.

Hi, good morning, everyone. I wanted to inquire about your efforts in reformulation and price pack architecture, which seem quite interesting. Could you provide more details, perhaps some early insights into how your thinking has evolved over the past few months? What strategies have been effective, and which ones have not? Additionally, could you share how you believe this price pack architecture might create more value and increase consumption? Are there any ingredient changes you’re considering to take advantage of new trends? I’m looking for more insight into your successes and where you plan to focus on reformulation, as well as how this could potentially provide you with a competitive edge.

Yes, we have started implementing price pack architecture in the market. We are continuing to develop more options, but I want to clarify that this has already been a strategy we've utilized. One benefit of price pack architecture is that it doesn't involve a direct price increase; instead, it's a mix of sizing and pricing, which can enhance the perceived value for consumers. This method offers opportunities if executed effectively, and we strive to balance how much of our pricing strategy relies on this approach compared to direct price increases. Our recent August 2024 pricing announcement included some price pack architecture adjustments, and we will provide further details on our future plans. Regarding competitive advantages, our investments in our supply chain grant us significant agility and flexibility, allowing us to effectively implement changes in packaging and review formulations to ensure we deliver high-quality products at the best costs. Our research and development team and supply chain capabilities help us quickly launch reformulations that meet consumer demand effectively.

One quick follow-up would be around the evolution of your thought process on mitigation tools. As you noted, there was probably a bit more focus on our revenue growth management and other mitigating factors. But as Cocoa has lingered, how does pricing come into the equation? Has there been any evolution in your thinking regarding the size of the tools you'll need to mitigate this over the next 18 months? Any evolution of thought process over the past few months would also be helpful. Thank you.

So I guess I'd start by saying, from the very beginning, we have taken a holistic approach as evidenced by the transformation program that we put in place, which was really about attacking costs. So we did some of that already over these past couple of years. We did take pricing, but we also did take a measured approach to balance the short and the long-term. We didn't want to overprice if Cocoa were to take a massive retreat. But for us, it's never been a concern about an ability to price. So we've always had confidence in that. It's just kind of wanting to balance that short and long-term component at the top and bottom line across the P&L. And so we're encouraged that we've seen some retreat of Cocoa, but clearly, Cocoa hasn't retreated as much as we would all like. And so at this point, we're ready to activate even more of the levers that we've been doing work against and have had underway and we look forward to sharing more about that over the summer.

Understood. And then second question for me. You've spoken a bit about some of the C-Store trends. Wondering if you can just share anything on maybe performance or trends you're seeing across other channels as it relates to your categories? Thanks so much.

Yes, I would say we're continuing to see a consumer focus on value that's showing up in areas like migration to club, certainly dollar continues to be really strong online because of the value that it offers. So depending on who the consumer is, all consumers looking for value, each of them in different ways that best suit their specific needs. But we haven't really seen a significant change in some of those channel trends aside from the ups and downs that we see in C-Store. I think take home overall as a segment has across the board been quite strong with mid-single-digit growth there.

Got it. We'll pass it on. Thanks so much.

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Bingqing Zhu with Redburn Atlantic. Please proceed with your question.

Hi. Thanks for taking my question. I have a question about the competitive landscape in the US chocolate. I think in the previous order of the quarter before, you mentioned the intensified competition from smaller player. Can you comment and provide more color on what you're seeing in terms of the competitive situation in the US chocolate, both from a smaller player, private label and maybe even some premium player there, please? Then I'll have a follow-up. Thank you.

Yes, I would say we haven't seen significant change in the competitive landscape versus what we have been tracking throughout the year. We had expected some increased competition, certainly from the largest players in terms of innovation, we knew that there will be some of that coming, smaller players in private label have been softening a little bit in terms of the momentum in the marketplace. They're certainly still out there but in aggregate, there's been a little bit more internal sourcing across them. And then certain brands like Feastables and Tony's have been a bit more stable. But then again they're sourcing more amongst that set of smaller brands. So we continue to attract that over time. But overall no significant changes that I would really highlight.

Okay. Thank you. And then a follow-up, if I can come back to a pricing point please because your pricing in Q1, North America concession is 3%. That's lower than the market pricing. I think you called 8%. Obviously, you have the price pack architecture, but with the cocoa price pretty much blocked in 2025 and from what you said, elasticity is a bit better or in line with your expectation, do you see the possibility of having further pricing increase in the rest of the year to not only mitigate Cocoa inflation, but potentially some tariff impact? Thank you.

So you will see pricing go up in Q2 and Q3 as more of our seasonal pricing and price pack architecture kicks in from announced pricing actions that we've already taken. Obviously, we can't talk about any future pricing intentions in advance. But I think we'll give you more color on both Cocoa and tariffs and our holistic plans as we get into the summer.

Yes, thank you. Very helpful.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our question-and-answer session. I'll turn the floor back to management for any final comments.

Thank you, everyone for joining us this morning and we look forward to catching up with many of you throughout the day. Thank you.

Thank you. This concludes today's conference call. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.