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Heartbreak! Necco's Candy Hearts Will Not Be In Stores This Valentine's Day

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — With less than three weeks until Valentine's, there's been a "heartbreaking" update from candy aisles across the United States.

Sweethearts — the classic chalky little candies with messages for your special someone — won't be on store shelves this Valentine's Day.

sweethearts
Necco's Sweethearts candy. (Credit: CBS2)

Necco had been making the popular candies since 1886, but the New England-based company filed for bankruptcy protection last spring and went out of business in July.

Ohio-based Spangler Candy Co. bought Necco in May.

Despite Spangler's vow to keep some of Necco's favorites going, the company announced on Thursday that it didn't have enough time to produce enough Sweethearts to market this Valentine's season.

It reportedly takes about 11 months to make enough candies to meet demand each year.

CEO Kirk Vashaw said Spangler wants to make sure Sweethearts "meet customer expectations" when they return to market, possibly in 2020.

Competitors like Brach's are still making conversation hearts however, online retailer CandyStore.com says Sweethearts were by far the most popular brand. The Necco classic commanded 80 percent of U.S. market for candy hearts.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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