Where the Gains Are
Total unit sales of c-store chocolate slipped in 2014 on softer sales of standard package sizes. Nonchocolate sales bumped up on strong chewy sales, according to IRI figures, but gum lost ground again, with dollars and units off more than 3%.
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Total chocolate | $2,658.7 | 3.2% | 1,825.3 | -0.5% |
| -Less than 3.5-oz. | $2,224.7 | 2.2% | 1,590.6 | -0.9% |
| -Greater than 3.5-oz. | $349.1 | 9.2% | 169.0 | 1.6% |
| Nonchocolate** | $1,984.0 | 4.4% | 1,555.1 | 1.1% |
| Gum | $1,092.0 | -3.3% | 815.9 | -3.9% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
** Includes breath fresheners and plain mints. Click here for details. (See p. 120 for more details.)
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Chocolate | $2,780.7 | 3.8% | 1,848.1 | -0.7% |
| -King-size | $1,596.6 | 6.0% | 927.2 | 3.8% |
| -Standard | $923.7 | -2.5% | 827.3 | -5.5% |
| Nonchocolate | $1,623.7 | 5.5% | 1,234.6 | 1.7% |
| Gum | $988.3 | -2.7% | 748.6 | -2.0% |
| Breath fresheners | $253.6 | 4.3% | 154.8 | 0.0% |
| Seasonal (total candy) | $130.5 | 13.7% | 101.3 | 9.2% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
Market Share by Candy Type
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
Gum’s dollar share of c-store candy sales fell for the third consecutive year, down a point in 2014 to reach 17.5.
| Subcategory | Dollar share | Point change |
| Chocolate | 49.2% | 0.3 |
| Non-chocolate | 28.8% | 0.7 |
| Gum | 17.5% | -1.0 |
| Breath fresheners | 4.5% | 0.1 |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
Distributor Data: C-Store Candy Shipments
Calendar year 2014
In 2014, average chocolate shipments per store per week from McLane Co. rose 11.7% in dollars.
| Segment | APSW (in dollars)*** | APSW dollar growth | PCYA* |
| Total chocolate | $228.71 | $24.03 | 11.7% |
| -Standard | $79.77 | $5.19 | 7.0% |
| -Hand-to-mouth | $15.46 | $5.34 | 52.7% |
| -King | $132.38 | $13.20 | 11.1% |
| -Multipack | $1.11 | $0.31 | 38.8% |
| Total bagged candy | $91.11 | $9.28 | 11.3% |
| Total gum | $90.69 | -$4.78 | -5.0% |
| Total nonchocolate | $66.87 | $5.10 | 8.3% |
| Total candy rolls/mints/drops | $27.36 | $2.57 | 10.4% |
| Seasonal | $12.03 | $1.49 | 14.1% |
| Theater pack | $5.66 | -$0.89 | -13.6% |
| Change makers/penny | $4.13 | -$0.93 | -18.3% |
| Premium/large/giant bars | $3.55 | -$1.98 | -35.9% |
| Novelty | $3.14 | -$0.56 | -15.0% |
| Other | $1.19 | $0.21 | 21.8% |
Source: McLane Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
*** Average shipments per store per week
Market Share by Pack Size
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
King-size candy gained 1.5 points in dollar share from standard in 2014, according to Nielsen. Stand-up pouches also gained category share.
| Pack size | Share of dollar sales | Point change | Share of unit sales | Point change |
| King-size | 32.6% | 1.5 | 26.7% | 1.4 |
| Standard loose | 26.2% | -1.4 | 36.2% | -1.5 |
| Single gum (5-15ct) | 16.7% | -1.0 | 18.3% | -0.3 |
| Peg | 11.9% | 0.1 | 9.6% | 0.2 |
| Breath freshener | 4.5% | 0.1 | 3.9% | 0.0 |
| Stand-up pouch | 1.8% | 1.0 | 0.7% | 0.4 |
| Theater box | 1.5% | -0.4 | 1.3% | -0.3 |
| XL/giant bars | 0.6% | -0.1 | 0.4% | -0.1 |
| Bottle pack/pouch gum | 0.4% | -0.1 | 0.2% | -0.1 |
| All other | 3.8% | 0.2 | 2.7% | 0.1 |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
Latest Quarter: Chocolate UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Unit sales of chocolate candy slipped 1.6% in the last quarter of 2014, according to IRI, although six of the top 10 UPCs enjoyed growth.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (2.8-oz.) | $30.6 | 9.7% | 16.6 | 2.5% |
| Snickers (3.29-oz.) | $27.7 | 3.1% | 15.5 | -1.8% |
| Snickers (1.86-oz.) | $25.1 | 5.7% | 22.2 | 4.4% |
| M&M’s Peanut (3.27-oz.) | $20.9 | 18.3% | 11.6 | 14.3% |
| Kit Kat (3-oz.) | $16.0 | 2.9% | 8.7 | -3.3% |
| Twix 4 To Go (3.02-oz.) | $15.3 | 1.0% | 8.5 | -1.7% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (1.5-oz.) | $13.8 | 0.5% | 11.4 | -5.3% |
| Reese’s Sticks (3-oz.) | $13.7 | 12.0% | 7.4 | 4.7% |
| M&M’s Peanut (1.74-oz.) | $13.6 | 12.6% | 12.0 | 12.0% |
| Reese’s Big Cup (2.8-oz.) | $12.4 | 7.6% | 6.7 | 0.9% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $643.2 | 5.0% | 423.6 | -1.6% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
CONTINUED: Data by Size and Packaging
Chocolate UPCs, King-Size and Standard
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
C-store sales of king-size chocolate rose 6% in 2014, with units up 3.8%, per Nielsen. Standard saw another year of soft sales.
King-size
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (2.8-oz.) | $152.6 | 7.3% | 87.4 | 3.4% |
| Snickers (3.29-oz.) | $125.4 | 2.2% | 75.4 | 2.9% |
| M&M’s Peanut (3.27-oz.) | $95.5 | 16.0% | 56.9 | 17.5% |
| Kit Kat (3-oz.) | $80.2 | -1.3% | 45.9 | -4.6% |
| Twix Caramel (3.02-oz.) | $65.6 | 5.2% | 38.4 | 5.8% |
| Reese’s Sticks (3-oz.) | $63.3 | 5.5% | 35.9 | 1.6% |
| Reese’s Big Cup (2.8-oz.) | $60.0 | 4.8% | 33.9 | 1.0% |
| Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds (2.6-oz.) | $48.6 | 4.0% | 27.8 | 0.1% |
| Reese’s Fast Break (3.5-oz.) | $50.4 | 9.3% | 28.6 | 5.3% |
| Reese’s Minis (2.5-oz.) | $37.7 | 83.9% | 21.9 | -19.8% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $1,596.6 | 6.0% | 927.2 | 3.8% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
Standard
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Snickers (1.86-oz.) | $86.9 | 0.1% | 75.3 | -1.1% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (1.5-oz.) | $59.7 | -0.5% | 51.1 | -3.6% |
| Kit Kat (1.5-oz.) | $48.9 | -12.6% | 41.3 | -15.2% |
| M&M’s Peanut (1.74-oz.) | $49.3 | -0.7% | 42.0 | -3.4% |
| Hershey’s Milk Chocolate (1.55-oz.) | $39.5 | 0.1% | 33.0 | -3.2% |
| Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds (1.45-oz.) | $34.3 | -0.5% | 28.4 | -4.1% |
| Twix Caramel (1.79-oz.) | $25.9 | -9.0% | 22.2 | -10.6% |
| M&M’s Milk Chocolate (1.69-oz.) | $25.7 | -7.5% | 21.9 | -10.1% |
| Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème (1.55-oz.) | $27.3 | 1.6% | 22.6 | -1.7% |
| Nestlé Butterfinger (1.9-oz.) | $19.6 | -15.2% | 20.3 | -17.8% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $923.7 | -2.5% | 827.3 | -5.5% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
Category Management Best Practice
Despite recent growth, the c-store channel remains significantly underleveraged in seasonal chocolate sales, says Larry Lupo, vice president of sales, convenience and drug channels for Mars Chocolate North America. In 2013, c-stores sold 24% of non-seasonally wrapped chocolate, he says, but only 5% of seasonally wrapped chocolate. “There’s a huge opportunity for growth,” says Lupo. “C-stores should dedicate a part of the store to seasonal displays, where they can merchandise items not only for the traditional holidays, but also for themes like football, NASCAR and summer.”
Seasonal UPCs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
The seasonal segment posted another year of double-digit sales gains, with eight of the top UPCs growing in 2014, according to Nielsen.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg (2.4-oz.) | $17.1 | 23.2% | 11.9 | 21.2% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg (1.5-oz.) | $14.5 | 13.5% | 15.7 | 10.1% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Holiday (1-lb.) | $9.8 | -0.9% | 0.8 | -0.2% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin (2.4-oz.) | $9.4 | 10.6% | 6.2 | 2.7% |
| Cadbury Crème Egg (1.2-oz.) | $8.4 | 2.9% | 8.4 | -1.6% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin (1.2-oz.) | $8.6 | 17.8% | 8.1 | 6.3% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Holiday (2.4-oz.) | $7.2 | 12.2% | 4.4 | 4.1% |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Holiday (1.2-oz.) | $5.2 | 5.1% | 5.2 | 3.0% |
| Cadbury Scream Egg (1.2-oz.) | $2.6 | 0.0% | 2.5 | -12.8% |
| Cadbury Candy-Coated Mini Eggs (2.2-oz.) | $3.2 | 31.5% | 2.2 | 29.4% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $130.5 | 13.7% | 101.3 | 9.2% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
Stand-Up-Pouch UPCs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
Stand-up pouches have been a surprise hit in the c-store channel, with strong dollar and unit sales growth over the past few years.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Reese’s Minis Peanut Butter Cups (8-oz.) | $10.5 | 80.6% | 2,5 | 77.0% |
| Kit Kat Minis (8-oz.) | $10.3 | 197.0% | 2.4 | 188.8% |
| M&M’s Peanut (8-oz.) | $6.1 | 176.2% | 1.5 | 161.5% |
| Nestlé Butterfinger (10-oz.) | $4.4 | 79.2% | 1.1 | 71.6% |
| Rolo Minis (8-oz.) | $4.3 | 48.4% | 1.0 | 47.5% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $102.0 | 135.4% | 25.9 | 136.9% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
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