It’s So Nice! A Walgreens Private Label Candy Update!

CC_Walgreens Nice 2014 update TITLE PLATE

Today I’m going to revisit a topic I first covered back in March of 2013 – the candy products from Walgreens’ Nice! private label line.

Not long after that initial post, I followed it up with a piece on Walgreens’ Nice! boxed candy assortment.   The boxed assortment appears to have been retired but the peg-bag Nice! candy line continues rolling along.  I’ve picked up a few dozen new pieces since those earlier posts, so it’s the right time to bring them together for an updated look.  Now make the jump to check out today’s Walgreens Nice! private label update!

As I said when discussing the IGA grocery store private label line, I’ve become far more enamored with these types of releases in recent years.  Yet the Walgreens private label line is one that is especially appealing, as each Nice! package tends to feature wonderful bits of fun art and design.

Before I get to the Nice! stuff for today, I wanted to share a candy-related Walgreens photo from my archives.  This one dates back to the late 1950’s and came out of the reference files of a former Wrigley gum sales rep.   The rep used these photos as reference to how stores stocked and displayed their candy and gum goods.  This one is from the interior of a Walgreens store:

Walgreens counter with candy - Wrigley Salesman Reference Photo - Late 1950's

Walgreens store counter with candy – Wrigley Salesman Reference Photo – Late 1950’s

I love the full display box of Tootsie Pops hanging out next to the magazines (and just above boxes for Whitman’s Marshmallow… something?).

Walgreens counter with candy - Wrigley Salesman Reference Photo - Tootsie Pops close-up - Late 1950's

Walgreens counter with candy – Wrigley Salesman Reference Photo – Tootsie Pops close-up – Late 1950’s

That’s a fun glimpse back into the Walgreens of the past. And it reminded me of a retro-themed Walgreens package I picked up in the last few years:

Walgreens - Old Fashion Giant Peanut Butter Cup - 99-cent quarter pound chocolate candy bar wrapper - 2012

Walgreens – Old Fashion Giant Peanut Butter Cup – 99-cent quarter pound chocolate candy bar wrapper – 2012

Now that we’ve peeked into the past, let’s jump back to the present and today’s topic of the Walgreens’ Nice! line update.   I should note for those that don’t know, the Nice! private label brand is used across a huge variety of products in Walgreens stores — it’s not just for candy.  But even outside of the fanciful candy category, Walgreens’ Nice! packaging designs remain appealing and fun.

For instance, here’s a Nice! brand gingerbread cookies box I picked up last month:

Walgreens - Nice! - Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies - 10_6 oz Christmas cookie box - October 2014

Walgreens – Nice! – Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies – 10.6 oz Christmas cookie box – October 2014

That gingerbread man box is pretty fun stuff, but it’s time to get to the candy.  Now that we are getting to the Walgreens Nice! update, I will remind you to check out my original two posts on the subject here and here.  Let’s get to it!

Walgreens - Nice! - Gummy Cola Bottles - New - 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Gummy Cola Bottles – New – 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Gummy Strawberries - New - 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Gummy Strawberries – New – 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Mary Jane - 5.25 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Mary Jane – 5.25 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Peppermint Soft Puffs - 4.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Peppermint Soft Puffs – 4.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Red Fish - New - 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Red Fish – New – 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Sour Heads - New - 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Sour Heads – New – 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Sour Watermelon Slices - New - 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Sour Watermelon Slices – New – 3.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Spearmint Leaves - 9.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Spearmint Leaves – 9.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Strawberry Twists - 8oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Strawberry Twists – 8oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Assorted Fruit Slices - 9.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Assorted Fruit Slices – 9.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Gum Drops - 9.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Gum Drops – 9.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - French Burnt Peanuts - New - 4.5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – French Burnt Peanuts – New – 4.5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Circus Peanuts - 3 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Circus Peanuts – 3 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Cherry Bites - 6 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Cherry Bites – 6 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Bit-O-Honey - 4.2 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Bit-O-Honey – 4.2 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Malted Milk Balls milk chocolate - New - 4 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Malted Milk Balls milk chocolate – New – 4 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

This next package with the dancing peanut is one of my faves:

Walgreens - Nice! - Mini Peanut Butter Cups - 6 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2014

Walgreens – Nice! – Mini Peanut Butter Cups – 6 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2014

Walgreens - Nice! - Nonpareils real chocolate - New - 5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Nonpareils real chocolate – New – 5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Peanut Clusters milk chocolate - 5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Peanut Clusters milk chocolate – 5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Caramel Nut Clusters milk chocolate - 5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Caramel Nut Clusters milk chocolate – 5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Double Dipped Chocolate Peanuts milk chocolate - 5 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Double Dipped Chocolate Peanuts milk chocolate – 5 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Chocolaty Chews Sugar Free - New - 4 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Chocolaty Chews Sugar Free – New – 4 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Assorted Fruit Chews Sugar Free - New - 4 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Assorted Fruit Chews Sugar Free – New – 4 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Jelly Beans - 9 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Jelly Beans – 9 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Gummy Bears - 16 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Gummy Bears – 16 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Cinnamon Discs - 10 percent more free -  23_1oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Cinnamon Discs – 10 percent more free – 23_1oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Butterscotch Discs -  21oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Butterscotch Discs – 21oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Walgreens - Nice! - Kiddie Mix candy - 14 oz private label store-brand candy package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – Kiddie Mix candy – 14 oz private label store-brand candy package – 2013

Finally, this last piece technically isn’t a candy product but it was so fun that I wanted to include it:

Walgreens - Nice! - 3D Zoo Buddies Fruit Snacks - 3.2 oz private label store-brand package - 2013

Walgreens – Nice! – 3D Zoo Buddies Fruit Snacks – 3.2 oz private label store-brand package – 2013

That’s quite the variety, don’t you think?  The Nice! confectionery line has proven to be pretty successful for Walgreens based on how much product it has encompassed.  Doing a head count, there were 29 different packages included in today’s update and if you add in the pieces from my earlier posts, it totals just over 50.  That number goes to show that even if you zero in on something as specific as a single store’s private label candy line, you can still put together a surprisingly diverse collection.

If the Nice! line continues to thrive I suspect I’ll be back with another update next year or the year after.  For now though, that’s everything I’ve got on Walgreens’ private label Nice! line.

See you next time!

CC_Walgreens Nice 2014 update CLOSING IMAGE

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
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8 Responses to It’s So Nice! A Walgreens Private Label Candy Update!

  1. Paul says:

    They’re marshmallow turkeys!

  2. Cheryl says:

    The new sugar free cinnamon Nice! candy is horrible. It does not taste at all like cinnamon. The company should take a look at how many negative reviews they are getting about the cinnamon candy. Please bring back the tried & true former recipe. I will now have to switch to Brachs.

  3. kristine Anson says:

    I miss the Brand Nice for burnt French peanuts.

    Walgreens seems to not carry it any longer.

    Sad face

  4. Angie says:

    Do you know or know how to find out who manufactures the candy for Nice! ? For example is it rebranded from another label etc?

    • Jason Liebig says:

      Angie,

      Tracking down the actual manufacturers behind private label brands is not as simple as I wish it were. Most companies don’t just release that information, I’m afraid. The way to figure it out would typically be though looking into private label manufacturers and trying to sort of reverse engineer the information that way. But sadly, I don’t have more than speculative ideas.

  5. GeneveLouise wade says:

    why did Nice milk chocolateoeanut clyster change from milk to a mire dark milk chocolate

  6. Jean VanderLinden says:

    Walgreens is discontinuing their Nice! brand of butterscotch disks. What other brand is close to these or at least as good?

  7. Floyd Perry Jr says:

    Ferrara Candy Company has a contract with both Walgreen’s and CVS for their private label candy.

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