Where the Gains Are
Following three years of declines, c-store gum sales stabilized in 2015, at least from a dollar perspective. According to IRI figures, sales of both sugarless and regular gum rose just more than 1% in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2015, but units fell about 1%. Nielsen data shows a similar trend of static c-store dollar sales for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015, but slipping unit sales.
Breath fresheners have a better story to tell: Units were up more than 4% in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, according to IRI. Nielsen reports a more than 5% increase in units, with the Mentos and Ice Breakers brands helping drive growth.
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2015
| Candy type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugarless | $907.4 | 1.3% | 571.2 | (0.9%) |
| Regular | $205.2 | 1.2% | 237.9 | (1.3%) |
| Total gum | $1112.6 | 1.3% | 809.1 | (1.0%) |
| Breath fresheners | $251.3 | 9.5% | 134.9 | 4.3% |
| Plain mints | $89.9 | 13.0% | 71.3 | 6.6% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
| Candy type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugarless | $808.2 | 0.4% | 513.3 | (2.5%) |
| Regular | $180.3 | (1.6%) | 212.5 | (4.5%) |
| Total gum | $988.5 | 0.0% | 725.8 | (3.1%) |
| Breath Fresheners | $281.6 | 11.0% | 163.7 | 5.7% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago
Refreshment Share
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
Breath fresheners gained nearly 2 points in share of c-store refreshment dollar sales in 2015, and more than 1 point in unit share, according to Nielsen.
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
Gum Market Share by Sugar Content
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
Sugarless gum’s share of c-store dollar and unit sales inched up in 2015, according to Nielsen. The segment provided nearly 82% of gum dollar sales.
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
Dollar Share by Flavor: Gum
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co.
Continuted: Gum UPCs & Trends
Latest Quarter: Gum UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2015
The final quarter of 2015 ended on a downward note for c-store gum sales, with units off nearly 3%, according to IRI.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrigley's 5 Rain (15-count) | $10.6 | 4.6% | 5.9 | 3.9% |
| Wrigley's 5 Cobalt (15-count) | $10.5 | (5.5%) | 5.8 | (6.1%) |
| Orbit Spearmint (14-count) | $8.7 | 0.3% | 5.6 | (1.2%) |
| Wrigley's Extra Spearmint (15-count) | $8.1 | 9.4% | 5.4 | 9.5% |
| Orbit Peppermint (14-count) | $7.7 | 1.8% | 5.0 | 0.6% |
| Trident Spearmint (18-count) | $7.4 | 11.7% | 5.0 | 12.9% |
| Wrigley's Doublemint (15-count) | $7.3 | 2.3% | 4.8 | 2.0% |
| Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice (15-count) | $6.7 | 11.6% | 4.5 | 11.8% |
| Orbit Wintermint (14-count) | $6.6 | 2.2% | 4.3 | 0.9% |
| Trident Original (18-count) | $6.5 | 20.4% | 4.4 | 20.6% |
| Total** | $266.8 | (0.2%) | 192.9 | 2.8% |
Source: IRI | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
1.7 points – Breath fresheners' gain in share of refreshment dollar sales in c-stores in 2015, per Nielsen.
Gum Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 26, 2015
Trident, Wrigley’s Extra and Dentyne Fire/Ice brands saw dollar and unit growth in 2015, helping slow the category’s sales erosion, according to Nielsen figures.
Brands
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trident | $160.1 | 4.8% | 106.8 | 2.7% |
| Orbit | $147.4 | (1.6%) | 95.8 | (6.7%) |
| Wrigley's 5 | $146.8 | (0.5%) | 84.6 | (4.9%) |
| Wrigley's Extra | $96.6 | 9.3% | 64.8 | 8.6% |
| Dentyne Fire/Ice | $53.9 | 5.9% | 35.0 | 6.5% |
| Wrigley's Doublemint | $42.4 | 0.3% | 57.0 | 2.2% |
| Stride | $33.9 | (20.9%) | 22.9 | (21.9%) |
| Wrigley's Eclipse | $33.3 | 0.1% | 20.3 | (3.2%) |
| Trident White | $31.2 | 4.6% | 20.3 | 2.5% |
| Wrigley's Juicy Fruit | $29.6 | 20.8% | 35.8 | 11.6% |
| Total** | $988.5 | 0.0% | 725.8 | (3.1%) |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
Sugarless UPCs
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrigley's 5 Cobalt (15-count) | $43.7 | 0.9% | 24.6 | (0.1%) |
| Wrigley's 5 Rain (15-count) | $42.9 | 5.8% | 24.1 | 4.9% |
| Orbit Spearmint (14-count) | $34.7 | 6.8% | 22.8 | 3.8% |
| Wrigley's Extra Spearmint (15-count) | $30.8 | 7.4% | 20.6 | 6.6% |
| Orbit Peppermint (14-count) | $30.0 | 8.0% | 19.8 | 5.2% |
| Total** | $808.2 | 0.4% | 513.3 | (2.5%) |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
Regular UPCs
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrigley's Doublemint (15-count) | $29.1 | 2.1% | 19.3 | 0.3% |
| Wrigley's Doublemint (5-count) | $13.2 | (3.3%) | 37.8 | (3.4%) |
| Wrigley's Juicy Fruit (15-count) | $13.2 | 2.5% | 8.8 | 2.0% |
| Wrigley's Big Red (15-count) | $12.2 | (4.3%) | 8.0 | (5.6%) |
| Wrigley's Spearmint (15-count) | $10.6 | 1.9% | 7.0 | 0.5% |
| Total** | $180.3 | (1.6%) | 212.5 | (4.5%) |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
Best Practice
Consumers are increasingly turning to the “more socially acceptable” mint category for their refreshment needs, says Alan Tobin, senior manager of category strategy and insights, c-store/VCFr/specialty/foodservice, for The Hershey Co. The most recent evidence is a 5.7% increase in dollar sales during the 12 weeks ending Jan. 23, 2016. Hershey sees household penetration for mints continuing to grow as new products enter the category.
Continued: Breath Fresheners
Breath-Freshener Trends
Best Practice
Gum sales started off 2016 in negative territory, with c-store dollar sales off 1.6% for the 12 weeks ending Jan. 23, 2016, according to Nielsen. Expect this trend to continue, says Alan Tobin, senior manager of category strategy and insights, c-store/VCFr/specialty/foodservice, for The Hershey Co.
“We see declines in gum continuing throughout 2016, with right-sizing of space still needed at a lot of major retailers,” says Tobin. What’s the right size for maximizing sales? A set that is 75% confection, 19% gum and 6% mint, he says.
Brand
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Breakers | $52.0 | 16.0% | 21.2 | 12.5% |
| Mentos | $50.4 | 8.9% | 40.1 | 7.7% |
| Tic Tac | $42.2 | 4.2% | 27.5 | 0.5% |
| Breath Savers | $31.7 | (4.2%) | 25.2 | (8.2%) |
| Altoids | $28.3 | 1.8% | 11.5 | 0.9% |
| Ice Breakers Duo | $18.8 | (5.8%) | 7.6 | (9.2%) |
| Ice Breakers Cool Blasts | $12.8 | N/A | 5.4 | N/A |
| Altoids Arctic | $12.4 | 211.5% | 6.1 | 212.8% |
| Breakers Frost | $10.7 | (12.9%) | 4.4 | (15.2%) |
| Altoids Smalls | $6.0 | (19.9%) | 3.8 | (21.0%) |
| Total** | $281.6 | 11.0% | 163.7 | 5.7% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
“If something changes in the store that will impact space allocation, it’s a matter of: What will continue to drive the business? Make sure the counter area is really set up in a way to be as impactful as humanly possible.”Tim Young —Candy Category Manager of the Year Award winner
UPC
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Breakers Cool Mint (1.5-oz.) | $24.0 | 12.4% | 9.8 | 9.1% |
| Ice Breakers Winter Mint (1.5-oz.) | $20.0 | 13.5% | 8.2 | 10.5% |
| Mentos Mixed Fruit (1.32-oz.) | $18.0 | 17.1% | 14.5 | 12.3% |
| Altoids Peppermint (1.76-oz.) | $16.3 | 0.3% | 6.6 | (0.5%) |
| Mentos Mint (1.32-oz.) | $16.0 | 4.6% | 13.2 | 1.2% |
| Tic Tac Freshmint (1-oz.) | $15.3 | 0.7% | 10.0 | (1.3%) |
| Breath Mint Wintergreen (12-count) | $12.8 | (0.8%) | 11.5 | (4.4%) |
| Tic Tac Orange (1-oz.) | $12.0 | 2.5% | 7.8 | (0.1%) |
| Altoids Wintergreen (1.76-oz.) | $10.4 | 6.2% | 4.2 | 5.2% |
| Breath Savers Peppermint (12-count) | $10.1 | (5.5%) | 9.1 | (8.0%) |
| Total** | $281.6 | 11.0% | 163.7 | 5.7% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., The Hershey Co. | * Percent change from a year ago | ** Including UPCs/brands/families not shown
5.7% – Increase in unit sales of breath fresheners in 2015, according to Nielsen
Candy: What to Watch
Chocolate
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CMOY Candy: Tim Young
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