Mars aims to capture a bigger bite of the chocolate market

Candy giant sets up megastore in Shanghai to take advantage of Chinese demand

Though chocolate consumption in China is still a far cry from the levels seen in the US and Europe, it has not deterred global confectionery majors like Mars Inc from setting up exclusive megastores to drive growth in the world's second-largest economy.

"Chocolate is a growing category in China and M& M'S is the largest candy brand in the world,"Brian Schiegg, general manager of the Mars Retail Group, said on Thursday. "The color and fun of M& M'S transcends all geographies and the minute a customer walks into the megastore, they get a unique opportunity to experience the brand personally."