BUTTERFINGER(R) Thefts on the Rise

GLENDALE, Calif., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 20,000 consumers have reported stories of BUTTERFINGER® bar thefts, with tens of thousands more filing claims for a replacement bar, during the first day of the Butterfinger Bar Insurance program launched on April 1, when Nestle USA also announced its $1 million insurance policy through Lloyd's of London, ensuring ongoing production of Butterfinger. Consumers reporting that someone had laid a finger on their favorite candy bar claimed all 100,000 replacement bars within 16 hours of availability. The large volume of traffic to the Butterfinger.com/BarInsurance Web site continues even after the free replacement bars promotion quickly ended on the same day it had launched.

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Butterfinger spokesperson Tricia Bowles of Nestle USA Confections & Snacks is available for interview and can discuss the following points related to Butterfinger Bar Insurance:

• All 100,000 Butterfinger replacement bars claimed within the first 16 hours of the announcement
• More than 20,000 stories of bar theft submitted in the Butterfinger.com/BarInsurance contest
• Butterfinger Bar Insurance program follows news report of police investigating Butterfinger theft in the suburban community of Taylor, Texas, northeast of Austin – Dubbed the "Butterfinger Burglar" by media, the thief dropped the victim's wallet but fled the residence with the victim's package of Butterfinger candy bars!
• Nestle Butterfinger executives meeting to take steps to protect and defend Butterfinger bars nationwide against the growing epidemic of bar theft
• Butterfinger fan page on Facebook gained 11,657 new fans within first 12 hours of Bar Insurance program
• More than 2,000 Twitter and Facebook fans followed or tweeted about the Butterfinger Bar Insurance announcement

To arrange an interview with Tricia Bowles of Nestle USA, please contact Jessica del Mundo ([email protected]) or Rhiannon Richards ([email protected]) at 213-623-4200.

Note: While free replacement bars are no longer available, consumers may submit their story of their Butterfinger bar theft at Butterfinger.com/BarInsurance from now until April 14, 2010, to be eligible for daily prizes, including a year's supply of Butterfinger. To enter and read program rules and regulations, please visit Butterfinger.com/BarInsurance.

SOURCE Butterfinger