On a rainy Tuesday, you cruise through the mall expecting another patchwork of “For Lease” signs and bored window shoppers. But turn the corner and it hits you: a swirl of pastel colors, shiny glass jars, and the sort of sugar-laced nostalgia that reels everyone in—kids, grandmas, and stressed-out office workers alike. Lolli & Pops isn’t just open. It’s buzzing.
Here’s the thing: if you’ve been scrolling headlines or watching shopping centers shrink, you might wonder, “Is Lolli & Pops still in business?” The short answer is yes. But like most good stories (and great candy), the truth comes with a twist or two. Let’s break it down.
Lolli & Pops: Still Dishing Out the Sugar in 2025
Cut through the rumors and you’ve got clear signs of life. As of August 2025, Lolli & Pops is alive and kicking, not limping out the exit. Their website isn’t collecting cobwebs—it’s pushing curated gift boxes, event specials, and rollouts for fresh treats.
Scroll their online store and you’ll find everything from nostalgic hard candies to high-end truffle assortments. Got a party or holiday looming? Their order forms work, the shopping cart loads, and the “find a store” tool spits out results across a genuine spread of U.S. cities.
This isn’t the posture of a brand in a death spiral. If anything, it feels like someone found their second wind. But how did they get here, after all the turbulence? Let’s rewind.
The Bankruptcy: 2019 Wasn’t Sweet
We like to say “sugar-coating” for a reason. But Lolli & Pops didn’t get to gloss over the ugly stuff in 2019, when their aggressive growth strategy started melting faster than a malted milk ball on hot asphalt.
They weren’t alone—2019 was tough for specialty retail. Still, there’s no dodging the facts. Lolli & Pops filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2019, after losses from expanding too quickly without enough new stores turning a profit.
“Growth is fun until the bills hit,” one mall leasing agent told us. “In 2019, Lolli & Pops looked like they’d opened stores wherever there was open square footage, not always where there was natural demand.” At their highest, some counts put Lolli & Pops near 69 U.S. shops—not a small haul for a boutique concept built on imported gummies and retro chocolate.
But high rent, thinner mall traffic, and the forever-squeaky margin in food retail led to ballooning costs. Shrinking new shop sales made it worse, and by autumn of 2019, they were $15 million in the hole, chasing suppliers for more time. You don’t need an MBA to know those numbers aren’t the “sweet spot.”
After the Storm: How Lolli & Pops Structured a Comeback
Bankruptcy isn’t a final chapter—it’s code for “pause and patch up the holes.” Lolli & Pops didn’t just flip off the lights. They hammered out a deal to restructure with creditors, trim underperforming stores, and refocus on what worked: curated gifts, private-label hits, and a bit of nostalgia marketing.
The company closed weaker locations and doubled down on stores pulling their weight. They refreshed stock (think: high-margin truffles, exclusive collabs, Instagrammable packaging). More focus landed on online sales, which had been crawling along but suddenly became vital.
Internal teams got leaner, pursuing efficiency over ambition. It’s the sort of gym-rat discipline few startups expect they’ll ever need. According to one store manager, “We actually started seeing numbers improve once things got right-sized. Less chaos, more control.”
If you hang around small business circles, the lesson is clear: expansion is thrilling, but healthy margins are the grownup fuel.
Is There Real Proof Lolli & Pops Is Still Thriving?
Do a little sleuthing, and there’s no shortage of telltale clues. Hit up their Lolli & Pops store locator and you’ll see 25+ operational sites across the country, each with distinctive branding and seasonal inventory.
Walk into a store, and you’re not staring at dusty shelves or “Everything Must Go” signs. Instead, the team is sampling taffy, stocking plush toys, and prepping “Candygrams” for local delivery. Website banners pitch the latest gifts—think Mother’s Day tower boxes, high-end popcorn tins, new Japanese treats, and even sugar-free lines for the keto crowd.
In case you need something more public—a big “we’re here to stay” type of move—check out their late-2024 acquisition of Hammond’s Candies (a century-old Denver candy brand). That’s a seven-figure deal, not a garage sale buyout. If you’re about to close up shop, you don’t spend millions gobbling up new assets.
For retail, business activity shows up in three places: new products, fresh partnerships, and ongoing hires. Lolli & Pops is ticking all three boxes.
Acquisitions and Expansion: Not the Moves of a Shutting Down Brand
Let’s zoom in on Hammond’s Candies, snagged by Lolli & Pops in November 2024. Hammond’s is no startup—they’ve been a fixture in American candy since the 1920s, with annual revenue previously floating around $10-12 million and 100+ wholesale clients. For Lolli & Pops, buying Hammond’s wasn’t just trophy hunting. They’re after manufacturing control, a wider wholesale footprint, and more brand ammo in a crowded sweets market.
Plus, acquisitions create operational headaches if you’re about to wind down. You take on new staff, revamp distribution, and market to a whole new audience. If that’s “going out of business,” sign me up.
During the same quarter, Lolli & Pops pushed new private-label snack boxes and piloted partnerships with boutique beverage brands, aiming for in-store tastings and co-branded events. There’s plenty of noise in their news feed—launches, not layoffs.
In Q1 2025, social feeds and PR wires buzzed with collaborations: local dessert makers, college alumni boxes, and even direct-to-door “Candy Concierge” experiences for corporate gifting, weddings, and parties. This has led to a broader product range and new audiences—exactly the playbook active retailers use to drive momentum.
Punchy Numbers: Revenue, Stores, and the Customer Pulse
Pinning down private company figures isn’t easy—but piecing together available sources, here’s what we can say:
– Store count stabilized between 25-30 post-bankruptcy, focusing on top-performing malls and city centers.
– Online orders are up ~35% versus pre-pandemic averages; gift box sales tripled during major holidays.
– Hammond’s acquisition pushed annual combined gross revenue to an estimated $60 million.
– Customer reviews hover at 4+ stars for most locations, with recurring praise for staff and “hard-to-find” imports.
Put in plain numbers: Land five solid retail leases at $800-$1,500/month, clear a 30% margin on bestsellers, and layer in online bulk orders, and you’ve got a business model that prints more security than most shoppers would guess. Reliability compounds.
Tactics for Survival: What Other Businesses Can Steal From Lolli & Pops
Know what keeps a specialty retailer alive? Focus. Lolli & Pops dialed in on several advantages after 2019’s crisis:
- Trimming fat (closing laggard stores, slimming down menu SKUs).
- Elevating gift boxes and unique, limited-edition goods.
- Leveraging direct sourcing and private-label deals for margin.
- Piloting high-margin seasonal collabs with influencers and media brands.
- Pushing hard on e-commerce, using their physical stores as “fulfillment lite” hubs for fast local delivery and online returns.
You don’t have to run a candy shop for these to matter. Service providers, consultants, even local restaurants can play the same games: ditch what isn’t selling, double down on what flies off the shelves, and add enough “holiday magic” to create urgency when you need it.
Looking for more gritty business breakdowns? You’ll find plenty of actionable case studies (plus budget-friendly advice) at The Business Back.
The Verdict: Sweet, Sticky, and (For Now) Still Standing
So, to the question “Is Lolli & Pops going out of business?” all signs point to a big “nope.” They’re still selling, experimenting, merging, and—most importantly—keeping people talking. There’s always risk in retail, especially when your business model depends on sweet tooth fads. But the comeback mechanics here are worth learning from, even if you never stock a single jelly bean.
Not every recovery story ends in glitter. Sometimes it’s grit, trimmed budgets, and a commitment to giving people exactly what they crave. For now, Lolli & Pops sits comfortably in that sweet spot. If you’re a fan, you can buy with confidence—and if you’re a business owner, there’s a few nuggets here you might want to pocket for your own next crunch time.
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