Where the Gains Are
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
C-store sales of bars rose nearly 9% in 2013, according to IRI, with nutritional/intrinsic health posting the biggest gains. Granola-bar sales, meanwhile, fell more than 11%, with units off more than 9%.
| Bar type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Nutritional/intrinsic health value bars | $461.1 | 15.3% | 224.3 | 13.5% |
| Breakfast/cereal/snack bars | $166.7 | 5.4% | 148.3 | 1.8% |
| Granola bars | $99.1 | -11.3% | 123.1 | -9.5% |
| Total (including bar types not shown) | $727.0 | 8.6% | 495.8 | 3.5% |
Source: IRI
Market Share by Bar Type
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
Nearly 60% of c-store bar dollar sales and 41% of unit sales came from the nutritional segment in 2013, according to IRI.
Source: IRI
Snack-Bar Trends
In c-stores, the top-selling nutrition-bar brand by units in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 21, 2013, was Clif, according to Nielsen. IRI reports Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats as the top breakfast/cereal/snack bar brand, with Nature Valley leading the granola-bar segment.
| Nutrition-Bar Brands by Units | ||
| C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 21, 2013 | ||
| Brand | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Clif | 43.2 | 26.2% |
| Kellogg’s Special K Protein | 31.5 | 5.6% |
| PowerBar | 31.2 | -8.0% |
| MET-Rx | 14.7 | -8.0% |
| Supreme Protein | 10.4 | -0.2% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., U.S. Nutrition
| Breakfast/Cereal/Snack-Bar Brands | ||||
| C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013 | ||||
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats | $58.8 | 5.3% | 48.4 | -0.1% |
| Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars | $30.5 | -0.4% | 34.3 | -1.5% |
| General Mills Golden Grahams Treats | $13.9 | -8.2% | 10.2 | -9.4% |
| General Mills Lucky Charms Treats | $10.1 | 1.7% | 7.3 | 1.7% |
| Kellogg’s Special K Bar | $8.9 | -11.7% | 10.0 | -13.4% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $166.7 | 5.4% | 148.3 | 1.8% |
| Granola-Bar Brands | ||||
| C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013 | ||||
| Nature Valley | $41.2 | -1.6% | 48.6 | -3.3% |
| Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut | $24.8 | 13.8% | 28.0 | 13.8% |
| Sunbelt | $12.7 | -4.6% | 26.2 | -7.9% |
| Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix | $7.4 | -12.1% | 8.8 | -13.0% |
| Quaker Big Chewy | $2.8 | -24.6% | 2.9 | -25.0% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $99.1 | -11.3% | 123.1 | -9.5% |
Source: IRI
Nutrition-Bar Trends
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 21, 2013
C-store sales of high-protein, energy and healthy snack bars grew in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 21, 2013, with total nutrition-bar sales up nearly 7%, according to Nielsen figures.
| Sales by Segment | ||||
| Bar type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| High-protein | $170.6 | 4.3% | 60.2 | 6.2% |
| Energy | $104.5 | 5.8% | 57.3 | 3.1% |
| Diet plans | $61.1 | 4.0% | 32.3 | -0.2% |
| Healthy snack | $52.9 | 21.6% | 29.2 | 18.5% |
| Total nutrition bars | $389.1 | 6.7% | 178.9 | 5.7% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., U.S. Nutrition
Clif Bar’s share of c-store nutrition-bar sales rose 3.5 points in 2013,
according to Nielsen.
| Market Share by Manufacturer | ||
| Manufacturer | Dollar share | Point change |
| Clif Bar Inc. | 22.0% | 3.5 |
| Kellogg Co. | 16.8% | 0.2 |
| Nestlé Holdings Inc. | 16.3% | -2.0 |
| U.S. Nutrition | 14.7% | -2.0 |
| Pro Source | 8.1% | -0.5 |
| All others | 22.1% | NA |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., U.S. Nutrition
Nutrition/High-Protein Bars UPCs
The top-selling c-store nutrition-bar UPC in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 21, 2013, was the 1.59-ounce strawberry Kellogg’s Special K Protein bar, according to Nielsen. The top-selling protein bar? The 3.52-ounce chocolate chip cookie dough MET-Rx Big 100.
| Nutrition UPCs | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Kellogg’s Special K Protein (strawberry, 1.59-oz.) | $20.2 | 17.3% | 10.8 | 11.9% |
| Kellogg’s Special K Protein (chocolate peanut butter, 1.59-oz.) | $18.5 | -4.6% | 9.9 | -8.9% |
| Clif (white chocolate macadamia nut, 2.4-oz.) | $17.2 | 54.5% | 9.1 | 53.4% |
| Clif (peanut butter, 2.4-oz.) | $17.1 | 20.4% | 9.1 | 19.9% |
| Clif (chocolate brownie, 2.4-oz.) | $16.1 | 29.6% | 8.5 | 28.5% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $389.1 | 6.7% | 178.9 | 5.7% |
| High-protein UPCs | ||||
| MET-Rx Big 100 (chocolate chip cookie dough, 3.52-oz.) | $14.4 | -7.9% | 4.4 | -8.7% |
| Supreme Protein (caramel nut chocolate, 1.75-oz.) | $13.6 | 2.3% | 4.4 | 1.2% |
| PowerBar Protein Plus (chocolate peanut butter, 2.75-oz.) | $13.4 | -- | 5.5 | -- |
| PowerBar Protein Plus (vanilla, 2.12-oz.) | $10.5 | -- | 4.3 | -- |
| MET-Rx Big 100 Colossal (Super Cookie Crunch, 3.52-oz.) | $10.5 | 5.9% | 3.2 | 5.4% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $170.6 | 4.3% | 60.2 | 6.2% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., U.S. Nutrition
Customer in Focus
According to a recent report by Mintel, 75% of consumers who eat cereal and snack bars do so as a between-meal snack, with 62% using them as a replacement for breakfast and 46% as a part of breakfast. “Young consumers display a willingness to consume these products for a range of usage occasions,” Mintel says in the report, pointing out that 18- to 34-year-olds overindex in their use of products across usage occasions—except as a snack between meals. “This may be due to the fact this group does not differentiate between meals and snacks in the traditional sense, so afternoon snack-bar consumption becomes an afternoon meal occasion.”
Nutrition-Bar UPCs by Dollars and Units
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2013
By dollars, the top-selling c-store bar UPC in 2013 was the 2.2-ounce Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treat, according to IRI. By units, the 1.5-ounce Nature Valley Oats & Honey granola bar led the ranking.
| Dollars | ||
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA |
| Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treat (2.2-oz.) | $27.3 | 6.5% |
| Nature Valley Oats & Honey granola bar (1.5-oz.) | $23.0 | 1.5% |
| Kellogg’s Special K Protein Strawberry (1.59-oz.) | $20.6 | 12.9% |
| Kellogg’s Special K Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter (1.59-oz.) | $19.9 | -1.9% |
| Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut (2.4-oz.) | $17.9 | 64.4% |
| Units | ||
| UPC | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA |
| Nature Valley Oats & Honey granola bar (1.5-oz.) | 26.9 | 0.6% |
| Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treat (2.2-oz.) | 20.1 | 1.9% |
| Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bar Strawberry (1.3-oz.) | 14.4 | 0.0% |
| Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treat (1.3-oz.) | 14.1 | -8.0% |
| Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Peanut (1.2-oz.) | 12.0 | 12.4% |
Sources: IRI, General Mills Inc.
Category Management Best Practice
C-store bar shoppers consider a bar’s type first and its brand second over all other attributes when making their bar purchase decisions, says Kelly Fulford, category development manager for General Mills Convenience. Seventy-five percent of bars purchased are consumed in the morning, as breakfast or a morning snack.
“The challenge with the bar set is around ensuring the right assortment of products is shelved in the most shoppable way,” says Fulford. “For example, retailers can arrange bars and shelve them by day-part, such as a breakfast on the go, and place these impulsive morning product purchases near the top of the shelf and place destination bars (such as high-protein bars) closer to the bottom.”
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