BUSINESS STRATEGY

Tiger now has less of a sweet tooth as it sells Beacon chocolate brand

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2026

Local FMCG giant Tiger Brands it is selling Beacon chocolates but retaining several other sweet and sugar confectionary brands.

Tiger Brands, the South African-based FMCG company that operates in various parts of Africa, has confirmed that it is selling its long-standing Beacon chocolate brand to an unnamed buyer.

Beacon was founded in the city of Durban in 1931. Tiger Brands bought a 50% stake in the business in 1990 and attained total control of the Beacon brand in 1998.

The Beacon deal includes the sale of associated chocolate-making equipment. But Tiger has not included other sweet products in the sale and retains control of individual snacks brands that currently sit under the Beacon umbrella. These are TV Bar, Nosh, Wonder Bar, Black Cat chocolate, Jelly Tots chocolate, and Jungle energy bar.

Photo: Duygu Kamar from Pexels

Tiger Brands also retains its sugar confectionery business, keeping brands such as Jelly Tots, Maynards Wine Gums, Fizzer, Marshmallows and Liquorice All Sorts.

“In effect, this is a divestment from chocolate manufacturing and the lower-margin Beacon brand,” comments Trend Type, the emerging markets consultancy.

Beacon brand has been underperforming

“The chocolate business has been underperforming for some time. In June 2025, CEO Tjaart Kruger said Tiger Brands had not upgraded its chocolate-making equipment in over 30 years and that the investment needed to modernise was too costly to justify.”

Beacon has been facing stiff competition in the South African chocolate market from the likes of Cadbury and Lindt, as well as a growing number of private-label brands.

The decision to sell Beacon aligns with Tiger Brands’ sale of its Cameroonian-based chocolate business, called Chococam.

Tiger announced the sale of Beacon during the release of financial results for the six months ended 31 March 2026.

Among other things, the company noted that: “The ripple effects of geopolitical uncertainty are expected to be felt more acutely in the second half [of the year], not only impacting the supply chain, but also consumer disposable income.”

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