Wrigley Company facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | April 1, 1891 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Founder | William Wrigley Jr. |
| Headquarters | Global Innovation Center,
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Juicy Fruit, Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, others |
| Revenue |  $5.389 billion (2007) |
| $961.9 million (2009) |
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Number of employees
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16,000 |
| Parent | Mars Inc. |
The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, often called Wrigley's, is a big American company that makes candy and chewing gum. Its main office is in Chicago, Illinois.
Wrigley's is part of Mars Inc., a huge food company. Together, they form Mars Wrigley Confectionery. Wrigley's is known as the largest maker of chewing gum in the world.
The company sells its products in over 180 countries. It has offices in more than 50 countries and 21 factories in 14 countries.
Contents
History of Wrigley's Gum
The Wrigley company began on April 1, 1891, in Chicago, Illinois. It was started by William Wrigley Jr.. At first, he sold soap and baking powder. He gave away chewing gum as a free gift with his products. People loved the gum so much that he decided to focus on making gum instead!
Wrigley's gum used to be made from a natural tree sap called chicle. This sap came mostly from Central America.
In 2005, Wrigley bought popular candy brands like Life Savers and Altoids from another company called Kraft Foods. This cost them about $1.5 billion.
In 2008, Mars, Incorporated bought Wrigley for about $23 billion. This made Wrigley a part of the Mars family of brands. Mars took full control of Wrigley in October 2016.
The Wrigley Building in Chicago was the company's main office for many years. It's a famous building in the city. In 2011, the company sold the building. Since 2012, Wrigley's main office has been at the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Chicago.
In 2016, Mars decided to combine Wrigley with its chocolate business. This created a new company called Mars Wrigley Confectionery.
In May 2021, Wrigley's took legal action against some companies. These companies were selling products that looked very similar to Wrigley's popular Skittles, Starburst, and Life Savers candies. These products were not safe or legal. In October 2023, a judge ruled in favor of Wrigley's. The companies agreed to stop selling the fake products and pay money for using Wrigley's brand names without permission.
Leaders of the Company
William Wrigley Jr. (1891–1932)
William Wrigley Jr. was 29 years old when he came to Chicago. He started by selling soap and giving away chewing gum. When he saw how popular the gum was, he changed his business to focus on it. He also became the main owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team in 1921.
Philip K. Wrigley (1932–1961)
After his father passed away, Philip K. Wrigley became the CEO. During World War II, he made a special decision. He sent all of Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, and Juicy Fruit gum to the US Armed Forces. He also created an ad campaign called "Remember this Wrapper." This helped people remember Wrigley's brands even when gum was hard to find because of wartime shortages.
William Wrigley III (1961–1999)
Philip K. Wrigley's son, William Wrigley III, took over in 1961. He helped Wrigley's grow around the world, opening factories in nine new countries. In 1974, a pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum was the very first product to be scanned using a Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code. This pack of gum is now in a museum! In 1984, Wrigley introduced a new gum called Extra. This gum was sugar-free, which was a new trend. William Wrigley III also sold the Chicago Cubs baseball team in 1981.
William Wrigley IV (1999–2006)
William "Beau" Wrigley IV, the son of William Wrigley III, led the company's efforts to sell sugar-free gum in many countries. In 2005, Wrigley bought the Life Savers and Altoids businesses. In 2006, he helped create the Wrigley Science Institute. This group studies how chewing gum can be good for your health, like helping with concentration or oral health.
William Perez (2006–2008)
William D. Perez became the CEO in 2006. He was the first person outside the Wrigley family to lead the company. In 2007, the company launched 5 Gum in the United States. This gum became famous for its unique TV commercials.
Dushan "Duke" Petrovich (2008–2011)
Dushan Petrovich became CEO after Mars bought Wrigley in 2008. In 2009, Wrigley's Global Innovation Center received a special award for being environmentally friendly. Wrigley was also the official candy supplier for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Martin Radvan (2011–2017)
Martin Radvan became the president of the Wrigley Company after Petrovich. He was in charge of the company's plans, operations, and how well the business performed around the world.
Andrew Clarke (2017 to present)
Andrew Clarke is the current global president of Mars Wrigley.
Wrigley's Other Companies
- The Wrigley Company Limited
- Amurol Confections Company
- Northwestern Flavors, LLC
Popular Brands
Chewing Gum
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In the United States
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In Canada
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In the UK
- Airwaves
- Hubba Bubba
- Doublemint
- Extra
- Altoids
- Juicy Fruit
- Tunes
- Rondo – a mint candy
- Wrigley's Spearmint
- Lockets
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Other Products and Brands
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Alpine Gum
Alpine Gum was a type of gum made by Wrigley's that was only sold in Canada. It was meant to help cool your throat and ease a sore throat. Alpine gum was stopped in 2005.
Alert Gum
In 2013, Wrigley temporarily stopped making and selling its new Alert energy gum. This happened after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would look into how safe it was to add caffeine to food products.
Places Named After Wrigley
- Wrigley Building
- Wrigley Field—Chicago (a famous baseball stadium)
- Wrigley Field—Los Angeles
- Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies—Catalina Island
- Wrigley Rooftops
- Wrigley Square
- Wrigleyville (a neighborhood in Chicago)
