Where the Gains Are
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Many of the salty-snacks segments saw strong c-store sales growth in 2014, including meat snacks, potato chips, tortilla chips and nuts, according to IRI. Ready-to-eat popcorn, a relatively small segment in the category, posted another year of double-digit gains.
| Subcategory | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Potato chips | $1,489.2 | 7.2% | 934.8 | 5.3% |
| Dried meat snacks | $1,397.2 | 12.7% | 551.1 | 7.2% |
| Tortilla/tostada chips | $848.8 | 8.4% | 461.3 | 6.2% |
| Other salted snacks | $803.3 | 3.9% | 448.0 | 2.7% |
| Snack nuts | $537.5 | 8.2% | 435.1 | 6.0% |
| Cheese snacks | $529.9 | 5.5% | 333.8 | 2.5% |
| Crackers | $385.9 | 0.1% | 362.8 | -3.4% |
| Corn snacks | $327.1 | 2.9% | 194.4 | -0.5% |
| Sunflower/pumpkin seeds | $305.0 | 2.9% | 255.4 | -4.7% |
| Pretzels | $227.8 | 1.7% | 148.1 | 0.6% |
| Ready-to-eat popcorn/ caramel corn | $197.5 | 11.5% | 120.8 | 10.0% |
| Nutritional snacks/ trail mixes | $187.5 | 5.1% | 71.3 | 5.9% |
| Pork rinds | $129.5 | 4.3% | 90.8 | 0.7% |
| Toasted corn nut snacks | $51.3 | 3.3% | 34.5 | 3.1% |
| Chocolate-covered salted snack | $31.8 | -9.7% | 12.0 | -10.7% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Distributor Data: Snack Shipments
Calendar year 2014
Shipments of salty snacks rose in most segments, as measured by weekly average shipments per store from c-store distributor McLane.
| Segment | APSW** | APSW dollar growth | PCYA* |
| Meat snacks | $108.20 | $14.11 | 15.0% |
| Nutritional | $56.84 | $4.20 | 8.0% |
| Other salty snacks | $41.05 | -$0.70 | -1.7% |
| Chips/pretzels/rinds | $39.62 | $4.97 | 14.3% |
| Nuts | $39.24 | $5.17 | 15.2% |
| Cookies | $33.87 | $1.46 | 4.5% |
| Trail mix | $21.00 | $4.97 | 31.0% |
| Crackers | $16.76 | -$0.04 | -0.3% |
| Seeds/kernels | $16.28 | $2.11 | 14.9% |
| Packaged popcorn | $3.32 | $0.48 | 16.8% |
Source: McLane Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
** Average shipments per store per week
Consumer in Focus
According to its 2015 salty-snacks report, Mintel finds that millennials are more likely than older age groups to eat snacks in place of meals. They also are more likely to snack while on the go, making portable packaging and high protein or fiber content more attractive to them.
In addition, millennials are more likely to snack on several different types of products and buy on impulse.
“They’re also most likely to be buying more salty snacks this year compared to last year and more likely to buy in bulk,” according to Mintel. “As such, these groups’ interest in salty snacks will be important to future category growth.”
Latest Quarter: Salty-Snack UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store sales of salty snacks rose 7.6% in the final quarter of 2014, according to IRI.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chip (3.375-oz.) | $43.2 | 30.1% | 29.3 | 30.0% |
| Lay’s Classic Potato Chip (2.875-oz.) | $32.2 | 27.4% | 21.9 | 28.2% |
| Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chip (2.875-oz.) | $28.5 | 31.8% | 19.3 | 32.1% |
| Doritos Cool Ranch tortilla chip (3.375-oz.) | $23.7 | 31.7% | 16.0 | 31.5% |
| Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chip (11.0-oz.) | $23.6 | 3.8% | 5.7 | 3.8% |
| Cheetos Flamin’ Hot cheese snack (3.75-oz.) | $22.4 | 12.0% | 15.1 | 11.9% |
| Cheetos cheese snack (3.75-oz.) | $19.0 | 12.3% | 12.8 | 12.0% |
| Chesters Flamin’ Hot corn & potato snack (4.375-oz.) | $16.1 | 8.9% | 10.9 | 9.2% |
| Funyuns regular onion ring (2.375-oz.) | $15.3 | NA | 10.3 | NA |
| Cheetos cheese snack (3.75-oz.) | $14.5 | 15.5% | 9.8 | 15.3% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $1,133.7 | 7.6% | 678.1 | 6.1% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
CONTINUED: Potato-Chip Trends
Warehouse Salty-Snack UPCs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Jan. 24, 2015
C-store sales of salty warehouse-delivered snacks rose more than 7% in 2014, with units up 5.7%, according to Nielsen.
Dollars**
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* |
| Gardetto’s Original Snack Mix (5.5-oz.) | $7.3 | 16.2% |
| Wonderful Pistachio Whole (5-oz.) | $6.6 | 11.8% |
| Sunshine Cheez-It Original Cracker (3-oz.) | $6.2 | -4.0% |
| Chex Mix Muddy Buddies (4.5-oz.) | $5.5 | 8.1% |
| Combos Pizzeria Pretzel (6.3-oz.) | $5.3 | 8.7% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $1,700.9 | 7.4% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., General Mills Inc.
* Percent change from a year ago
** Non-DSD
Units**
| UPC | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Planters Salted Peanuts (1.5-oz.) | 6.3 | 40.4% |
| Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts (1.75-oz.) | 5.1 | 31.0% |
| Sunshine Cheez-It Original Cracker (3-oz.) | 4.4 | -3.2% |
| Keebler Cheese Sandwich Cracker (1.81-oz.) | 4.3 | -0.7% |
| Keebler Peanut Butter Sandwich Cracker (1.81-oz.) | 4.2 | -1.8% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | 983.3 | 5.7% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., General Mills Inc.
* Percent change from a year ago
** Non-DSD
Potato-Chip Trends
C-store sales of potato chips rose more than 7% in 2014, with the 2.875-ounce Lay’s Classic the top-selling UPC, IRI figures show.
Potato-Chip Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Lay’s | $481.0 | 7.5% | 297.8 | 4.1% |
| Ruffles | $212.2 | 9.3% | 120.6 | 6.8% |
| Pringles | $154.3 | 9.1% | 82.1 | 8.7% |
| Lay’s Kettle Cooked | $75.8 | 14.6% | 40.1 | 12.5% |
| Herr’s | $47.6 | 10.0% | 37.4 | 10.3% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $1,489.2 | 7.2% | 934.8 | 5.3% |
Source: IRI
Latest Quarter: Potato-Chip UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Lay's Classic Potato Chip (2.875-oz.) | $32.2 | 27.4% | 21.9 | 28.2% |
| Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Ridged (2.875-oz.) | $28.5 | 31.8% | 19.3 | 32.1% |
| Lay's Classic Potato Chip (10-oz.) | $12.5 | 3.4% | 3.0 | 3.6% |
| Lay's Barbecue Potato Chips (2.875-oz.) | $11.7 | 25.7% | 8.0 | 26.5% |
| Lay's Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips (2.875-oz.) | $11.6 | 39.2% | 7.9 | 40.3% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $369.6 | 8.8% | 230.9 | 7.5% |
Source: IRI
Other Salty-Snack Product Trends
The “other” salty-snack segment grew dollars by nearly 4% in 2014, with the 4.375-ounce Chester’s Flamin’ Hot the top UPC, according to IRI.
Other Salty-Snack Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Funyuns | $159.2 | 2.4% | 98.2 | -0.4% |
| Munchies | $118.5 | -1.4% | 53.7 | 0.2% |
| General Mills Chex Mix | $102.9 | 0.1% | 51.0 | -0.9% |
| Chester’s | $102.6 | 6.2% | 66.0 | 3.7% |
| Gardetto’s | $61.7 | 7.8% | 24.5 | 5.7% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $803.3 | 3.9% | 448.0 | 2.7% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Latest Quarter: Salty-Snack UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Chester’s Flamin’ Hot corn & potato snack (4.375-oz.) | $16.1 | 8.9% | 10.9 | 9.2% |
| Funyuns onion snack (2.375-oz.) | $15.3 | NA | 10.3 | NA |
| Chester’s Flamin’ Hot corn & potato snack (5.75-oz.) | $9.3 | 40.3% | 4.7 | 40.1% |
| Munchies Cheese Fix snack mix (8-oz.) | $8.1 | 1.9% | 2.5 | 1.3% |
| Gardetto’s Original snack mix (5.5-oz.) | $7.8 | 16.1% | 3.1 | 13.3% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $199.1 | 7.5% | 110.8 | 5.8% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Category Insight
Snacks with spreads and dips are creating a lot of buzz in the category, according to Kelly Fulford, senior category development manager for General Mills Convenience & Foodservice. Nutella & Go from Ferrero triggered a wave of innovation as the first of its kind to enter the snack space. Soon to follow: Nutella & Go Pretzel, Jif to Go Dippers, Hershey’s Spreads Snacksters and Reese’s Spreads Snacksters.
Tortilla-Chip Trends
C-store tortilla-chip sales rose more than 8% in 2014, led by the 3.375-ounce Doritos Nacho Cheese, according to IRI.
Tortilla-Chip Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Doritos | $544.5 | 12.1% | 310.9 | 9.1% |
| Barcel Takis Fuego | $58.5 | -2.4% | 31.1 | -4.2% |
| Doritos Sabritas | $52.3 | 26.2% | 33.3 | 24.5% |
| Doritos Jacked | $31.3 | -2.1% | 20.4 | -3.5% |
| Tostitos Scoops | $29.0 | -2.9% | 6.9 | -4.4% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $848.8 | 8.4% | 461.3 | 6.2% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Latest Quarter: Tortilla-Chip UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Doritos Nacho Cheese (3.375-oz.) | $43.2 | 30.1% | 29.3 | 30.0% |
| Doritos Cool Ranch (3.375-oz.) | $23.7 | 31.7% | 16.0 | 31.5% |
| Doritos Nacho Cheese (11.0-oz.) | $23.6 | 3.8% | 5.7 | 3.8% |
| Doritos Spicy Nacho (3.375-oz.) | $12.3 | 46.9% | 8.3 | 46.8% |
| Doritos Cool Ranch (11-oz.) | $10.9 | 4.1% | 2.6 | 4.2% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $213.8 | 9.0% | 116.5 | 8.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
CONTINUED: Cheese Snacks, Nuts, Crackers & Trail Mix
Cheese-Snack Trends
The Cheetos brand had more than 85% of c-store cheese-snack dollar sales and gained more than 1 point in share in 2014, IRI numbers show.
Cheese-Snack Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Cheetos | $453.2 | 6.9% | 282.5 | 3.2% |
| Chester’s | $34.8 | 7.9% | 17.4 | 7.8% |
| Cheetos Mix Ups | $10.3 | -34.0% | 6.9 | -33.6% |
| Herr’s | $6.6 | 17.8% | 6.6 | 22.5% |
| Golden Flake | $3.7 | -3.9% | 3.1 | -3.2% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $529.9 | 5.5% | 333.8 | 2.5% |
Source: IRI
Latest Quarter: Cheese-Snack UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Cheetos Flamin’ Hot (3.75-oz.) | $22.4 | 12.0% | 15.1 | 11.9% |
| Cheetos (3.75-oz.) | $19.0 | 12.3% | 12.8 | 12.0% |
| Cheetos (3.75-oz.) | $14.5 | 15.5% | 9.8 | 15.3% |
| Cheetos Flaming Hot Limon (3.75-oz.) | $8.9 | 13.4% | 6.0 | 13.5% |
| Cheetos (9-oz.) | $8.2 | NA | 2.4 | NA |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $132.7 | 6.2% | 83.3 | 4.2% |
Source: IRI
Category Insight
More retailers are dedicating specific space to warehouse-delivered snacks, according to Kelly Fulford, senior category development manager for General Mills Convenience & Foodservice. “A common example is a two-tier rack that allows for additional tube nuts—a space that continues to perform well (including the top two unit-selling warehouse salty items),” she says. “Additional pegboard space allows for necessary core and new item innovation.
Snack-Nut and Seed Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Snack nuts enjoyed strong c-store sales in 2014, according to IRI.
Snack-Nut Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Planters | $134.4 | 3.0% | 108.0 | 8.2% |
| Frito-Lay | $88.1 | 7.9% | 48.4 | 6.9% |
| Frito-Lay Munchies | $58.6 | -2.3% | 104.8 | -1.7% |
| Wonderful | $42.2 | 52.6% | 13.4 | 52.1% |
| Blue Diamond | $36.1 | 23.0% | 25.9 | 12.5% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $537.5 | 8.2% | 435.1 | 6.0% |
Source: IRI
Seed Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| David | $106.3 | 8.9% | 63.5 | 7.4% |
| Frito-Lay | $65.4 | -18.3% | 107.6 | -17.1% |
| Spitz | $46.8 | 9.8% | 26.3 | 9.1% |
| Bigs | $23.4 | 48.1% | 11.4 | 37.3% |
| Giants | $16.8 | -2.4% | 8.2 | -8.0% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $305.0 | 2.9% | 255.4 | -4.7% |
Source: IRI
Cracker Trends
C-store cracker sales were soft in 2014, according to IRI and Nielsen figures. The top UPC by dollars: the 3-ounce Cheez-It.
Cracker Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Sunshine Cheez-It | $64.5 | 0.2% | 43.0 | -0.4% |
| Keebler (filled) | $42.5 | 1.0% | 60.0 | -3.2% |
| Munchies (filled) | $40.3 | -1.7% | 66.6 | -2.0% |
| Combos (filled) | $21.7 | -15.3% | 13.7 | -12.8% |
| Combos | $20.6 | 35.8% | 7.9 | 34.6% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $385.9 | 0.1% | 362.8 | -3.4% |
Source: IRI
Cracker UPCs
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Jan. 24, 2015
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Cheez-It Original (3-oz.) | $26.5 | 2.6% | 18.8 | 2.0% |
| Keebler Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter (1.80-oz.) | $14.3 | -0.2% | 19.2 | 0.1% |
| Keebler Toasted Crackers with Peanut Butter (1.80-oz.) | $13.7 | -4.4% | 18.6 | -6.6% |
| Ritz Bits Cheese Sandwich Crackers (3-oz.) | $12.5 | 13.9% | 7.8 | 10.0% |
| Frito-Lay Munchies Peanut Butter (1.42-oz.) | $12.3 | 12.3% | 20.7 | 13.3% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $286.5 | -1.8% | 278.8 | -2.9% |
Source: The Nielsen Co., Kellogg Co.
Nutritional Snack/Trail Mix Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Trail mix sales in c-stores rose more than 5% in 2014, according to IRI.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Planters | $52.9 | 4.5% | 18.7 | 8.5% |
| Snak Club | $27.8 | 5.0% | 9.0 | 0.5% |
| Private label | $17.6 | 26.9% | 8.0 | 32.6% |
| Frito-Lay | $14.0 | -5.8% | 7.0 | -5.8% |
| Valued Naturals | $11.3 | 5.9% | 3.6 | 6.1% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $187.5 | 5.1% | 71.3 | 5.9% |
Source: IRI
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