Clark Bars Suvive With Candy Company Sale...For Now

PITTSBURGH, PA - The news at first might seem sweet to fans of Clark candy bars. The bankrupt New England Confection Co., which manufactures the confection conceived in Pittsburgh more than a century ago, was sold Thursday to Spangler Candy for $18.8 million.

But although that move likely saves the bankrupt company’s Necco Wafers signature product, candy industry observers say it doesn’t necessarily mean that Clark bars are a part of Spangler’s long-term plans. That leaves the future of Clark bars uncertain.

"It has been speculated that the sugar candies like Necco Wafers and Sweethearts will be their focus," CandyStore.com wrote on its website. "Chocolate brands like Clark bars and Sky Bars might not make the cut. If they decide to focus on the sugar line, a sale of the chocolate brands to a chocolate-focused candy company seems likely."

Clark bars originated in Pittsburgh in 1886 along with the D.L. Clark Candy Company and remain popular here today.

Consisting of a crispy peanut butter-base core covered with milk chocolate, Clark bars were manufactured for decades in a cavernous North Side building. Today the building houses offices (it once was home to the late Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper) and an aptly-named tavern called the Clark Bar & Grill.

The Clark bars have had several different corporate owners over the years. They've been manufactured by Necco since 1999.

Image via Necco.

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