Rite Aid gears up for Easter

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is showcasing new candy varieties for last-minute Easter shoppers, the pharmacy retailer said Monday.

The National Confectioners Association ranked Easter as one of the top-selling holidays for candy and estimated that 16 billion jelly beans and 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year. Four-in-5 Americans celebrate Easter and are expected to spend about $14.6 billion during the holiday at all retailers nationwide, according to the National Retail Federation.

New candies include Snickers eggs with pastel wrappers, cookies-and-cream-flavored chocolate bird nests, marshmallow Peeps dipped in chocolate and Snapsy, a chocolate bunny made by Hershey’s that breaks into five pieces.

Other items include Easter baskets ranging in price from $1.99 to $19.99, egg-dyeing kits and toys.