Where the Gains Are: Refrigerated
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store milk sales fell again in 2013, with unit sales of skim and low-fat off more than 8% and whole milk down 4.6%, according to IRI. Elsewhere in the dairy case, segments such as natural cheese, butter and sour cream saw modest increases. Yogurt unit sales leveled off after a nearly 11% jump in 2012, according to IRI figures.
In refrigerated meals, breakfast entrees posted a more than 4% jump in unit sales, while hand-held entrees fell more than 5%.
| Refrigerated Dairy | ||||
| Dairy segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Skim/low-fat milk | $905.6 | -5.9% | 306.4 | -8.4% |
| Whole milk | $597.0 | -2.2% | 207.1 | -4.6% |
| Flavored milk/eggnog/buttermilk | $366.3 | -0.5% | 222.4 | -3.5% |
| Natural cheese | $126.3 | 3.4% | 95.9 | 2.3% |
| Fresh eggs | $77.6 | 1.3% | 37.7 | -1.3% |
| Creams/creamers | $75.5 | 0.3% | 30.5 | -0.4% |
| Yogurt | $62.9 | 1.5% | 40.2 | 0.7% |
| Milkshakes/nondairy drinks | $17.3 | -14.5% | 9.5 | -16.5% |
| Butter/butter blends | $15.0 | 3.8% | 3.9 | 2.6% |
| Sour cream | $9.9 | 5.8% | 4.6 | 6.6% |
| Margarine/spreads | $9.1 | -8.7% | 3.5 | -8.9% |
| Cottage cheese | $6.6 | -9.8% | 2.8 | -13.1% |
| Cream cheese/cream cheese spread | $5.7 | 3.2% | 2.0 | -1.5% |
| Refrigerated Entrées | ||||
| Hand-held non-breakfast entrées | $714.3 | -1.2% | 220.7 | -5.3% |
| Breakfast entrées | $255.8 | 6.3% | 113.0 | 4.2% |
| Lunches | $111.1 | -2.5% | 36.3 | -3.1% |
| Salad/coleslaw | $63.9 | 57.1% | 14.4 | 51.6% |
| Luncheon meats | $29.1 | -5.6% | 11.1 | -10.4% |
| Breakfast meats | $26.2 | 6.7% | 5.3 | 4.6% |
| Meat and refrigerated ham | $25.4 | -9.6% | 14.1 | -7.5% |
| Side dishes | $20.7 | -8.3% | 7.9 | -12.6% |
| Frankfurters | $19.8 | 7.0% | 9.7 | 15.4% |
Source: IRI
Distributor Data: Refrigerated and Frozen Shipments
Calendar year 2013
McLane shipments of frozen food rose in 2013 in terms of average shipments per store per week, with pizza, dinners, ice cream/novelties and other frozen items posting gains.
| Packaged Deli Products | |||
| Segment | Average shipments per store per week (in dollars) | Average shipments per store per week (dollar growth) | PCYA |
| Lunch packs | $12.30 | -$0.94 | -7.1% |
| Luncheon meat | $2.52 | -$0.21 | -7.6% |
| Other packaged deli products | $5.71 | $1.09 | 23.6% |
| Total packaged deli products | $20.53 | -$0.06 | -0.3% |
| Dairy | |||
| Packaged cheese | $11.87 | $0.02 | 0.2% |
| Eggs | $6.40 | $1.95 | 43.9% |
| Milk/milk product | $5.15 | -$5.10 | -49.7% |
| Butter/margarine | $1.43 | -$0.22 | -13.4% |
| Other dairy | $7.72 | $1.47 | 23.6% |
| Total dairy | $32.59 | -$1.87 | -5.4% |
| Frozen Food | |||
| Frozen pizza | $14.64 | $1.62 | 12.4% |
| Frozen dinners & entrées | $6.59 | $1.45 | 28.2% |
| Ice cream and novelties | $2.90 | $0.17 | 6.2% |
| Other frozen foods | $33.43 | $21.21 | 173.5% |
| Total frozen foods | $57.56 | $24.44 | 73.8% |
Source: McLane Co.
Natural-Cheese Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store unit sales of natural cheese rose a little more than 2% in 2013, according to IRI, with each of the top five brands posting increases.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Polly O string/stick cheese | $20.1 | 0.9% | 22.1 | 2.7% |
| Sargento string/stick cheese | $8.8 | 9.1% | 9.6 | 7.8% |
| Private-label string/ stick cheese | $8.2 | 12.4% | 7.1 | 12.2% |
| Kraft Cracker Barrel string/stick cheese | $7.6 | 4.7% | 8.2 | 6.0% |
| Borden chunks | $5.5 | 1.6% | 3.9 | 1.2% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $126.3 | 3.4% | 95.9 | 2.3% |
Source: IRI
Market Share: Milk by Type
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
Whole milk provided more than 31% of c-store milk sales in 2013, while low-fat and skim supplied 48%, according to IRI.
Source: IRI
Refrigerated Breakfast and Hand-Held Entrées
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
Strong sales of private-label refrigerated breakfast entrées helped that segment grow unit sales by more than 4% in 2013, according to IRI, while private-label refrigerated hand-held entrées also gained volume.
| Refrigerated Breakfast-Entrée Brands | ||||
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Private label | $172.2 | 17.4% | 78.6 | 20.5% |
| Deli Express | $31.5 | 3.4% | 11.9 | -7.0% |
| Don Miguel | $12.2 | -2.2% | 5.1 | -4.9% |
| Jimmy Dean | $11.7 | -2.1% | 4.7 | -4.8% |
| Landshire | $10.5 | -17.7% | 4.4 | -17.5% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $255.8 | 6.3% | 113.0 | 4.2% |
| Refrigerated Hand-Held Entrée Brands | ||||
| Private label | $272.4 | 7.1% | 79.9 | 7.9% |
| Deli Express | $136.5 | -7.2% | 43.0 | -13.1% |
| Landshire | $55.8 | -19.0% | 18.6 | -21.3% |
| Don Miguel The Bomb | $31.2 | -17.2% | 9.9 | 14.3% |
| Great American Deli | $18.0 | 2.2% | 6.0 | -3.2% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $714.3 | -1.2% | 220.7 | -5.3% |
Source: IRI
Where the Gains Are: Frozen
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store unit sales of frozen novelties fell more than 6% in 2013, while ice cream was off 1.4%, according to IRI. In frozen snacks and entrées, none of the biggest segments grew dollars and units, figures show.
| Frozen Desserts | ||||
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Frozen novelties | $675.9 | -3.1% | 361.7 | -6.1% |
| Ice cream | $476.4 | 1.6% | 120.9 | -1.4% |
| Frozen yogurt/tofu | $7.6 | -8.8% | 1.6 | -1.4% |
| Sherbet/sorbet/ices | $5.8 | 2.9% | 2.2 | 2.5% |
| Frozen Snacks and Entrées | ||||
| Frozen hand-held entrées | $184.6 | -1.5% | 94.3 | 8.5% |
| Frozen appetizers/snack rolls | $140.5 | -0.6% | 115.5 | -4.7% |
| Frozen pizza | $110.5 | -0.8% | 21.5 | -1.9% |
| Frozen breakfast food | $94.1 | -2.8% | 43.2 | 0.2% |
| Single-serve frozen dinners/entrées | $20.4 | -5.1% | 5.6 | -5.1% |
Source: IRI
Frozen Dinner/Entrée Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store sales of frozen dinner entrées reached nearly $185 million in 2013, led by Nestlé USA’s Hot Pockets brand of hand-held meals, according to IRI. Among multi- and single-serve frozen dinners, Nestlé’s Stouffer’s led the ranking. Sales in the final quarter of 2013 for this segment rose 1.1%, with units up more than 7%.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Hot Pockets | $39.2 | -2.6% | 15.3 | -6.3% |
| Private label | $26.5 | 10.4% | 16.9 | 9.4% |
| El Monterey | $16.7 | -1.6% | 7.7 | -1.9% |
| Pierre Big AZ | $16.5 | 5.9% | 4.8 | 6.3% |
| Chef Choice | $13.5 | -9.5% | 6.6 | -9.7% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $184.6 | -1.5% | 94.3 | 8.5% |
Source: IRI
Frozen-Dessert Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
In the frozen-novelty segment, No. 1 brand f’real—self-serve blended milkshakes and smoothies—posted a double-digit increase in dollar and unit sales, according to IRI. Among the top ice-cream brands, Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs and private label grew both c-store dollar and unit sales in 2013, IRI reports.
| Frozen-Novelty Brands | ||||
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| f’real | $91.6 | 14.6% | 33.9 | 13.7% |
| Snickers | $60.6 | -9.9% | 30.7 | -10.8% |
| Nestlé Drumstick | $58.9 | -3.9% | 22.0 | -5.7% |
| Nestlé Tollhouse | $29.0 | 1.2% | 9.9 | -0.1% |
| Blue Bell | $28.4 | -7.7% | 34.5 | -7.6% |
| Häagen-Dazs | $27.3 | -6.8% | 9.6 | -8.2% |
| Wells Blue Bunny | $24.6 | 5.3% | 16.1 | 0.7% |
| Good Humor | $23.0 | -12.1% | 13.3 | -13.4% |
| Nestlé | $22.6 | -14.3% | 14.9 | -19.2% |
| Magnum | $22.3 | -1.1% | 7.5 | -3.8% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $675.9 | -3.1% | 361.7 | -6.1% |
| Ice-Cream Brands | ||||
| Ben & Jerry’s | $147.5 | 5.4% | 27.7 | 4.0% |
| Blue Bell | $70.5 | 2.7% | 27.9 | -0.9% |
| Häagen-Dazs | $50.7 | 5.0% | 10.3 | 4.5% |
| Breyers | $25.8 | -10.8% | 6.5 | -16.2% |
| Private label | $23.5 | 5.2% | 7.0 | 9.1% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $476.4 | 1.6% | 120.9 | -1.4% |
Source: IRI
Cross-Category Opportunity
According to research by Management Science Associates that examined point-of-sale data from three midsized c-store chains, frozen foods were most often part of multi-category baskets. Indeed, 87% of transactions with frozen foods also included other categories, and more than one-half of frozen-food baskets included three or more categories. Frozen was also a relatively small part of the total basket.
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