Where the Gains Are: Refrigerated
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store sales of milk rose 1.9% in 2014, with units off 2.2%, led by skim and low-fat varieties, according to IRI.
Hand-held entrees—including Deli Express, Landshire and Don Miguel brands—saw unit sales rise more than 5%.
Refrigerated Dairy
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Flavored milk/eggnog/buttermilk | $394.9 | 7.6% | 229.5 | 2.6% |
| Milkshakes/nondairy drinks | $13.6 | -12.7% | 7.4 | -15.3% |
| Skim/low-fat milk | $874.8 | -2.0% | 282.6 | -6.7% |
| Whole milk | $620.5 | 4.7% | 206.5 | -0.2% |
| Natural cheese | $147.1 | 16.3% | 109.1 | 14.4% |
| Fresh eggs | $82.3 | 10.2% | 39.0 | 7.2% |
| Creams/creamers | $76.4 | 2.1% | 29.7 | -2.0% |
| Yogurt | $63.5 | 4.4% | 39.5 | 1.5% |
| Butter/butter blends | $16.3 | 7.6% | 3.9 | -2.4% |
| Sour cream | $10.0 | 0.2% | 4.3 | -3.7% |
| Margarine/spreads | $8.9 | -3.1% | 3.3 | -4.7% |
| Cottage cheese | $5.9 | -4.7% | 2.5 | -8.3% |
| Cream cheese | $5.7 | -5.3% | 1.9 | -9.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Refrigerated Entrees
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Hand-held non-breakfast entrees | $798.9 | 8.1% | 246.6 | 5.3% |
| Breakfast entrees | $291.5 | 26.4% | 126.5 | 24.0% |
| Lunches | $125.2 | 12.6% | 42.0 | 15.0% |
| Salad/coleslaw | $72.7 | 14.7% | 16.1 | 13.3% |
| Luncheon meats | $32.7 | 6.3% | 12.1 | 2.2% |
| Breakfast meats | $28.4 | 4.0% | 5.2 | -4.5% |
| Frankfurters | $20.7 | 2.4% | 10.5 | 5.9% |
| Dinner sausage | $19.6 | 14.4% | 6.6 | 15.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Cross-Category Opportunity
According to an analysis of c-store point-of-sale data by Management Science Associates, market baskets that included frozen foods ranked among the largest in total basket ring, and significantly above the average transaction size of $6.75. In fact, baskets with frozen foods averaged $13.82, with most of this total—$8.47—coming from items in other categories.
Distributor Data: Refrigerated and Frozen-Food Shipments
Calendar year 2014
Growth in shipments of refrigerated and frozen foods from McLane in 2014 was mixed, with dairy largely on an upward trend.
Packaged Deli Products
| Segment | APSW** | APSW dollar growth | PCYA* |
| Lunch packs | $15.48 | $2.36 | 18.0% |
| Luncheon meat | $2.39 | -$0.21 | -7.9% |
| Other packaged deli products | $4.28 | -$0.18 | -4.0% |
Source: McLane Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
** Average shipments per store per week
Dairy
| Segment | APSW** | APSW dollar growth | PCYA* |
| Packaged cheese | $15.61 | $3.17 | 25.5% |
| Milk/milk product | $12.83 | $2.08 | 19.4% |
| Eggs | $8.43 | $1.65 | 24.3% |
| Butter/margarine | $2.53 | $0.48 | 23.2% |
| Other dairy | $10.81 | $2.55 | 30.9% |
Source: McLane Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
** Average shipments per store per week
Frozen Food
| Segment | APSW** | APSW dollar growth | PCYA* |
| Frozen pizza | $16.85 | $1.23 | 7.9% |
| Frozen dinners and entrees | $4.89 | -$8.28 | -62.9% |
| Ice cream and novelties | $3.51 | $0.51 | 17.1% |
| Other frozen foods | $26.25 | $7.86 | 42.7% |
Source: McLane Co.
* Percent change from a year ago
** Average shipments per store per week
CONTINUED: Milk, Cheese, Breakfast & Hand-Held Entrees
Market Share: Milk by Type
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Nearly 46% of c-store milk sales in 2014 were low-fat and skim varieties, according to IRI.
| Segment | Dollar share |
| Low-fat and skim | 45.9% |
| Whole | 32.6% |
| Flavored milk** | 20.7% |
| Other*** | 0.8% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
** Includes eggnog and buttermilk
*** Includes refrigerated milkshakes and nondairy drinks, kefir and milk substitutes
Natural-Cheese Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store sales of natural cheese rose more than 14% in 2014, per IRI, with top string/stick cheese brands enjoying strong growth.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Polly O string/stick cheese | $21.9 | 12.3% | 24.3 | 12.9% |
| Sargento Natural string/stick cheese | $12.3 | 30.8% | 13.6 | 32.4% |
| Private-label string/stick cheese | $9.1 | 16.1% | 6.9 | 4.5% |
| Kraft Cracker Barrel Natural string/stick cheese | $8.7 | 18.9% | 9.7 | 20.1% |
| Borden chunks | $5.9 | 19.2% | 4.2 | 18.8% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $147.1 | 16.3% | 109.1 | 14.4% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Refrigerated Breakfast and Hand-Held Entrees
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Private label led c-store dollar and unit sales for refrigerated entrees in 2014, according to IRI.
Refrigerated Breakfast-Entree Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Private label | $204.7 | 34.6% | 93.2 | 31.7% |
| Deli Express | $40.3 | 30.1% | 14.7 | 25.6% |
| Don Miguel | $10.5 | 5.5% | 4.2 | 3.6% |
| Jimmy Dean | $10.1 | -0.9% | 4.1 | 0.0% |
| Landshire | $9.6 | -1.8% | 3.9 | -4.1% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $291.5 | 26.4% | 126.5 | 24.0% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Refrigerated Hand-Held-Entree Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Private label | $317.8 | 10.1% | 96.5 | 10.0% |
| Deli Express | $163.8 | 22.0% | 49.2 | 16.3% |
| Landshire | $49.3 | -6.0% | 15.3 | -12.1% |
| Don Miguel The Bomb | $29.4 | -0.6% | 9.1 | -2.3% |
| Great American Deli | $17.0 | -9.9% | 5.7 | -11.9% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $798.9 | 8.1% | 256.6 | 5.3% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
CONTINUED: Frozen Foods, Desserts & Ice cream
Where the Gains Are: Frozen
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store unit sales of frozen novelties inched up slightly in 2014, while ice-cream sales were off 0.1%, according to IRI. In the rest of the freezer set, pizza and breakfast food were growth highlights.
Frozen Desserts
| Segement | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Novelties | $694.7 | 2.4% | 361.7 | 0.2% |
| Ice cream/sherbet | $497.0 | 1.8% | 124.1 | -0.1% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Frozen Snacks and Entrees
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Dinners/entrees | $190.3 | 0.6% | 84.3 | -7.2% |
| Appetizers/snack rolls | $131.2 | -1.9% | 99.5 | -8.5% |
| Pizza | $130.4 | 15.8% | 24.0 | 12.3% |
| Breakfast food | $94.3 | 5.6% | 42.5 | 4.4% |
| Potatoes/onions | $16.1 | 14.5% | 16.5 | 20.2% |
| Juices | $11.6 | 0.7% | 4.1 | -2.2% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Frozen-Dessert Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Only a few of the top c-store frozen-novelty brands posted growth in 2014, led by f’real milkshakes, according to IRI.
Frozen-Novelty Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| f’real | $102.4 | 13.7% | 36.6 | 10.2% |
| Nestlé Drumstick | $56.6 | -2.5% | 20.6 | -4.9% |
| Snickers | $52.4 | -13.7% | 27.0 | -12.4% |
| Häagen-Dazs | $29.3 | 4.2% | 10.0 | 2.6% |
| Blue Bell | $26.8 | -2.4% | 31.6 | -4.8% |
| Wells Blue Bunny | $25.6 | 1.4% | 16.7 | 2.3% |
| Magnum | $24.3 | 8.1% | 8.1 | 7.9% |
| Good Humor | $23.9 | 0.2% | 13.7 | -0.7% |
| Nestlé | $23.2 | 1.8% | 14.8 | -2.0% |
| Nestlé Tollhouse | $23.2 | -18.6% | 7.8 | 19.3% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $694.0 | 2.4% | 360.6 | 0.2% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Ice-Cream Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Ben & Jerry’s | $142.6 | -1.0% | 26.4 | -2.4% |
| Blue Bell | $75.5 | 7.4% | 29.0 | 5.2% |
| Häagen-Dazs | $52.1 | 6.3% | 10.4 | 4.8% |
| Dreyer’s/Edy’s Grand | $23.6 | 39.4% | 5.8 | 56.1% |
| Private label | $23.6 | 7.7% | 7.0 | 8.6% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $475.9 | 1.2% | 118.4 | -0.8% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Frozen Dinner/Entrée Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store sales of frozen dinners were soft in 2014, with units off nearly 8%, according to IRI.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Hot Pockets | $34.4 | -5.0% | 12.3 | -8.3% |
| Private label | $23.1 | -5.1% | 14,6 | -5.6% |
| El Monterey | $16.3 | -1.2% | 7.7 | -0.5% |
| Global Delights | $14.6 | 42.0% | 8.6 | 42.2% |
| Pierre Big AZ | $11.4 | 33.3% | 3.2 | 32.7% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $169.1 | 0.9% | 78.7 | -7.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
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