Where the Gains Are
C-store sales of meat snacks rose nearly 13% in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014, with units up 7.2%, according to IRI. Jerky sales rose more than 15% to hit $647.7 million, with units up 8.5%.
Nielsen generally echoes this growth rate for meat snacks, showing c-store sales dollars up 11.3%, with units up 6.0% in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014. The two biggest segments—jerky and meat sticks—grew dollars by double digits, while units rose at about half that rate. This reflects a categorywide price increase in 2014 due to rising beef prices.
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| All other** | $749.5 | 10.5% | 425.4 | 6.8% |
| Jerky | $647.7 | 15.2% | 125.7 | 8.5% |
| Total meat snacks | $1,397.2 | 12.7% | 551.1 | 7.2% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
** Includes all segments other that jerky: e.g., meat sticks, kippered beefstick and stick and cheese combos
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014
| Segment | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Tarditional jerky | $553.1 | 13.1% | 90.9 | 6.3% |
| Meat sticks | $412.5 | 10.9% | 269.9 | 6.5% |
| Kippered beefsteak | $163.2 | 12.9% | 63.5 | 8.0% |
| Stick combos | $63.2 | 10.0% | 36.3 | 8.4% |
| Pickled sausage | $40.5 | 3.2% | 31.4 | -1.5% |
| Nuggets/tenders | $28.7 | -4.0% | 4.3 | -10.2% |
| Shredded jerky | $17.7 | -0.9% | 11.2 | -6.1% |
| Stick bites | $7.0 | -8.9% | 2.2 | -7.9% |
| Total meat snacks | $1,285.9 | 11.3% | 509.6 | 6.0% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Oberto Brands
* Percent change from a year ago
Market Share by Brand
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
Jack Link’s brand gained the most dollar and unit share of c-store meat-snack sales in 2014, according to Nielsen.
Dollar share
| Brand | Dollar share | Point change |
| Jack Link’s | 50.3% | 0.8 |
| Slim Jim | 24.2% | 0.0 |
| Matador | 3.0% | 0.1 |
| Penrose | 2.8% | -0.1 |
| Private label | 2.6% | -0.3 |
| Oberto | 2.2% | -0.0 |
| Others*** | 14.9% | NA |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Jack Link's
*** Brands with less than 2% share
Unit share
| Brand | Unit share | Point change |
| Jack Link’s | 38.6% | 0.8 |
| Slim Jim | 37.0% | 0.0 |
| Penrose | 5.2% | 0.1 |
| Private label | 4.2% | -0.1 |
| Matador | 3.0% | -0.3 |
| Tillamook | 2.1% | -0.0 |
| Others*** | 9.9% | NA |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Jack Link's
*** Brands with less than 2% share
CONTINUED: Close-up on Meat Snacks & Stick Combos
Quarterly Look: Meat-Snack UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Unit sales of meat snacks in c-stores rose nearly 9% in the final quarter of2014, according to IRI.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Jack Link’s Teriyaki jerky (3.25-oz.) | $16.7 | 20.2% | 2.4 | 15.7% |
| Slim Jim Giant Slim Original meat stick (0.97-oz.) | $16.4 | 5.3% | 11.5 | 1.6% |
| Jack Link’s Original jerky (3.25-oz.) | $15.4 | 20.0% | 2.2 | 16.2% |
| Slim Jim Monster Stick Original meat stick (1.94-oz.) | $13.0 | 11.8% | 5.1 | 10.8% |
| Jack Link’s Peppered jerky (3.25-oz.) | $9.2 | 18.2% | 1.3 | 14.3% |
| Jack Link’s Teriyaki beefsteak (2-oz.) | $9.0 | 25.3% | 2.9 | 14.5% |
| Jack Link’s Original beefsteak (2-oz.) | $6.9 | 21.6% | 2.2 | 10.5% |
| Jack Links Sweet And Hot jerky (3.25-oz.) | $6.4 | 15.8% | 0.9 | 11.9% |
| Slim Jim Mild meat stick (0.97-oz.) | $5.5 | 9.5% | 3.9 | 6.2% |
| Jack Link’s All American Cheese and Beef combo pack (1.2-oz.) | $5.4 | 36.8% | 3.4 | 25.6% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $356.9 | 17.4% | 136.2 | 8.7% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Stick Combos
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014
The top-selling combo pack UPCs in c-stores come from the Slim Jim, Jack Link’s and Old Wisconsin brands, according to Nielsen figures.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Jack Link’s All American Cheese and Beef (1.2-oz.) | $16.6 | 23.4% | 10.4 | 16.6% |
| Slim Jim Beef/Cheese (1.5-oz.) | $14.7 | 6.0% | 8.6 | 2.5% |
| Jack Link’s Jalapeno Beef and cheese (1.2-oz.) | $7.1 | 27.9% | 4.5 | 21.2% |
| Old Wisconsin Steak/Cheese (2.5-oz.) | $4.8 | -19.0% | 1.7 | -20.6% |
| Slim Jim Pepperoni Sausage/Cheese (1.5-oz.) | $4.2 | 27.6% | 2.5 | 23.2% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $63.2 | 10.0% | 36.3 | 8.4% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Oberto Brands
* Percent change from a year ago
Market Share by Type, Dollars and Units
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
Jerky gained dollar and unit share of c-store meat-snack sales in 2014, and meat sticks gained 0.3 points in unit share, according to Nielsen.
Dollars
| Segment | Dollar share | Point change |
| Traditional jerky | 44.4% | 1.2 |
| Meat sticks | 32.5% | -0.2 |
| Steak/kippered | 11.2% | -0.3 |
| Combo packs | 4.7% | -0.2 |
| Pickled | 3.1% | -0.3 |
| Nuggets/tenders | 2.1% | -0.2 |
| Chew | 1.4% | -0.2 |
| Chub/sliced | 0.6% | 0.0 |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Jack Link’s
Units
| Segment | Dollar share | Point change |
| Meat sticks | 53.4% | 0.3 |
| Traditional jerky | 19.4% | 0.6 |
| Steak/kippered | 10.7% | -0.2 |
| Combo packs | 6.9% | 0.1 |
| Pickled | 6.1% | -0.5 |
| Chew | 2.2% | -0.3 |
| Nuggets/tenders | 0.8% | -0.1 |
| Chub/sliced | 0.5% | 0.0 |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Jack Link’s
CONTINUED: Closeup on Jerky & More
Traditional Jerky by Brand and UPC
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014
The top 10 jerky UPCs were from the Jack Link’s brand, which has more than 50% share of c-store meat-snack dollar sales, per Nielsen.
Jerky Brands
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Jack Link’s | $341.3 | 14.2% | 62.0 | 6.4% |
| Oberto | $25.4 | 8.8% | 4.5 | 9.1% |
| Jack Link’s Matador | $24.8 | 15.5% | 4.2 | 12.3% |
| Jack Link’s World Kitchen | $24.0 | 4.1% | 2.1 | 2.7% |
| Private label | $23.1 | 8.8% | 4.9 | 8.4% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $570.8 | 13.1% | 102.1 | 6.3% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Oberto Brands
* Percent change from a year ago
Jerky UPCs
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Jack Link’s Terkiyaki (3.25-oz.) | $64.5 | 14.5% | 9.3 | 11.6% |
| Jack Link’s Original (3.25-oz.) | $58.3 | 12.1% | 8.4 | 9.5% |
| Jack Link’s Peppered (3.25-oz.) | $35.0 | 13.8% | 5.0 | 10.7% |
| Jack Link’s Sweet & Hot (3.25-oz.) | $25.3 | 13.6% | 3.7 | 11.1% |
| Jack Link’s Original (1.5-oz.) | $16.2 | -2.4% | 4.0 | -5.5% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Oberto Brands
* Percent change from a year ago
What’s New
Meat-snack prices rose in 2014 thanks to a much more expensive ingredient: beef. In fact, beef prices rose more than 43% in 2014, according to Oberto Brands. The U.S. cattle herd shrank to its smallest size in more than 60 years, while worldwide beef consumption has leapt 20% in the past five years.
Jerky Share by Meat Type
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014
Nearly 94% of meat-snack dollar sales in 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014, come from beef-based items, according to Nielsen.
| Meat type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Dollar share |
| Beef | $534.1 | 11.8% | 93.6% |
| Bacon | $17.0 | 41.2% | 3.0% |
| Tirkey | $12.2 | 45.5% | 2.1% |
| Pork | $5.3 | 17.7% | 0.9% |
| Chicken | $0.8 | -15.5% | 0.1% |
| All other | $1.4 | 13.4% | 0.3% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Oberto Brands
* Percent change from a year ago
Meat Sticks by UPC: Units and Dollars
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2014
The 0.97-ounce Slim Jim Giant Slim Original was the top-selling meat-stick UPC by units and dollars in c-stores, according to Nielsen.
Units
| UPC | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* |
| Slim Jim Giant Slim Original (0.97-oz.) | 57.2 | 7.6% | $79.5 | 8.7% |
| Slim Jim Monster Stick Original (1.94-oz.) | 22.7 | 17.1% | $56.9 | 16.8% |
| Slim Jim Giant Slim Mild (0.97-oz.) | 16.1 | 9.1% | $22.1 | 10.3% |
| Slim Jim Original (0.44-oz.) | 16.0 | -0.8% | $8.1 | -1.0% |
| Private label (0.28-oz.) | 12.2 | -16.0% | $4.7 | -16.1% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Jack Link’s
* Percent change from a year ago
Dollars
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Slim Jim Giant Slim Original (0.97-oz.) | $79.5 | 8.7% | 57.2 | 7.6% |
| Slim Jim Monster Stick Original (1.94-oz.) | $56.9 | 16.8% | 22.7 | 17.1% |
| Slim Jim Original (1.94-oz.) | $25.0 | 61.7% | 9.6 | 56.9% |
| Slim Jim Giant Slim Mild (0.97-oz.) | $22.1 | 10.3% | 16.1 | 9.1% |
| Jack Link’s Original Sasquatch XXL (2.2-oz.) | $21.9 | 0.3% | 8.6 | -2.5% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Jack Link’s
* Percent change from a year ago
Kippered Beefsteak
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014
The third-largest meat-snack segment in c-stores saw dollar sales rise nearly 13% in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 20, 2014.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Unit sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Jack Link’s Teriyaki (2-oz.) | $37.5 | 14.5% | 12.6 | 9.9% |
| Jack Link’s Original (2-oz.) | $28.1 | 14.8% | 9.5 | 10.2% |
| Jack Link’s Black Pepper (2-oz.) | $20.1 | 13.9% | 6.7 | 10.0% |
| Jack Link’s Teriyaki (1-oz.) | $16.3 | 18.3% | 8.5 | 12.4% |
| Jack Link’s Original (1-oz.) | $14.8 | 9.3% | 7.8 | 3.3% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $163.2 | 12.9% | 63.5 | 8.0% |
Sources: The Nielsen Co., Oberto Brands
* Percent change from a year ago
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